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Aaron Hernandez--victim

CO. Hoosier

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Turns out that Aaron Hernandez not only had CTE but a rather severe case of it for a 27-year old who hadn't played football for several seasons at the time of his suicide.

Naturally, his family is suing everybody in sight about this.

One has to wonder if the NFL is in a terminal condition. Players are different. Watching a 22 physical freaks beating each other's brains out isn't very interesting. Then there are the dances and celebrations over ordinary performance. The game is no longer just a game, but a platform for social commentary. This detracts from whatever excitement remains with rivalries, playoff positions, and exciting plays. I remember when The Broncos hated the Raiders. Now a number of players hate the cops. In my view, the game is way over-exposed on TV. Not only is it overexposed, the broadcasts are no longer just about the game. Advertising abounds. I remember the first Monday Night game. Monday night football was a huge draw for years. Attending a Monday night game was a blast. Now it is ho-hum. The fans? You can't bring anything into the stadiums any more. Back in the day, I brought my Coleman Catalytic heater to a game where the temp never got much above single digits. Now you can't even bring a thermos of hot coffee. Sigh.
 
Solution: Don't watch NFL football.

Turns out that Aaron Hernandez not only had CTE but a rather severe case of it for a 27-year old who hadn't played football for several seasons at the time of his suicide.

Naturally, his family is suing everybody in sight about this.

One has to wonder if the NFL is in a terminal condition. Players are different. Watching a 22 physical freaks beating each other's brains out isn't very interesting. Then there are the dances and celebrations over ordinary performance. The game is no longer just a game, but a platform for social commentary. This detracts from whatever excitement remains with rivalries, playoff positions, and exciting plays. I remember when The Broncos hated the Raiders. Now a number of players hate the cops. In my view, the game is way over-exposed on TV. Not only is it overexposed, the broadcasts are no longer just about the game. Advertising abounds. I remember the first Monday Night game. Monday night football was a huge draw for years. Attending a Monday night game was a blast. Now it is ho-hum. The fans? You can't bring anything into the stadiums any more. Back in the day, I brought my Coleman Catalytic heater to a game where the temp never got much above single digits. Now you can't even bring a thermos of hot coffee. Sigh.
 
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Turns out that Aaron Hernandez not only had CTE but a rather severe case of it for a 27-year old who hadn't played football for several seasons at the time of his suicide.

Naturally, his family is suing everybody in sight about this.

One has to wonder if the NFL is in a terminal condition. Players are different. Watching a 22 physical freaks beating each other's brains out isn't very interesting. Then there are the dances and celebrations over ordinary performance. The game is no longer just a game, but a platform for social commentary. This detracts from whatever excitement remains with rivalries, playoff positions, and exciting plays. I remember when The Broncos hated the Raiders. Now a number of players hate the cops. In my view, the game is way over-exposed on TV. Not only is it overexposed, the broadcasts are no longer just about the game. Advertising abounds. I remember the first Monday Night game. Monday night football was a huge draw for years. Attending a Monday night game was a blast. Now it is ho-hum. The fans? You can't bring anything into the stadiums any more. Back in the day, I brought my Coleman Catalytic heater to a game where the temp never got much above single digits. Now you can't even bring a thermos of hot coffee. Sigh.
More people (30,000+) attended the USL (minor league) soccer game here in Cincinnati last Saturday night than attended the Chargers home game the following day (25,000). My kids and I had a great time at the soccer game. I would not take my kids to an NFL game unless we had tickets to a luxury box. I would not want to expose them to the kind of fan behavior usually present at an NFL game--not to mention to ridiculous ticket and concession prices.
 
Solution: Don't watch NFL football.

My watching is way down. When I don't watch, I don't miss it. This past week, I didn't even check my final fantasy score until today. Interest in the NFL for me is rapidly diminishing.
 
More people (30,000+) attended the USL (minor league) soccer game here in Cincinnati last Saturday night than attended the Chargers home game the following day (25,000). My kids and I had a great time at the soccer game. I would not take my kids to an NFL game unless we had tickets to a luxury box. I would not want to expose them to the kind of fan behavior usually present at an NFL game--not to mention to ridiculous ticket and concession prices.

