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VICE Sports: The Case For Abolishing High School Football
- Thread starter ElectricBlanketFire
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Ziltoidia 9
Member
I don't think it should be abolished, though I do think too much importance is put on it. Especially down here in Texas. It also didn't make me feel happy that the coach got paid 3 times what my mom did as a teacher, and she had been teaching 30 years.
Coaches are typically the highest paid staff member. Stadiums costs a lot. ETC.
Also, I'd like to ad that the so called "Student athletes" are used and more should be done to protect them and their future, because the chance of actually reaching the NFL is so small. And at that age you are so damn pie in the sky that you will shut out from the academics side of things.... and the football programs allow it, because after all, two a days, studying plays, watching tape, etc.
Coaches are typically the highest paid staff member. Stadiums costs a lot. ETC.
Also, I'd like to ad that the so called "Student athletes" are used and more should be done to protect them and their future, because the chance of actually reaching the NFL is so small. And at that age you are so damn pie in the sky that you will shut out from the academics side of things.... and the football programs allow it, because after all, two a days, studying plays, watching tape, etc.
CarpeDeezNutz
Member
That's never going to happen.
Pop-O-Matic
Banned
If this means I no longer have to desperately look for a station not broadcasting the games when I'm driving home on Fridays, then I'm down.
Rockandrollclown
lookwhatyou'vedone
There's definitely a case to be made for abolishing it, but good luck with that. It seems kind of too big to fail at this point. The only way I can see it dying out is if you somehow make kids just not want to play anymore.
Ninja Scooter
Member
The risk of head injuries and potential insurance risk is going to cause high school football to probably scale back over the next couple of decades, especially in areas that aren't as fanatical about it.
Spiral Insanity
Banned
It isn't safe. Just a way for adults to make money. Abolish it.
With what we're learning about CTE there are going to have to be changes. We're talking about exposing minors to a level of risk that keeps getting higher as we discover that CTE is more common, starts to develop earlier, and requires less force than we previously believed.
There are going to be big tobacco style lawsuits against schools, equipment makers, and organizing bodies in 20 years unless we head the problem off now.
There are going to be big tobacco style lawsuits against schools, equipment makers, and organizing bodies in 20 years unless we head the problem off now.
bloodforge
Member
Have them play flag football instead.
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
I mean, people also enjoy playing it. I did.
digita1alchemy
Member
Or make enough parents want to disallow their kids from playing. Like we will be doing if our son wants to play. There are other sports.
Ninja Scooter
Member
People used to enjoy riding in the beds of pickup trucks when they were teenagers too.
Not going to happen any time soon. For a lot of these communities it's basically all they have that has any kind of prestige connected to it and for some it's one of the few options the students involved have to get a scholarship.
The cult built around high school football needs to be delt with though. Stuff gets creepy.
The cult built around high school football needs to be delt with though. Stuff gets creepy.
My brother made the decision himself this year to stop playing football during his senior year due to fear of getting hurt again.
Played defensive lineman, had two separate instances in one game towards the end of the season according to him where the opposing lineman didn't even go in for a block, just tucked in and headbutted the shit out of him. The dude got tossed out on the second headbutt apparently but my brother suffered a fucking concussion that laid him out after the game.
Said that he and two of his other friends bounced out of the team to play baseball or basketball instead if the coaches and refs weren't going to bother calling that shit out.
Played defensive lineman, had two separate instances in one game towards the end of the season according to him where the opposing lineman didn't even go in for a block, just tucked in and headbutted the shit out of him. The dude got tossed out on the second headbutt apparently but my brother suffered a fucking concussion that laid him out after the game.
Said that he and two of his other friends bounced out of the team to play baseball or basketball instead if the coaches and refs weren't going to bother calling that shit out.
Brain injuries will eventually lead to this. Parents will stop letting their kids play football as the reality of what it does to their kids bodies becomes public football. I really do think there is zero reason for kids in highschool to be playing a high injury sport like football. Its absolutely time to abolish it.
GiantEnemyGoomba
Member
Privately fund it (and probably all sports). There's enough passion for sports that all the positive aspects will still be there, but as of now it's too shitty of an institution to continue as is.
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
I would still enjoy playing football. It should exist, but be a family choice. No need to completely remove it as a sport in high school.
Zvonimir Boban
Banned
This seems like the best way to go about things.
Shmuppers
Member
Yeah, this. I don't see why we should remove the choice entirely.
Problem is the programs are linked to the culture to many towns and communities.
Sure some people aren't going to play if they are educated enough on the potential impact but more than enough will look at the benfits and go for it.
Zoe
Member
It also boosts other programs at schools like band, cheerleading, dance, etc.
perineumlick
Member
My son got mad at my wife and I because we insisted he see a specialist before he played again, after hurting his back in a scrimmage. He was afraid of losing his spot, which he did because the coach felt he could have came back earlier than he did. The pressure put on these kids to play hurt is ridiculous; they aren't in the NFL making millions. There definitely needs to be some changes made.
Two of my brother's friends got heatstrokes during fucking practice scrims. Like how do you even let your players fall victim to that? Boggles my mind. I keep thinking maybe it's just a shitty team, but apparently they've been building an amazing team for the past couple years so maybe it is just the pressure to succeed.
