Modern NFL Deathwatch thread

[GagHalfrunt]

To go off on a bit of a tangent, I've been hearing how soccer will become "big" in the US for over 30 years. It has not become big in the US and never will, at least in my lifetime. I remember arguing with a couple of my foreign friends in grad school who "guaranteed" it would be on par with the 4 major sports leagues within 10 years. That was almost 20 years ago and it isn't even close.

Yeah, soccer is a stupid game and all that. But soccer has also been prevented from growing big here by our love of American football. If American football is de-fanged and pussified down into something that's only a shadow of its former self that could all change. Soccer will never be here what the NFL is and soccer will never be here what soccer is in South American and Europe. But follow this through all the way: American football changes, becomes less violent, more like soccer. Schools drop football as being too dangerous, more kids are forced to try other sports and go into soccer as a last resort. It's not too hard to see soccer becoming a hell of a lot more popular and football becoming a hell of a lot less popular. If the pro game changes and kids are turned off football earlier in life anything can happen. You can bet MLB and the NBA are loving this.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

So what exactly are you saying? Do you enjoy seeing these people take years off their life as they play for your enjoyment?

Yes! Fuck, give them swords.

 

[MisterJackson]

I think I may have been the only one who was truly bothered by the way people celebrated Clowney's hit on that guy (Yes, I know it's not NFL). I thought the hit was impressive, but the way people talked about it, for days afterwards, was sort of sickening.

 

[highland145]

Yes! Fuck, give them swords.

:biggrin:

 

[ArizonaSteve]

The future of the NFL. From the funny pictures thread...

 

[Red Storm]

The future of the NFL. From the funny pictures thread...

LOL

 

[K1052]

To go off on a bit of a tangent, I've been hearing how soccer will become "big" in the US for over 30 years. It has not become big in the US and never will, at least in my lifetime. I remember arguing with a couple of my foreign friends in grad school who "guaranteed" it would be on par with the 4 major sports leagues within 10 years. That was almost 20 years ago and it isn't even close.

MLS attendance has tripled to 6M over the last 10 years and with Hispanics on track to make up 25% of the country by the middle of the century you can guess what direction that's gonna head in. It will likely never become the dominant sport but it could easily rival the NFL and NBA in importance.

I should note that I have little to no interest in either sport and thus no horse in this race.

 

[preslove]

Soccer sucks for advertizing. It's continuous play until halftime, which is 15-30 minutes and then continuous play until the end. This makes it superior for fans, because you aren't harassed by idiotic beer ads ever 5 minutes, but it will prevent the sport getting huge on tv, unfortunately. Maybe when parents realize how idiotic it is to let their children play football, soccer might absorb enough runoff to make it a bigger sport here, but that would take a while

 

[SphinxnihpS]

MLS attendance has tripled to 6M over the last 10 years and with Hispanics on track to make up 25% of the country by the middle of the century you can guess what direction that's gonna head in. It will likely never become the dominant sport but it could easily rival the NFL and NBA in importance.

I should note that I have little to no interest in either sport and thus no horse in this race.

So you're saying that Mark Sanchez's failure is what really dooms football?

 

[zinfamous]

MLS attendance has tripled to 6M over the last 10 years and with Hispanics on track to make up 25% of the country by the middle of the century you can guess what direction that's gonna head in. It will likely never become the dominant sport but it could easily rival the NFL and NBA in importance.

I should note that I have little to no interest in either sport and thus no horse in this race.

soccer achieved a modest boost in popularity in the early 80s? when a geriatric and mostly useless Pele signed a ridiculous contract to come to the US. that all faded fast.

the current boost in popularity with MLS is singly due to the arrival of a Bekham that was already past his prime, and now that he is retired, who knows what will happen. Sure, there was no MLS during the Pele experiment, and national USA soccer has managed to be marginally better than embarrassing, but demographic trends have often pointed to the future dominance of soccer, but they have never come to pass. I think, if anything, the emergence of a much stronger hispanic population will certainly add to the profitability of soccer, but I imagine that it will remain about as popular as it is now--either if hispanic culture manages to become mainstream, or if we see a more typical melding of cultures--growing hispanic population born and raised within the US under a 3rd generation is imply more adaptive to popular American culture.

Looking towards the popularity of soccer in the young generations over decades has always kept soccer in the same place--popular with pee wee kids, who then move on to baseball or hockey or football.

