Troubling news just keeps coming

[Alan1]

I believe football is in serious trouble. The Tyler Hilinski revelation: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jun/26/wsu-quarterback-tyler-hilinski-suffered-from-cte-w/ and others like former Montana State and New York Giants LB Corey Widmer's: https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/former-montana-state-lb-declines-montana-hall-fame-bid-says-football-destroyed-life/ are doing lasting damage to the game.

Keep in mind that not too long ago the top three sports in the US of A were baseball, boxing, and horse racing.

Things change.

 

[Alan1]

Humboldt State drops football:https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/18/readers-panel-us-voters-react-to-trumps-conference-with-putin and http://www.hsujacks.com/news/2018/7/16/general-university-announces-football-decision.aspx

 

[martymoose]

Sad. They've been playing for 89 years.

 

[Pounder]

I'd stumbled on a GNAC message board.

Seems like there's been message board fodder (and little else) about Western Oregon's program. Just wondering if that's false rumbling. Of course, having only four GNAC schools with football is the larger problem.

 

[Alan1]

I'd stumbled on a GNAC message board.

Seems like there's been message board fodder (and little else) about Western Oregon's program. Just wondering if that's false rumbling. Of course, having only four GNAC schools with football is the larger problem.

I suspect the GNAC will be a 4 team conference with home and home agreements with the Lone Star Conference and the Rocky Mountain Conference. WOU has 3 LSC games on their schedule for 2018. Personally I would rather see them in the NAIA Frontier Conference with their old rivals Eastern and Southern Oregon. However, I don't think they will pull an Idaho.

 

[bigskyconf]

I'd stumbled on a GNAC message board.

Seems like there's been message board fodder (and little else) about Western Oregon's program. Just wondering if that's false rumbling. Of course, having only four GNAC schools with football is the larger problem.

I suspect the GNAC will be a 4 team conference with home and home agreements with the Lone Star Conference and the Rocky Mountain Conference. WOU has 3 LSC games on their schedule for 2018. Personally I would rather see them in the NAIA Frontier Conference with their old rivals Eastern and Southern Oregon. However, I don't think they will pull an Idaho.

There is talk about some Frontier schools wanting to move into DII. Southern Oregon actually has been talking about such a move for a number of years now (Eastern, not so much). Also, rumors abound that College of Idaho is using the Frontier as a stepping stone and would like to be DII by 2020. Carroll College and Montana Tech both have floated the idea recently as well. Don't count GNAC football out yet.

 

[Alan1]

Concussions, bad news from Montana: https://helenair.com/sports/college/big-sky-conference/university-of-montana/anxiety-depression-after-concussions-cause-gage-smith-to-walk-away/article_a8cb6e89-5863-50db-8fd3-68a17c4d24cf.html

Would you want your kid playing football?

 

[Alan1]

Wrongful death lawsuits are now being filed against the NCAA; are the universities next. From the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/la-sp-ncaa-football-lawsuit-20180827-story.html

Also this from the NY Times:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/smarter-living/the-edit-college-football.html

 

[Pounder]

When this wave started some years ago, I was looking at the NFL and their ability to print money and was thinking "I know what's going to happen... people will drill down on this, aim at the NFL, who will take a couple lumps in stride... and the National Hockey League will pay the price." Let's just say I know which sport uses their heads more often.

Kind of curious what's happened since, as it seems the NFL is being taken down a couple notches (from both ends of the political spectrum, BTW). At the college level, it's a sport for schools that can afford it and a pipe dream for most others anymore... unless you're a D-III sized school that needs football players to keep up male enrollment. I can't imagine insurance costs being a help to the dreamers right now.

 

[bigskyconf]

Let's just say I know which sport uses their heads more often.

As compared to a sport that encourages (or rather, forces) their players to hit the ball with their heads?

 

[Alan1]

From Forbes:" Why High School Football Is Dying A Slow Death (It's Not Just Concussions)" https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobcook/2018/08/31/why-high-school-football-is-dying-a-slow-death-its-not-just-concussions/#56fb83157540

 

[Alan1]

According to The Oregonian: https://www.oregonlive.com/expo/sports/erry-2018/09/1967cad0563219/how-many-oregon-high-schoolers.html, in Oregon, participation in prep football fell from 15,000 in 08-09 to 12,500 in 17-18.

 

[bigskyconf]

According to The Oregonian: https://www.oregonlive.com/expo/sports/erry-2018/09/1967cad0563219/how-many-oregon-high-schoolers.html, in Oregon, participation in prep football fell from 15,000 in 08-09 to 12,500 in 17-18.

Troubling? Looks like participation fell in all high school sports except for track and field in the same period. Even so, it looks like football attracts the most participants. Hardly call that "troubling".