Ninja Scooter
Member
I have a hard time, with how inherently dangerous we are finding out football is, leaving it up to a family choice. Should a parent be able to choose to let their minor child take up smoking? The whole "they know the risks" thing is fine if you want to throw that at professionals in the NFL, but it doesn't sit right with me when we are talking about 13-17 year olds. Kids at that age would do a lot of dangerous shit if we let them, which is why we don't.
I'm not saying It's going to happen overnight, but there is going to come a time where that choice is going to be taken out of the hands of the parents and the "communities" because I honestly believe it's going to become too prohibitively expensive to run a football program. Public schools are not going to want that kind of liability.
ratcliffja
Member
My love for football has diminished more and more with how the NFL has handled CTE. If they'd addressed the issue head-on (no pun intended), they would likely be able to continue for quite a while longer, but I think that within 50 years, it will be the second or even third most popular U.S. sport behind basketball and soccer, assuming that soccer keeps rising.
Violence Jack
Member
It'll never happen, and it's not the first time someone has tried to approach a counsel to end non-collegiate football. I had fun playing it from 6th grade through high school, but the number of concussions I sustained was the only drawback, and that was from having shitty equipment. Also, I think the number of kids that are dying on the field during practice and games have increased dramatically since I played in the late 90s. I only say that because it felt like football-related deaths were happening much less frequently back then. I certainly remember me and a couple others either passing out or being carried off the practice field due to heat.
biggersmaller
Banned
OHHHHHH, what a GREAT idea. SURE, football is totally too dangerous.
I mean, I wouldn't be down for getting rid of it since so many programs depend on it for funding. When I was in marching band in high school, we would collect $2 a car for parking, and that helped to cover a lot of costs for our equipment/music/uniform maintenance/ etc.
On top of that it gave us an opportunity to perform in front of crowds in preparation of the competition that was held around the end of the football season.
On top of that it gave us an opportunity to perform in front of crowds in preparation of the competition that was held around the end of the football season.
Ninja Scooter
Member
Things like this will have to figure out how to adapt. Funding and money are a terrible reason to continue doing something that puts future quality of life of teenagers at risk.
shira
Member
A lot of things happened this year.
That's going to hurt lower income areas the most.
Don't think abolishing it on a national level will happen. There will certainly be a lot of parents that won't let their kids play the sport, but that will be more common in affluent households that do it for recreation, not out of a hope of future career.
I don't doubt that and I think the public has a vested interest in making sure activities such as academic clubs, arts, and athletics (from a hyper competitive to just helping people get along with a friendly game) do a ton to help improve a school's environment.
I know when I got my concussion I was the only person who decided to do testing, take time away from sports, and focus on recovery.
Seeing some of the people I've known have had 10s of concussions I know I made the right move.
superdeluxe
Member
It will never be outright abolished, but I can see the sport becoming less popular as parents start to put their kids in other sports due to 'concussion' issues etc.
Edit: I believe the number one high school football team in Las Vegas with Bishop Gorman. Good luck trying to abolish that program.
Edit: I believe the number one high school football team in Las Vegas with Bishop Gorman. Good luck trying to abolish that program.
Considering the arts are the first thing to go when money becomes an issue in schools, I'm sure the programs would just cease to exist, which is depressing.
Affeinvasion
Member
It will take a mountain of lawsuits for this to happen and I think that will definitely happen within the next 15 years.
In my town, they cut the budget of the Fine Arts program entirely for Football, Wrestling, and Basketball. Currently the program is funded by the parents who enjoy or have kids in the program.
If things like dance or show choir can't be publicly funded. Then should our money go into another basketbsll court renovation or new football stadium?
Hari Seldon
Member
The lawsuits are going to force this crap to shutdown before the local school districts will voluntarily do it. This is literally exactly the same as smoking.
Bonen no Max'd
Banned
Does anyone really want to play or watch that? Isn't the main appeal the violent aspects? Honestly asking here, I think football is less exciting than "boring" sports like baseball or soccer and it's the only reason I can see as to why it's o absurdly popular.
bangbang i'm a timpani
Banned
yea that'll get blue collar workers on your side vice good call
I think the smarter move would be to abolish pre-High School football. There's no reason that kids under the age of 16 should really be allowed to crush each other and bash their heads together.
And I get that the hits aren't as violent, but still.
I can rationalize letting a high schooler make that decision, provided they have the knowledge necessary to understand the long-term consequences. Obviously they'll still do it, but at least this way you're putting that responsibility on them to make a decision and live with it.
And I get that the hits aren't as violent, but still.
I can rationalize letting a high schooler make that decision, provided they have the knowledge necessary to understand the long-term consequences. Obviously they'll still do it, but at least this way you're putting that responsibility on them to make a decision and live with it.
Zoe
Member
I meant that big football teams usually come with big marching bands, big dance teams, big(ish) cheerleading teams. Those programs would get less funding with a semester less of activities.
So what do you do for upper level play such as college or professional? With this logic you'd have to ban football as a whole.
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