I had season tickets for the Broncos for years. We had a group of friends and made friends with other season ticket holders in our area. Lots of fun. Things started to change when some nearby seat mates stopped coming and their seats were taken by drunken assholes. Gave up my tickets and never missed them. Been to one game since.
 
I had season tickets for the Broncos for years. We had a group of friends and made friends with other season ticket holders in our area. Lots of fun. Things started to change when some nearby seat mates stopped coming and their seats were taken by drunken assholes. Gave up my tickets and never missed them. Been to one game since.
I don't think I've been to one NFL game where my seat was not in a luxury box. I just have no desire to pay $100+ to sit with drunken assholes.
 
I don't think I've been to one NFL game where my seat was not in a luxury box. I just have no desire to pay $100+ to sit with drunken assholes.

Yeah, I thought you were an elitist. Being in the cheap seats with the drunks, snow, sleet, rain, cold, wind, expensive bad beer and cold hot dogs, is an experience that should be a bucket list item.
 
More people (30,000+) attended the USL (minor league) soccer game here in Cincinnati last Saturday night than attended the Chargers home game the following day (25,000). My kids and I had a great time at the soccer game. I would not take my kids to an NFL game unless we had tickets to a luxury box. I would not want to expose them to the kind of fan behavior usually present at an NFL game--not to mention to ridiculous ticket and concession prices.
I am struggling with watching football, mentally I wonder if it is watching the lions eat the gladiators. On the other hand, I am a Bengal fan.

But soccer? How can soccer be a great time? Ice ages happen with more speed than soccer.
 
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I am struggling with watching football, mentally I wonder if it is watching the lions eat the gladiators. On the other hand, I am a Bengal fan.

But soccer? How can soccer be a great time? Ice ages happen with more speed than soccer.
I used to think so too (about soccer). But give it a try if you have a chance. You might be surprised how much fun it is in person.
 
I used to think so too (about soccer). But give it a try if you have a chance. You might be surprised how much fun it is in person.
I have a buddy who goes up and watches Indy 11, maybe i will try it. But the game makes no sense to me. Maybe I can find some soccer for dummies. Otherwise it really is like watching Philosopher's World Cup.

 
Turns out that Aaron Hernandez not only had CTE but a rather severe case of it for a 27-year old who hadn't played football for several seasons at the time of his suicide.

Naturally, his family is suing everybody in sight about this.

One has to wonder if the NFL is in a terminal condition. Players are different. Watching a 22 physical freaks beating each other's brains out isn't very interesting. Then there are the dances and celebrations over ordinary performance. The game is no longer just a game, but a platform for social commentary. This detracts from whatever excitement remains with rivalries, playoff positions, and exciting plays. I remember when The Broncos hated the Raiders. Now a number of players hate the cops. In my view, the game is way over-exposed on TV. Not only is it overexposed, the broadcasts are no longer just about the game. Advertising abounds. I remember the first Monday Night game. Monday night football was a huge draw for years. Attending a Monday night game was a blast. Now it is ho-hum. The fans? You can't bring anything into the stadiums any more. Back in the day, I brought my Coleman Catalytic heater to a game where the temp never got much above single digits. Now you can't even bring a thermos of hot coffee. Sigh.
I never watch and have given up my Indiana tickets. Take the time and understand a unstainable business model.
 
I have a buddy who goes up and watches Indy 11, maybe i will try it. But the game makes no sense to me. Maybe I can find some soccer for dummies. Otherwise it really is like watching Philosopher's World Cup.

There's some pretty good soccer played right here in Bloomington! I try to get to a couple games a year. But I have to admit, I multitask. I usually listen to a book while I'm walking the track around the stadium. Three birds with one stone: soccer, excercise, and book.
 
There's some pretty good soccer played right here in Bloomington! I try to get to a couple games a year. But I have to admit, I multitask. I usually listen to a book while I'm walking the track around the stadium. Three birds with one stone: soccer, excercise, and book.
True, I just don't have a buddy that goes. I figure that would help.
 
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Turns out that Aaron Hernandez not only had CTE but a rather severe case of it for a 27-year old who hadn't played football for several seasons at the time of his suicide.

Naturally, his family is suing everybody in sight about this.