 

[KeithTalent]

soccer achieved a modest boost in popularity in the early 80s? when a geriatric and mostly useless Pele signed a ridiculous contract to come to the US. that all faded fast.

the current boost in popularity with MLS is singly due to the arrival of a Bekham that was already past his prime, and now that he is retired, who knows what will happen. Sure, there was no MLS during the Pele experiment, and national USA soccer has managed to be marginally better than embarrassing, but demographic trends have often pointed to the future dominance of soccer, but they have never come to pass. I think, if anything, the emergence of a much stronger hispanic population will certainly add to the profitability of soccer, but I imagine that it will remain about as popular as it is now--either if hispanic culture manages to become mainstream, or if we see a more typical melding of cultures--growing hispanic population born and raised within the US under a 3rd generation is imply more adaptive to popular American culture.

Looking towards the popularity of soccer in the young generations over decades has always kept soccer in the same place--popular with pee wee kids, who then move on to baseball or hockey or football.

The popularity has also come from strong fan bases in the Pacific Northwest with their newish teams (Portland, Seattle, Vancouver). That's not enough to maintain MLS, but if they can continue to get some decent re-treads from overseas and build their brand here, they may be able to keep building on that. Of course the increasing Hispanic population and the growth of youth Soccer should help as well.

KT

 

[GoPackGo]

I think this will result in the NFL investing in better safety equipment. A hit to the head can be mitigated if the energy is sent somewhere else.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

RUGBY is the Master Sport.

 

[K1052]

soccer achieved a modest boost in popularity in the early 80s? when a geriatric and mostly useless Pele signed a ridiculous contract to come to the US. that all faded fast.

the current boost in popularity with MLS is singly due to the arrival of a Bekham that was already past his prime, and now that he is retired, who knows what will happen. Sure, there was no MLS during the Pele experiment, and national USA soccer has managed to be marginally better than embarrassing, but demographic trends have often pointed to the future dominance of soccer, but they have never come to pass. I think, if anything, the emergence of a much stronger hispanic population will certainly add to the profitability of soccer, but I imagine that it will remain about as popular as it is now--either if hispanic culture manages to become mainstream, or if we see a more typical melding of cultures--growing hispanic population born and raised within the US under a 3rd generation is imply more adaptive to popular American culture.

Looking towards the popularity of soccer in the young generations over decades has always kept soccer in the same place--popular with pee wee kids, who then move on to baseball or hockey or football.

MLS generally seems to be learning from past mistakes and the demand in parts of the country has been much stronger than expected, as KeithTalent notes. The next expansion is going to be in Queens which will do crazy attendance and probably lead to one additional franchise in the NYC metro area and more on the eastern seaboard. Even they have to buy some over the hill talent from Europe for another 5-10 years the popularity of the sport will continue to grow.

I truly do think youth football is increasingly in jeopardy as more info about the damage inflicted comes out and testing methods become available. All it will take are a few lawsuits from parents and you'll see schools preemptively shutter their programs due to potential liability. It would progress from there up to HS and college level except for the better heeled institutions that can afford the risk, but would end up greatly shrinking the sport from what it is now. Soccer is the natural replacement to make use of all that infrastructure and if it gains importance at the HS and college level then MLS is sure to benefit immensely.

 

[wirednuts]

i agree. this is the beginning of the end. well, last year was really the end. the hits this year have been dramatically reduced, but the ones that are left are still severely violent. expect to see a rapid decline in hits, and eventually some major change to the line where they dont smash eachothers heads in every play...

 

[wirednuts]

I think this will result in the NFL investing in better safety equipment. A hit to the head can be mitigated if the energy is sent somewhere else.

no it cannot. rapid deceleration is the problem. the only way to solve it is to not allow hits to the head.

 

[Zstream]

no it cannot. rapid deceleration is the problem. the only way to solve it is to not allow hits to the head.

Change the helmet and you're fixed. These need to be foam helmets to prevent them from taking fatal hits or blows and that's it.

 

[techs]

Are you saying the NFL did hide the facts after there was a study or what that an example?

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_...-injuries-even-officials-issued-denials-years

The NFL's retirement board awarded disability payments to at least three former players after concluding that football caused their crippling brain injuries -- even as the league's top medical experts for years consistently denied any link between the sport and long-term brain damage.

