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VICE Sports: The Case For Abolishing High School Football

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thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
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.

In high school I broke my hand during a tackle, and my doctor (and parents) urged me not to play again until it was healed. My coaches told me I should just wrap up my arm and get back out there.

Like, what the fuck? These are kids you're talking about, asshole.
 

Keasar

Member
It should be banned for at least kids and young adults.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdyLK0ZqFks

The risk of brain injury is way too high which is a larger issue when it comes to younger people. If a educated adult goes into it knowing the risks (and the risks should be really clear), then I would have less of a problem with it, even though I still would advise them not to.

Not to mention how like College Football is a gigantic scam that forces kids to work and injure themselves for free while coaches and team owners take all the profits (the video being about basketball but Football is in the exact same category so just switch the round ball to the...whatever the fuck shape the American football is) and stadiums are among the biggest waste of money ever for a city or town that only profits the owner of that stadium and brings little to nothing to everyone else around it despite what they like to say.

It's not "all the players". European football has plenty of concussion issues as well. Should we ban that too?
You're gonna have to provide some statistics, cause while I do acknowledge the fact that Actual Football players suffer from brain injuries among other damages, it is nowhere near the severity of the case of American football where you have this shit commonly occurring AND being encouraged:
football-pictures-4.jpg

Plus the helmets does jack shit against concussions, at best they protect against bruises and cuts, while giving the players a false sense of security and makes them apply even greater force into tackles that also causes even more severe cases of brain injury.
 

grumble

Member
By this metric there is an argument for banning soccer, which is an extremely dangerous sport. It has a very high injury rate.
 

Lowmelody

Member
No one should have the ability to exploit underage, developing, unaware children and teens regardless of, well, any factor really. *shrug*

Can't drink alcohol because of long term health risks, can't cause and receive repeated concussions because of, well, long term health risks.

Also, this isn't a matter that can be side stepped by private leagues as it involves the physical well being of minors. They full stop do not have the agency to sign off on sacrificing their body and health and adults don't have the right to make or encourage them to harm themselves either be them parent, teacher or club manager. It will become more apparent how irrelevant volition is as the research into just what we have been doing to children continues to pile up.

Child labor brought in far more money for more people than underage football ever has and we were able to abolish that for much of the same reasons, so it's only a matter of time before the issue of whether we should be able harm our children for the sake of a game is settled regardless of opinions.
 

Apdiddy

Member
I agree with him but it should be replaced with what exactly? For some students, sports like football are the only way for them to get into college, much less the NFL. There's a few exceptions and students are able to get into college based on being great students rather than any athletic prowess.

The problem with it is some school districts would rather have millions spent toward a football stadium than upgrading the rest of the schools' facilities or their arts/music programs, in Georgia especially. They see having a student going on to play for a NCAA Division I school more important than actually improving the students' lives (if the student is talented enough to do that).

There's literally no solution.
 

Keasar

Member
I agree with him but it should be replaced with what exactly? For some students, sports like football are the only way for them to get into college, much less the NFL. There's a few exceptions and students are able to get into college based on being great students rather than any athletic prowess.

The problem with it is some school districts would rather have millions spent toward a football stadium than upgrading the rest of the schools' facilities or their arts/music programs, in Georgia especially. They see having a student going on to play for a NCAA Division I school more important than actually improving the students' lives (if the student is talented enough to do that).

There's literally no solution.

State funded school programs through an increased income tax so that students only need to pay for lodging and food and therefore don't have to worry about exorbitant tuition fees and that their only chance for a higher education is through brain damaging sport that they won't be able to treat either cause the health care is not free? :3

anigif_enhanced-2835-1434581360-2.gif
 

Croatoan

They/Them A-10 Warthog
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.

College Football is dependent on High School football for its existence and the NFL is dependent on College Football. If High School football is abolished then the NFL will go down with it along with College Football.

American Football is the only sport that is basically a full ecosystem. Each relies on the one below it.

Think about it, how do linemen get trained, or even noticed, by college programs if only flag football is played or if nothing is played? Other sports don't really have a place for the big boys that make up the offensive line, do those kids no longer have a sport to play? If there is no High School Football then College Recruiting becomes a complete guessing game and forces College Programs to teach the basics which will lead to sloppier games and more injuries at the level when the sport really gets dangerous. All of this leads to the quality of the NFL/NCAA plummeting and there is just too much money to allow that to happen.
 

Keasar

Member
College Football is dependent on High School football for its existence and the NFL is dependent on College Football. If High School football is abolished then the NFL will go down with it along with College Football.

American Football is the only sport that is basically a full ecosystem. Each relies on the one below it.

Think about it, how do linemen get trained, or even noticed, by college programs if only flag football is played or if nothing is played? Other sports don't really have a place for the big boys that make up the offensive line, do those kids no longer have a sport to play? If there is no High School Football then College Recruiting becomes a complete guessing game and forces College Programs to teach the basics which will lead to sloppier games and more injuries at the level when the sport really gets dangerous. All of this leads to the quality of the NFL/NCAA plummeting and there is just too much money to allow that to happen.
Well, in Actual Football they have whole clubs of non-school relation that people go to and play during their free time and from there get noticed? I'm pretty sure that is how 95% of all sports works, at least in the rest of the world where school is supposed to be where you go to learn stuff and sport is something you do after school.
 
That's the point :) One outlandish argument countered with another stupid one. In reality we should look to modify the rules from football at younger ages and ramp up allowable contact as people get older not just ban it outright.
No, yours was far more stupid. You conflated banning a sport from schools that causes severe and sometimes lifelong injuries for children with the idea of banning literally every sport for every person and everywhere.

Maybe you don't see how those two are wildly different things? Or perhaps I've misunderstood your intentions?
 

Croatoan

They/Them A-10 Warthog
Well, in Actual Football they have whole clubs of non-school relation that people go to and play during their free time and from there get noticed? I'm pretty sure that is how 95% of all sports works, at least in the rest of the world where school is supposed to be where you go to learn stuff and sport is something you do after school.

Football is too expensive. Outside of peewee, there are no "Tournament" football leagues like baseball, basketball and soccer have.

High School Football is dependent on schools.
 
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