One has to wonder if the NFL is in a terminal condition. Players are different. Watching a 22 physical freaks beating each other's brains out isn't very interesting. Then there are the dances and celebrations over ordinary performance. The game is no longer just a game, but a platform for social commentary. This detracts from whatever excitement remains with rivalries, playoff positions, and exciting plays. I remember when The Broncos hated the Raiders. Now a number of players hate the cops. In my view, the game is way over-exposed on TV. Not only is it overexposed, the broadcasts are no longer just about the game. Advertising abounds. I remember the first Monday Night game. Monday night football was a huge draw for years. Attending a Monday night game was a blast. Now it is ho-hum. The fans? You can't bring anything into the stadiums any more. Back in the day, I brought my Coleman Catalytic heater to a game where the temp never got much above single digits. Now you can't even bring a thermos of hot coffee. Sigh.

Because of CTE, the game will either have to radically change or die. Eventually if they change how it's played (by providing better cushioning equipment ostensibly), it won't be the same product.

And, more and more parents are learning about the effects of concussions and CTE, and do not allow their children to play the game at the youth level. That will have a huge impact of the quality of the game, and that trend has already started.

Sadly, the NFL is already starting to die.

As far as the other stuff you mention, that really doesn't bother me as much. I'd bet that a big # of players "hated the cops" back in your day, but they weren't as vocal as they are now. And, they didn't have social media as a platform to share their views. Athletes have become more socially conscious, and IMO, that's a good thing.

Also, I can totally understand why items are limited re: packing things into games at the stadium. Post 911, we live in a different era. Different rules apply now, and again, I'm OK with it (shocker that you and I disagree, I know). I'm all for personal freedom- but a football game terrorist attack (likely domestic, according to statistics) would affect the country like almost no other event could. Thankfully, the NFL realizes this, and has taken precautionary measures.

Monday night largely died when it went to ESPN. Now you have to have access to a pay service, and quite frankly, it just feels wrong. This is one thing I will agree with you on right now.

And, the game IS different. Players train year-round, and have better access to trainers, nutrition, supplements, etc. And players are naturally going to be bigger, faster and stronger. It's the natural progression of things. All while the rules are largely the same, and the field size of the same. I'm not sure what you can do to halt that trend.

Personally, I've never been all that invested in football. I grew up a bengals and hoosiers fan, so football to me was something that I watched to pass the time until basketball season started again.

In short, it's a dying league that will either radically change or die out. And, given what we now know about concussions and CTE (inextricably linked it appears), I'm pretty sure that's a good thing.
 
I wonder how it would affect perceptions if it turned out that OJ Simpson suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Increasingly few parents allow their kids to play football. This means the game is already beginning to end, even though the NFL has never been richer.

Football is ingrained into my earliest memories, and like IU basketball, it's embedded in the architecture of my life with family and friends. But the NFL is a greedy, stupid, dishonest organization comprised of owners whose collective decision to pay Roger Goodell $40 million/year disproves any notion that rich people are intrinsically bright.

I'm still watching though.
 
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I wonder how it would affect perceptions if it turned out that OJ Simpson suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Increasingly few parents allow their kids to play football. This means the game is already beginning to end, even though the NFL has never been richer.

Football is ingrained into my earliest memories, and like IU basketball, it's embedded in the architecture of my life with family and friends. But the NFL is a greedy, stupid, dishonest organization comprised of owners whose collective decision to pay Roger Goodell $40 million/year disproves any notion that rich people are intrinsically bright.

I'm still watching though.
I don't watch.
 
More people (30,000+) attended the USL (minor league) soccer game here in Cincinnati last Saturday night than attended the Chargers home game the following day (25,000). My kids and I had a great time at the soccer game. I would not take my kids to an NFL game unless we had tickets to a luxury box. I would not want to expose them to the kind of fan behavior usually present at an NFL game--not to mention to ridiculous ticket and concession prices.

Um...Noodle, you do realize where the Chargers are playing their home games this season, right? And why the attendance was only 25,000? I think you might want to check the attendance of the last major league soccer game in that same building.

That's not to say soccer games aren't great fun, but it's silly to compare the attendance of NFL games with most professional soccer games in the U.S.
 
