New Trend? NFL Players Retiring before 30.

[RPD]

The reality of the NFL is that so long as the superbowl gets 115 million people to watch it, stadiums continue to fill up with ever rising ticket prices, and people keep buying jerseys and team branded stuff and teams are paying people millions of dollars to do it...it will continue to exist.

So what if there's a slow decline in the number of kids playing. There's that million dollar carrot hanging out there that's *even easier* to get now that there's less people competing for it.

The demographics of many NFL players are such that even a year in the NFL is more money than most of them will see in a lifetime. It's more money than their family has ever seen. It's the lottery ticket that's 20 years in the making.

So long as people still tune in, still fill stadiums, and still buy jerseys and sweatshirts it's going to continue. So long as players are paid hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars a year it's going to continue.

Some suburbanite family that holds their kid out and puts him in hockey skates or on a lacrosse field isn't going to end the league. For every one of them, there's 50 kids from some small southern town, inner city ghetto, or dust bowl in texas wanting to punch a meal ticket in their absence.

This is the reason football won't decline rapidly or at all for a very long time. The demographics will just changes. Unless my two boys have their hearts dead set on playing football, I'd rather gently nudge them to baseball, basketball or golf.

 

[vi edit]

This is the reason football won't decline rapidly or at all for a very long time. The demographics will just changes. Unless my two boys have their hearts dead set on playing football, I'd rather gently nudge them to baseball, basketball or golf.

The thing is...injuries exist in every sport. Soccer has an incredibly high number of concussions, there's just no major buzz around that sport. Womens basketball has a huge number of concussions. Again no major buzz about it. Baseball has a very high number in high school as well.

Cross country runners suffer through huge number of injuries ranging from chronic tendonitis all the way up to stress fractures that end up being full on breaks if not rested.

Basketball players have a ton of ankle and knee injuries that can prove to problematic for life.

Sports are not low risk activities. And less than a single digit percent of us are ever going to make a dime off of them.

I certainly will steer my son to something other than football, some of it due to the injury aspect. But I make no delusions they'll be safer in another sport. He can just as easily take an elbow to the head in basketball or get undercut and hit his head on the court and get a concussion that way. Or shatter an ankle by landing on someones foot going for a layup or coming down with a rebound.

Even "non-contact" sports carry a large physical toll with them.

 

[RPD]

I'm not going to bubble wrap my children and expect them to never get hurt. There's a difference between the rare taking an elbow to the head in basketball or rolling your ankle, vs. helmet to helmet hits on every play, let alone all the times it happens in practice.

I played soccer from K to 10th grade, no injuries. The type of injuries someone can get from other sports not named football are what I'd call much more incidental.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

The thing is...injuries exist in every sport. Soccer has an incredibly high number of concussions, there's just no major buzz around that sport. Womens basketball has a huge number of concussions. Again no major buzz about it. Baseball has a very high number in high school as well.

Cross country runners suffer through huge number of injuries ranging from chronic tendonitis all the way up to stress fractures that end up being full on breaks if not rested.

Basketball players have a ton of ankle and knee injuries that can prove to problematic for life.

Sports are not low risk activities. And less than a single digit percent of us are ever going to make a dime off of them.

I certainly will steer my son to something other than football, some of it due to the injury aspect. But I make no delusions they'll be safer in another sport. He can just as easily take an elbow to the head in basketball or get undercut and hit his head on the court and get a concussion that way. Or shatter an ankle by landing on someones foot going for a layup or coming down with a rebound.

Even "non-contact" sports carry a large physical toll with them.

Except other sports don't involve the majority of active players hitting their heads against each other as hard as possible every 3 minutes.

The problem isn't just concussions, its the fact that the brain keeps getting bounced around without obvious signs of injury and causing damage that builds up fairly quickly but is imperceptible.

 

[ControlD]

he will have barely made a million bucks if he played 2 years. FYI

This. The way rookie salaries have been changed means that a player will have to be in it for a decent amount of time to really start making big money. Aren't rookie contracts like five years? Anyhow, if someone is having doubts about whether they want to subject their bodies to what it takes to be a NFL linebacker then doing it before six years in is probably a smart move.

 

[Homerboy]

I have a son in middle school who played football for two seasons. Many of my friends have sons in the same situation or older. Many of the parents are choosing to hold their kids out of football due to injuries (concussions mainly). In fact many kids we know from middle school on up to college level are realizing that its "not worth it" and choosing other sports to pursue.

My son no longer plays, and sadly he showed some significant talent at a WR/DB. He no longer plays due to concussions - he's suffered 3 already, one of which was from football. Admittedly football was never his primary sports love (baseball) but he completely enjoyed it and certainly misses it as the season starts.

Point being is that in my microcosm, football is already strongly being questioned not only by parents, but by the kids/players themselves. Will it die out? Not in our lifetime if ever. But its "must play" status is certainly being eroded -- and I would say quite rapidly. With sports like soccer (I know it's just as "dangerous" from a head trauma standpoint), volleyball and lacrosse as viable alternatives, football and it's risks are being questioned.

 

[ControlD]

Except other sports don't involve the majority of active players hitting their heads against each other as hard as possible every 3 minutes.

