WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama says he's a football fan but that if he had a son, considering the impact the game has on its players, he would think long and hard before allowing his son to play.
Obama tells The New Republic that football fans are going to have to wrestle with the fact that the game will probably change over time to try to reduce the violence.
The president says that some of those changes might make football, in his words, "a bit less exciting" but that it will be much better for players.
"And those of us who are fans maybe won't have to examine our consciences quite as much," he said.
And a thought to ponder...
You read some of these stories about college players who undergo some of these same problems with concussions and so forth and then have nothing to fall back on. That's something that I'd like to see the NCAA think about.
All the Ivy League needs to become relevant again is to diversify its OOC schedule.
So...just because the Prez thinks his "son" shouldn't play football we need to BAN football?
This country is pussificating by the minute.
"What I'm saying is: You might have taken care of your wolf problem, but everyone around town is going to think of you as the crazy son of a bitch who bought land mines to get rid of wolves."
What specific problems about concussions is he talking about? No one is going to get CTE by just playing 3-5 years of college ball. It just doesn't happen.
Pwns wrote:What specific problems about concussions is he talking about? No one is going to get CTE by just playing 3-5 years of college ball. It just doesn't happen.
FEw if any college football players only play 3-5 years. These kids have mostly payed tackle football from 8yrs old on. That's 15 years of potential repeated head trauma.
There is not enough evidence to say either way, IMO.
I'd seriously consider holding my kids out until freshman year of high school or even later.
Pwns wrote:What specific problems about concussions is he talking about? No one is going to get CTE by just playing 3-5 years of college ball. It just doesn't happen.
Not necessarily true. Owen Thomas, a 21 year old football player and captain at Penn, was found to have CTE after his death.
Also it is not just the number of concussions, but the number of sub-concussive hits recieved which may also lead to CTE. The research here is very new and the sample sizes small, but even 21 year old college players can have signs of CTE.
"What I'm saying is: You might have taken care of your wolf problem, but everyone around town is going to think of you as the crazy son of a bitch who bought land mines to get rid of wolves."
This issue won't be going away any time soon for football, and at all levels. Like Frank said, it's not even just the big hits that lead to concussions, there's also the concern about sub-concussive hits. The fact that the NFL and Harvard are launching a huge study on this should tell you that it's not a passing fancy - we'll be talking about this issue for the next decade or more.
grizzaholic wrote:So...just because the Prez thinks his "son" shouldn't play football we need to BAN football?
This country is pussificating by the minute.
So Obama doesn't want his son Trayvon to play football?
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Who cares what the President thinks? He pontificates about everything, why not football? The whole "if that was my kid" or "if I had a son" shtick is getting old.
If his conscience is bothering him so fvcking much then make an executive order.
"You however, are an insufferable ankle biting mental chihuahua..." - Clizzoris
Pwns wrote:What specific problems about concussions is he talking about? No one is going to get CTE by just playing 3-5 years of college ball. It just doesn't happen.
Not necessarily true. Owen Thomas, a 21 year old football player and captain at Penn, was found to have CTE after his death.
Also it is not just the number of concussions, but the number of sub-concussive hits recieved which may also lead to CTE. The research here is very new and the sample sizes small, but even 21 year old college players can have signs of CTE.
But how much higher is the rate of CTE in college athletes than it is in the general population? I'm aware it is significantly higher among former NFL players but what about former college athletes with no pro career? I'm not sure there is any data yet suggesting that. Giving one example of someone who got CTE does not mean just playing college ball significantly increases the risk for CTE.
Also, it is true that many of these guys do play high school, junior high, and other lower-level football but the the collisions just aren't as severe at those levels.
Also it is not just the number of concussions, but the number of sub-concussive hits recieved which may also lead to CTE. The research here is very new and the sample sizes small, but even 21 year old college players can have signs of CTE.
But how much higher is the rate of CTE in college athletes than it is in the general population? I'm aware it is significantly higher among former NFL players but what about former college athletes with no pro career? I'm not sure there is any data yet suggesting that. Giving one example of someone who got CTE does not mean just playing college ball significantly increases the risk for CTE.
Also, it is true that many of these guys do play high school, junior high, and other lower-level football but the the collisions just aren't as severe at those levels.
I think you are correct in saying that we just don't know. Really all of the young people who have been tested and confirmed with CTE and individuals who committed suicide. Many former players may be perfectly healty but of course are still alive and have not had their brians tested. I've read that former soldiers who have been near concussive explosions in war have the same.
I think all we know is that it is possible for even young people who only played in college to also experience CTE. By no means can we suggest that it is common or likley, just possible.
CID1990 wrote:Who cares what the President thinks? He pontificates about everything, why not football? The whole "if that was my kid" or "if I had a son" shtick is getting old.
If his conscience is bothering him so fvcking much then make an executive order.
Maybe Harry Reid is so dumb because he took so many punches as a prizefighter. Put him on the O-line.