And, more and more parents are learning about the effects of concussions and CTE, and do not allow their children to play the game at the youth level. That will have a huge impact of the quality of the game, and that trend has already started.

And you wonder why the NFL has had a string of PR nightmares regarding the sport. Most of the kids have parents that don't seem to care, which is telling
 
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Um...Noodle, you do realize where the Chargers are playing their home games this season, right? And why the attendance was only 25,000? I think you might want to check the attendance of the last major league soccer game in that same building.

That's not to say soccer games aren't great fun, but it's silly to compare the attendance of NFL games with most professional soccer games in the U.S.
Fair enough. But keep in mind it was a minor league soccer game in a city about 1/10th the size of Los Angeles.

Of course, using FC Cincinnati as a benchmark might be a little unfair. Only 7 of the 22 MLS teams are outdrawing FC Cincinnati this year. It's crazy how popular they have become. This is their second season and they have 6 different supporters groups, with some of them marching en masse from local watering holes to the game. They even have a brick and mortar fan shop in the middle of the downtown business district. They also drew 30,000+ the other night for a friendly between the U.S. women's national team and New Zealand.

On a personal note, my dad always use to say that watching soccer was like watching paint dry--every time you thought someone was going to score nothing would happen. We lost dad about a year ago. Among a ton of other things, I really wish I could have taken dad to an FC Cincinnati game. Like me, I think he would have changed his mind about soccer (at least with respect to watching in person).
 
I used to think so too (about soccer). But give it a try if you have a chance. You might be surprised how much fun it is in person.
Soccer is Un-American, It’s a sport that everyone gets a trophy!
 
I never watch and have given up my Indiana tickets. Take the time and understand a unstainable business model.
Do you listen to Gladwell's podcast, Revisionist History? I think it's one of the best podcasts out there. Really, really good stuff.
I listen to it occasionally. I think you were the one that mentioned it when I asked for some suggestions. Really enjoy it.
 
I wonder how it would affect perceptions if it turned out that OJ Simpson suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

I'd be pretty shocked if he doesn't have it now.

Hard to say with what we currently know to estimate the progression at the time of the murders and how much of a factor that was, although it probably contributed to lowering his inhibition and making him more violent based on when other ex-NFL players start reporting symptoms. That would be around the same time the domestic violence calls to the police started between OJ & Nicole Brown.
 
What of the alcohol industry?

Or any industry with numbers similar to CTE occurrences?

Do you have a list of those industries? My guess for one is rifleman. But in our world, we must have soldiers. Must we have football players? If farming caused CTE, we would have little choice but to deal with it. If CTE was caused by the manufacturing of fuzzy dice, we probably would have long blocked it. It is clear there is little distinction between football and gladiators. Would you back authentic Roman gladiator entertainment?
 
Turns out that Aaron Hernandez not only had CTE but a rather severe case of it for a 27-year old who hadn't played football for several seasons at the time of his suicide.

Naturally, his family is suing everybody in sight about this.

One has to wonder if the NFL is in a terminal condition. Players are different. Watching a 22 physical freaks beating each other's brains out isn't very interesting. Then there are the dances and celebrations over ordinary performance. The game is no longer just a game, but a platform for social commentary. This detracts from whatever excitement remains with rivalries, playoff positions, and exciting plays. I remember when The Broncos hated the Raiders. Now a number of players hate the cops. In my view, the game is way over-exposed on TV. Not only is it overexposed, the broadcasts are no longer just about the game. Advertising abounds. I remember the first Monday Night game. Monday night football was a huge draw for years. Attending a Monday night game was a blast. Now it is ho-hum. The fans? You can't bring anything into the stadiums any more. Back in the day, I brought my Coleman Catalytic heater to a game where the temp never got much above single digits. Now you can't even bring a thermos of hot coffee. Sigh.

Up until about two years ago I watched every game I could. I planned Sundays, Monday evenings, and Thursday evenings around being able to see whatever NFL game was on. I didn’t watch more than five minutes of any game over the last two seasons and I haven’t watched two seconds of a game so far this season. I don’t feel like I’ve missed anything.