 

[Alan1]

The parents of an injured Hermiston high school student are suing the district for $38 million claiming it failed to properly respond to a concussion their son suffered during a football game and now he has permanent brain damage. https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2018/09/38_million_lawsuit_football_pl.html

Let's say the plaintiff wins. How do you suppose other school districts will respond?

 

[Alan1]

I do not believe there has been a smaller announced crowd at a Viking football game in recent memory: 2,354. By far the smallest crowd of the Sky schools playing at home last weekend. In Oregon, we were outdrawn by D3 Linfield and NAIA Southern Oregon at 2,817 and 2,475 respectively.

One reason among many for our inability to draw fans to Viking football games in Hillsboro is accessibility. It is pretty bad when you have to have access to an automobile to go to an urban university's football game. As best as I can tell there is no Tri-Met service to the stadium on either weekends or weekday evenings. That leaves you with no less than a 4 mile round-trip walk from the nearest Max station to Hillboro Stadium. The Hops play baseball next door and have a shuttle bus from the station to the ballpark. Does PSU? Have they considered it? Have they even thought about it?

I really don't think there are very many people in the administration at PSU who care much about the future of PSU football.

 

[Pounder]

Vontae Davis.

I think it's now safe to say that the safety issue is drilled into people's heads.

 

[martymoose]

Vontae Davis.

I think it's now safe to say that the safety issue is drilled into people's heads.

I don't think the safety issue was the primary reason why he called it quits during the game, sounded more like he felt he wasn't able to perform to the ability that he thought he should. He mentioned health as well to your point.

Retirement after a game is something, but taking yourself out of the game and just calling it quits at halftime is pretty wild.

 

[bigskyconf]

Vontae Davis.

I think it's now safe to say that the safety issue is drilled into people's heads.

I don't really understand what you mean here. Davis was having playing issues last year at Indy, then it seems he was having more of the same at Buffalo. Still too early, but I'm not hearing anything "troubling" that you and Alan seem to enjoy pointing out. Careers can end suddenly in the NFL, especially when you've been in the league for 10+ years. It is a young man's game and retirement happens to everyone who has ever played the game.

I don't see how this is tied in with the scope of this thread. Nothing really alarming or "troubling". A player decides he's had enough of what was a pretty complete career and wants to get on with the rest of his life.

 

[Pounder]

I don't really understand what you mean here. Davis was having playing issues last year at Indy, then it seems he was having more of the same at Buffalo. Still too early, but I'm not hearing anything "troubling" that you and Alan seem to enjoy pointing out. Careers can end suddenly in the NFL, especially when you've been in the league for 10+ years. It is a young man's game and retirement happens to everyone who has ever played the game.

I don't see how this is tied in with the scope of this thread. Nothing really alarming or "troubling". A player decides he's had enough of what was a pretty complete career and wants to get on with the rest of his life.

Considering the debilitating nature of the sport, I offer the thought that you’re splitting hairs and perhaps making my point for me.

Mind you, I do think part of the problem is improved player performance by whatever means necessary. Leaner and faster means better acceleration, more accurate collision, and with many supplements (whether legal or illegal), a more muscular distribution of higher weight... meaning a lot more force applied in collisions.

 

[bigskyconf]

I don't really understand what you mean here. Davis was having playing issues last year at Indy, then it seems he was having more of the same at Buffalo. Still too early, but I'm not hearing anything "troubling" that you and Alan seem to enjoy pointing out. Careers can end suddenly in the NFL, especially when you've been in the league for 10+ years. It is a young man's game and retirement happens to everyone who has ever played the game.

I don't see how this is tied in with the scope of this thread. Nothing really alarming or "troubling". A player decides he's had enough of what was a pretty complete career and wants to get on with the rest of his life.

Considering the debilitating nature of the sport, I offer the thought that you’re splitting hairs and perhaps making my point for me.

Mind you, I do think part of the problem is improved player performance by whatever means necessary. Leaner and faster means better acceleration, more accurate collision, and with many supplements (whether legal or illegal), a more muscular distribution of higher weight... meaning a lot more force applied in collisions.

I'm finding out that, if we stay away from the whole Timbers vs Vikings issues, you and I do agree on a lot of things.

You're right, leaner and faster are important factors. Any athlete (not just football players) should consider leaving their game once they realize they cannot keep up. It shouldn't matter if they are 25 or 35. Like the slow poke going 40 mph in the fast lane, they become a hazard both to themselves and to others around them. Football, hockey, basketball, baseball, soccer, it doesn't really matter what the sport is. Sooner or later, they all have to leave.

I still don't see anything "troubling" about Davis' decision. He knew when to get out and he did. Barry Sanders did the same thing many years ago.