The problem isn't just concussions, its the fact that the brain keeps getting bounced around without obvious signs of injury and causing damage that builds up fairly quickly but is imperceptible.

Aren't some of those same concerns being brought up about soccer now as well? It seems like repeatedly heading the ball can have some serious long term issues as well. I know from playing soccer many years growing up, heading the ball can certainly get things rattling around pretty good upstairs.

 

[z1ggy]

0% chance of my kids playing football. They are going to be white, and probably not big ol fatties either. Therefore, their chances of going pro at that sport are virtually nil. I'll save their brains the trauma for them ahead of time.

 

[z1ggy]

I have a son in middle school who played football for two seasons. Many of my friends have sons in the same situation or older. Many of the parents are choosing to hold their kids out of football due to injuries (concussions mainly). In fact many kids we know from middle school on up to college level are realizing that its "not worth it" and choosing other sports to pursue.

My son no longer plays, and sadly he showed some significant talent at a WR/DB. He no longer plays due to concussions - he's suffered 3 already, one of which was from football. Admittedly football was never his primary sports love (baseball) but he completely enjoyed it and certainly misses it as the season starts.

Point being is that in my microcosm, football is already strongly being questioned not only by parents, but by the kids/players themselves. Will it die out? Not in our lifetime if ever. But its "must play" status is certainly being eroded -- and I would say quite rapidly. With sports like soccer (I know it's just as "dangerous" from a head trauma standpoint), volleyball and lacrosse as viable alternatives, football and it's risks are being questioned.

Let's not forget hockey. I really believe that sport is becoming more and more popular. Granted, there are still some concussion issues, contact to the head is much less than football.

 

[moonbogg]

WHAM!! Huderderderder DripDOP I gots an idea! I'll retire before I get too concussed and retarded to balance my check book cause I'm already too retarded to work doing anything else.

 

[Homerboy]

Let's not forget hockey. I really believe that sport is becoming more and more popular. Granted, there are still some concussion issues, contact to the head is much less than football.

True. Hockey is certainly growing in popularity. Not too much within my immediate circle, but within the area I see more and more flyers and interest in the sport.

I will say hockey is 1 sport I wish I loved. I didn't grow up with it, so never fell in love, but I respect the shit out of those that can play it and play it well. Might be the hardest sport out there.

 

[BUTCH1]

The thing is...injuries exist in every sport. Soccer has an incredibly high number of concussions, there's just no major buzz around that sport. Womens basketball has a huge number of concussions. Again no major buzz about it. Baseball has a very high number in high school as well.

Cross country runners suffer through huge number of injuries ranging from chronic tendonitis all the way up to stress fractures that end up being full on breaks if not rested.

Basketball players have a ton of ankle and knee injuries that can prove to problematic for life.

Sports are not low risk activities. And less than a single digit percent of us are ever going to make a dime off of them.

I certainly will steer my son to something other than football, some of it due to the injury aspect. But I make no delusions they'll be safer in another sport. He can just as easily take an elbow to the head in basketball or get undercut and hit his head on the court and get a concussion that way. Or shatter an ankle by landing on someones foot going for a layup or coming down with a rebound.

Even "non-contact" sports carry a large physical toll with them.

I'd agree with that and with your earlier post about those from the poorer areas seeking that big $$ payout and accepting the risk as part of the deal but I don't think you can categorize football along with baseball, soccer, or basketball, although there is the possibility of serious injury in those sports as well, the routine violent collisions players go through in the NFL (and collage) are up quite a few notches IMO.

 

[Zargon]

This. The way rookie salaries have been changed means that a player will have to be in it for a decent amount of time to really start making big money. Aren't rookie contracts like five years? Anyhow, if someone is having doubts about whether they want to subject their bodies to what it takes to be a NFL linebacker then doing it before six years in is probably a smart move.

3 years, I believe.

 

[positivedoppler]

Does your troll have a future?

The average NFL career is between 3 and 6 years depending on who you listen to.

Go make a cricket thread or something.

I think you only want to count people who have a career. Low round picks who wash out after a season or two probably lowers the average NFL career by a bit. If somebody compile the average career for NFL players who retired while on the starting roster or having played at least X snaps a season, it be much more useful.

 

[lupi]

Rookie contracts are between 3-5 years depending on round drafted and whether team exercises yearly options.

And if you're on the 53 man roster during a regular season game why wouldn't that be enough to count.

 

[manimal]

I had to stop playing in college because of knees. I had three concussions in highschool too..

My wife joked that I am an asshole because of that head trauma.

Could be.....

 

[SandEagle]

Haha. Nope, you are pathetic.

They say the internet is full of ignorant and sad people. Well guess what? You just proved it. You and the other idiot who decided to invade my thread. I didn't ask you for your opinion. Get the f*ck out of my thread you worthless POS.

If I saw u in public I'd tell you to your face that you're worthless and an idiot. I would lay down my life savings that you're fat, disgusting and a nasty vile person to be around.

Lol, I must have gotten u so mad that you needed to invite yourself in my thread. You know you could have just avoided my thread? Move along because you're not welcome. Idiot. Hahahaha. .

um ,didnt you just post that its sad and pathetic to get pissed at someone on the internet?
why the hostility?
i for one appreciate your threads and dedication to the community.