I actually blame Tom Crean for this. After watching his shitty basketball over the last several seasons, I lost interest in watching IU basketball. Once I lost interest in IU basketball, it lead to losing interest in pretty much anything sports related. In the past I watched NBA games from April through June because I was still fired up over watching IU and needed some sort of bball fix and I could see former players. In the fall the NFL was my crutch to get the start of the IU basketball season in Nov I always looked forward to. Well, once I lost interest in IU bball, I didn’t need the post season NBA crutch and I no longer needed the fall NFL crutch because I didn’t look forward to watching Crean’s shitty bball.

Look, the point is, I think it’s on Archie to save the NFL.
 
Up until about two years ago I watched every game I could. I planned Sundays, Monday evenings, and Thursday evenings around being able to see whatever NFL game was on. I didn’t watch more than five minutes of any game over the last two seasons and I haven’t watched two seconds of a game so far this season. I don’t feel like I’ve missed anything.

I actually blame Tom Crean for this. After watching his shitty basketball over the last several seasons, I lost interest in watching IU basketball. Once I lost interest in IU basketball, it lead to losing interest in pretty much anything sports related. In the past I watched NBA games from April through June because I was still fired up over watching IU and needed some sort of bball fix and I could see former players. In the fall the NFL was my crutch to get the start of the IU basketball season in Nov I always looked forward to. Well, once I lost interest in IU bball, I didn’t need the post season NBA crutch and I no longer needed the fall NFL crutch because I didn’t look forward to watching Crean’s shitty bball.

Look, the point is, I think it’s on Archie to save the NFL.
I knew your brain was wired differently, but this post explains a lot. ;)
 
Do you have a list of those industries? My guess for one is rifleman. But in our world, we must have soldiers. Must we have football players? If farming caused CTE, we would have little choice but to deal with it. If CTE was caused by the manufacturing of fuzzy dice, we probably would have long blocked it. It is clear there is little distinction between football and gladiators. Would you back authentic Roman gladiator entertainment?
Not a medical professional but I suspect there are differences between traumatic brain injuries suffered by soldiers and the repeated damage brought upon by repeated blows to the head leading to CTE.

Soldiers aren't taking repetitive blows to the dome. However, they do occasionally get rocked by forces much more powerful than another human hitting them.
 
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Not a medical professional but I suspect there are differences between traumatic brain injuries suffered by soldiers and the repeated damage brought upon by repeated blows to the head leading to CTE.

Soldiers aren't taking repetitive blows to the dome. However, they do occasionally get rocked by forces much more powerful than another human hitting them.
All that is true, and with nothing more than crazy guesswork on my part, I suspect there may be some relation between PTSD and CTE. Not the same disease, but similar.
 
I wonder how it would affect perceptions if it turned out that OJ Simpson suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Increasingly few parents allow their kids to play football. This means the game is already beginning to end, even though the NFL has never been richer.

Football is ingrained into my earliest memories, and like IU basketball, it's embedded in the architecture of my life with family and friends. But the NFL is a greedy, stupid, dishonest organization comprised of owners whose collective decision to pay Roger Goodell $40 million/year disproves any notion that rich people are intrinsically bright.

I'm still watching though.
it is interesting that the main point of the OP seems to be a complaint about the NFL rather than explore the implications of Hernandez's CTE. https://concussionfoundation.org/CTE-resources/what-is-CTE
Every person diagnosed with CTE has one thing in common: a history of repetitive hits to the head.1 CTE is most often found in contact sport athletes and military veterans, likely because these are some of the only roles in modern life that involve purposeful, repetitive hits to the head. CTE has been found in individuals whose primary exposure to head impacts was through tackle football (200+ cases confirmed at the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank), the military (25+ cases), hockey (20+ cases), boxing (15+ cases, 50+ globally), rugby (5+ cases), soccer (5+ cases, 10+ globally), pro wrestling (5+ cases), and, in fewer than three cases each, baseball, basketball, intimate partner violence, and individuals with developmental disorders who engaged in head banging behaviors.​

What does CTE do to people?
Early symptoms of CTE usually appear in a patient's late 20s or 30s, and affect a patient's mood and behavior. Some common changes seen include impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and paranoia.