The board paid at least $2 million in disability benefits to the players in the late 1990s and 2000s, documents obtained in a joint investigation by ESPN's "Outside the Lines" and PBS' "Frontline" show. The approvals were outlined in previously unpublished documents and medical records related to the 1999 disability claim of Hall of Fame center Mike Webster.

The board's conclusion that Webster and other players suffered brain damage from playing in the NFL could be critical evidence in an expanding lawsuit against the league filed in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The lawsuit, which involves nearly 4,000 former players, alleges that the NFL for years denied the risks of long-term brain damage and "propagated its own industry-funded and falsified research to support its position."

It's pretty devastating evidence," said Fitzsimmons, who is not part of the lawsuit against the NFL. "If the NFL takes the position that they didn't know or weren't armed with evidence that concussions can cause total disability -- permanent disability, permanent brain injury -- in 1999, that evidence trumps anything they say."


The story is a bit confusing. I thought they did do a study that showed the head injuries were causing damage, but the story says they "falsified" the study.

 

[Blackjack200]

To go off on a bit of a tangent, I've been hearing how soccer will become "big" in the US for over 30 years. It has not become big in the US and never will, at least in my lifetime. I remember arguing with a couple of my foreign friends in grad school who "guaranteed" it would be on par with the 4 major sports leagues within 10 years. That was almost 20 years ago and it isn't even close.

Soccer's growth here is stymied by the competition for top talent overseas. The NHL is popular because Ilya Kovalchuk, Alex Ovechkin, and Nail Yakupov can't make anywhere close to the amount of money they make here in Europe.

I think the only way soccer ever really gets popular here is if a top level league adds franchises to the US, so top stars start showing up here routinely in matches that matter. I don't know how practical that is though. I would be happy to bet money that if you ever had a league here that featured top players, soccer would achieve parity with at least the NBA.

I don't see any reason that European clubs would agree to add American franchises though. They're already making a ton of money, and American fans follow Man U, Arsenal, and Real Madrid more than they follow the MLS.

 

[yinan]

No one cares that they are getting hurt. They are well compensated for their injuries. They can cut off my leg right now for 5 million. They make more than enough to take care of their families forever, so I have ZERO sympathy for them. HIGH RISK, HIGH REWARD.

People need to stop being PUSSIES.

 

[Sinsear]

Thank god for baseball

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Soccer's growth here is stymied by the competition for top talent overseas. The NHL is popular because Ilya Kovalchuk, Alex Ovechkin, and Nail Yakupov can't make anywhere close to the amount of money they make here in Europe.

I disagree with both points above. I'm not sure even having the best players in the world would increase soccer's popularity. IMO, the sport is mindnumblingly dull.

I wouldn't call the NHL popular either. It is popular in places like Detroit, New York, Chicago, and the Canadian cities but has more mixed results outside of those areas. Yeah, it is considered a 4th major league but I believe it is a distant, distant fourth to the other three leagues and always seems to be in financial trouble. It is frankly a miracle that they haven't contracted many of the teams in the south and central US.

I don't see any reason that European clubs would agree to add American franchises though. They're already making a ton of money, and American fans follow Man U, Arsenal, and Real Madrid more than they follow the MLS.

And that's why I don't think having top tier soccer talent here would matter. Fans can easily follow those teams now and have been able to for years and I don't think it really matters. Once kids hit a certain age, they move on to other sports.

 

[_Rick_]

RUGBY is the Master Sport.

Well, there's also Aussie Rules Football

 

[AstroManLuca]

I have never seen the phrase "pussification of America" used in conjunction with an intelligent comment.

Also most football players make significantly less than millions of dollars. Most make near the league minimum, which is pretty low if you aren't a veteran. And add in agent fees and higher taxes than people with middle incomes, and many of them can't afford to retire after a typical career.

 

[preslove]

I have never seen the phrase "pussification of America" used in conjunction with an intelligent comment.

Also most football players make significantly less than millions of dollars. Most make near the league minimum, which is pretty low if you aren't a veteran. And add in agent fees and higher taxes than people with middle incomes, and many of them can't afford to retire after a typical career.

Also, when they inevitably get injured, they don't get paid. Srsly, if you are a die hard football fan and you don't think there is something really wrong with how players are treated, you are an ignorant, sadistic piece of human garbage.