As the disease progresses, some patients may experience problems with thinking and memory, including memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, and eventually progressive dementia. Cognitive symptoms tend to appear later than mood and behavioral symptoms, and generally first appear in a patient’s 40s or 50s. Patients may exhibit one or both symptom clusters. In some cases, symptoms worsen with time (even if the patient suffers no additional head impacts). In other cases, symptoms may be stable for years before worsening.​

Hernandez plausibly seems to be a victim as well as a criminal.

Hard to think of anything more antithetical to the mission of educational institutions than creating long term brain injuries for students. Institutions such as the University of Chicago dropped football in the 1920s. They look prescient. But many, many others continue to make HUGE investments in football. Why does the support for football remain so strong? Perhaps the fundamental lesson that football teaches is the achievement of victory for the team is more important than even the life and health of the individual. The individual literally sacrifices their body for the team to win. If the sport produced no casualties then no real sacrifice would be possible. Many fans continue to feel ennobled by the sacrifice and feel that the lessons are ennobling for others. They may not let their kids play but they will continue to buy tickets to the show and to demand that the show goes on.
 
Fair enough. But keep in mind it was a minor league soccer game in a city about 1/10th the size of Los Angeles.

Of course, using FC Cincinnati as a benchmark might be a little unfair. Only 7 of the 22 MLS teams are outdrawing FC Cincinnati this year. It's crazy how popular they have become. This is their second season and they have 6 different supporters groups, with some of them marching en masse from local watering holes to the game. They even have a brick and mortar fan shop in the middle of the downtown business district. They also drew 30,000+ the other night for a friendly between the U.S. women's national team and New Zealand.

On a personal note, my dad always use to say that watching soccer was like watching paint dry--every time you thought someone was going to score nothing would happen. We lost dad about a year ago. Among a ton of other things, I really wish I could have taken dad to an FC Cincinnati game. Like me, I think he would have changed his mind about soccer (at least with respect to watching in person).

All true. The Nati is an awesome soccer city. It supports the game better than just about anywhere else in the U.S. I became a soccer convert when the World Cup came to the U.S. (great marketing work on their part. The woman I was living with was a big soccer player and worked for the World Cup organizing committee, so we got great seats to see the U.S.-Colombia game at the Rose Bowl. I had grown up with friends who played soccer, but this was a religious experience. The atmosphere was electric and seeing a professional-level game live is a game-changer. It's actually better in a big stadium because you can see how things develop so much better. TV doesn't do soccer justice IMHO.

Here's hoping your Dad is bunking with a soccer fan in the great beyond and is slowly becoming a convert so you can enjoy a game when you see him again!
 
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Now a number of players hate the cops.
If this insidiously ignorant misconstrual of Colin Kaepernick's or similar protests explains the resulting embarrassing and emasculated butthurt of affected police officers, then those suffering that butthurt are but stupider than hurt.

Embrace nuance. -dlh
 
Turns out that Aaron Hernandez not only had CTE but a rather severe case of it for a 27-year old who hadn't played football for several seasons at the time of his suicide.

Naturally, his family is suing everybody in sight about this.

One has to wonder if the NFL is in a terminal condition. Players are different. Watching a 22 physical freaks beating each other's brains out isn't very interesting. Then there are the dances and celebrations over ordinary performance. The game is no longer just a game, but a platform for social commentary. This detracts from whatever excitement remains with rivalries, playoff positions, and exciting plays. I remember when The Broncos hated the Raiders. Now a number of players hate the cops. In my view, the game is way over-exposed on TV. Not only is it overexposed, the broadcasts are no longer just about the game. Advertising abounds. I remember the first Monday Night game. Monday night football was a huge draw for years. Attending a Monday night game was a blast. Now it is ho-hum. The fans? You can't bring anything into the stadiums any more. Back in the day, I brought my Coleman Catalytic heater to a game where the temp never got much above single digits. Now you can't even bring a thermos of hot coffee. Sigh.


I've yet to watch a minute of NFL action this season. It's just not very appealing to me anymore.

Yeah, I had other things going on, but that's kind of the point... it's certainly not appt time tv these days. And based upon another YoY ratings decline, it's not just me.

Also was a season tix holder for many years. Haven't been to a game in at least 5 years.
 
Because of CTE, the game will either have to radically change or die. Eventually if they change how it's played (by providing better cushioning equipment ostensibly), it won't be the same product.
The root cause of the problem is far simpler than currently viewed, by scientists and others with a stake in the game.

force = mass times acceleration

Brain matter is soft. The skull is hard. Every time one hits one's head with some force, the nearest brain cells strike the skull with roughly equal force and the more distant cells will suffer gradually lessening impact. The helmet doesn't protect the brain cells from striking the skull. At best the helmet lessens the force with which the cells hit the skull by slowing the acceleration. The only solution is to limit and minimize hitting one's head, something all of us who value our brains do.

The best solution for saving football that I have thought of would be to more or less prohibit using one's helmet to strike with "excessive" force. Sensors would have to be installed in all helmets and when the force of impact exceeds some predetermined limit, that player is penalized or disqualified. When it's a case of helmet-to-helmet contact, both suffer the penalty. Not sure to to address helmet-to-ground impacts.
 
If this insidiously ignorant misconstrual of Colin Kaepernick's or similar protests explains the resulting embarrassing and emasculated butthurt of affected police officers, then those suffering that butthurt are but stupider than hurt.

Embrace nuance. -dlh

Nuance schmuance. If Kapernick and his ilk want to deliver a nuanced message to me and the rest of the country, he could do it the old fashioned way with the use of his brain and the english language. Disrespecting the National Anthem in an NFL stadium to make a specific political point has all the nuance of doing an appendectomy with a machete. Kapernick wasn't intending to deliver a nuanced message, he intended to make a spectacle of himself. I took him at his word and returned serve.
 
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Nuance schmuance. If Kapernick and his ilk want to deliver a nuanced message to me and the rest of the country, he could do it the old fashioned way with the use of his brain and the english language. Disrespecting the National Anthem in an NFL stadium to make a specific political point has all the nuance of doing an appendectomy with a machete. Kapernick wasn't intending to deliver a nuanced message, he intended to make a spectacle of himself. I took him at his word and returned serve.
lol Returned serve? I'll check CNN to see how much coverage your serve gets. But I think Kaepernick is smart enough to know that his message isn't for you. He's trusting in nature to weed you out of the equation, and I'm guessing he will beat you in that game.

What stands out most vividly to me, watching The Vietnam War, is the narrow-minded, arrogant, self-centered view of you and your Old.White.Male ilk in taking for granted the unearned white power you blithely wield and abuse. You're bad for my children and grand-children. I hope and pray that when whites are no longer the majority, non-whites have more humanity for us than we have exhibited for them.

Final serve to you. See that you don't double fault.
 
All true. The Nati is an awesome soccer city. It supports the game better than just about anywhere else in the U.S. I became a soccer convert when the World Cup came to the U.S. (great marketing work on their part. The woman I was living with was a big soccer player and worked for the World Cup organizing committee, so we got great seats to see the U.S.-Colombia game at the Rose Bowl. I had grown up with friends who played soccer, but this was a religious experience. The atmosphere was electric and seeing a professional-level game live is a game-changer. It's actually better in a big stadium because you can see how things develop so much better. TV doesn't do soccer justice IMHO.

Here's hoping your Dad is bunking with a soccer fan in the great beyond and is slowly becoming a convert so you can enjoy a game when you see him again!
The first professional game I attended was in Orlando in 2016 - sat behind the goal about 25 rows up.
Last Saturday we sat in the 10th row at about the 20 yard line (in football terms).
For me, I liked it better sitting higher. Behind the goal was great when the action was at that end, and wasn't so good when it was at the other end. Not sure which I prefer (behind goal or along the side).
 
The first professional game I attended was in Orlando in 2016 - sat behind the goal about 25 rows up.
Last Saturday we sat in the 10th row at about the 20 yard line (in football terms).
For me, I liked it better sitting higher. Behind the goal was great when the action was at that end, and wasn't so good when it was at the other end. Not sure which I prefer (behind goal or along the side).

Agree...I always like being a little higher up to get a better view of the runs and how action develops. I was behind the goal at the Rose Bowl and had a great view of the own goal that cost a Colombian defender his life when he got back home, but I think I prefer mid-field for being able to see the developing action better. My daughter plays now and it's amazing how quickly her father has become a self-identified expert in soccer strategy. Like with many things, she just rolls her eyes. :>)
 
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