football poll 'bad news for NFL'?

[DrLeftover]

Half of Americans Don't Want Their Sons Playing Football, Poll Shows

10 Dec

Television ratings are up and merchandise sales are booming, but longer-term trends don’t look as rosy for football. According to a new Bloomberg Politics poll, 50 percent of Americans say they wouldn't want their son to play the sport and only 17 percent believe it’ll grow in popularity in the next 20 years.

These are grim numbers for a sport that’s seeing an onslaught of negative attention, including a parade of National Football League players accused of abusing their wives or children; a team name so offensive that some news organizations refuse to print it; and, perhaps most troubling to parents, the growing body of evidence that repeated blows to the head can cause long-lasting brain damage. The sport’s troubles have caught the attention of Congress, whose members hauled a league official to Washington for a Senate hearing earlier this month. Individual lawmakers have proposed ending the league’s tax-exempt status and putting its coveted anti-trust exception up for a five year review.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-12-10/bloomberg-politics-poll-half-of-americans-dont-want-their-sons-playing-football

 

[Jazzy]

The growing body of evidence that repeated blows to the head can cause long-lasting brain damage.

I guess they should also include soccer, boxing and wrestling (just to name a few) to that list too.

 

[DrLeftover]

Don't forget Hockey.

But by sheer numbers of participants, American Football has the highest numbers by a long shot.

 

[+paradox]

the nfl will most likely always have victims, i mean "players" that will be there for the league...

plus, it's more or less for the money these days instead of passion that came into affect in the past, like almost everything else for that matter...

 

[+paradox]

Forbes.com ranked the top 10 sports using the estimated number of injuries for people of all ages. The rankings do not take into account varying participation rates, which partly explains why many popular sports yielded the greatest number of injuries.

The numbers show, surprisingly, that of all the activities you might participate in this summer, or throughout the rest of the year, basketball had the highest estimated number of injuries, with more than 529,000 during 2006, followed by bicycling, at over 490,000 and football, at over 460,000. Rounding out the top five are riding an ATV, moped or minibike, with more than 275,000 injuries, and playing baseball or softball, with over 274,000 injuries. The injuries reported ranged from getting elbowed in the mouth during a basketball game to a fractured femur following an ATV rollover.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/05/29/health-hazardous-sports-forbeslife-cx_avd_0529health.html

 

[DrLeftover]

I'm sorry, sir.

The Forbes study is for "People of All Ages".

Very few people with grey hair play football, but they do go to the "Y" and play basketball and end up in the ER.

This study is High School Sports, which is relevant to the discussion at hand:

PARENTS BEWARE: These Are The Most Dangerous High School Sports
Nov. 15, 2010, 1:27 PM

High school athletes sometimes debate what is the toughest and most dangerous sport. From an adult perspective, the bigger issue is safety.

This is a growing concern as amateur sports become faster and more competitive.

The best research on the subject comes from the Catastrophic Injury Research Center at UNC. Based on their data, we've identified the sports most likely to cause death or serious injury -- counting only casualties caused directly by playing a sport.

Women's Lacrosse -- 1.5 casualties in a million
Participants since '82: 651,902
Casualties since '82:
0 fatalities
0 permanent disabilities
1 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injury

Although women's lacrosse tends to be less aggressive than men's, a lack of helmet may lead to many preventable concussions.

Source: National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research ('82-'83 to '08-'09)

Men's Basketball -- 1.5 casualties in a million
Participants since '82: 14,342,118

Casualties since '82:

2 fatalities
5 permanent disabilities
15 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injuries

A recent study shows there has been an increase in more serious and traumatic brain injuries in basketball especially because players sometimes don't recognize the sign of concussion and continue playing.
Source: National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research

Women's Swimming -- 1.6 casualties in a million

Participants since '82: 3,078,103
Casualties since '82:
0 fatalities
4 permanent disabilities
1 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injury

While swimming is known for being a low impact sport, head injuries can occur when swimmers dive in to the pool for a race or divers jump from heights performing flips into the pool.

Source: National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research ('82-'83 to '08-'09)

Men's Soccer -- 2.0 casualties in a million
Participants since '82: 7,559,165

Casualties since '82:
7 fatalities
2 permanent disabilities
6 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injuries

Men's soccer players sometimes experience concussions from the common technique of "heading," the ball. Also when soaring through the air to head the ball, players often collide with others.

Source: National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research ('82-'83 to '08-'09)

Women's Field Hockey -- 2.0 casualties in a million
Participants since '82: 1,496,239

Casualties since '82:
0 fatalities
3 permanent disabilities
0 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injuries

The dense plastic of a field hockey ball poses a danger when the ball flies off the ground. In 2002, a teenage girl suffered a minor concussion after being hit with a ball during practice and suffered long term speech and emotional changes.

Source: National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research ('82-'83 to '08-'09)

Men's Swimming -- 3.4 casualties in a million

Participants since '82: 2,372,996
Casualties since '82:
0 fatalities
5 permanent disabilities
3 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injuries

Swimmers experience most injuries in the shoulders but head injuries can occur when diving or from underwater collisions.

Source: National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research ('82-'83 to '08-'09)

Men's Baseball -- 4.6 casualties in a million
Participants since '82: 11,389,938

Casualties since '82:

11 fatalities
18 permanent disabilities
23 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injuries

Getting hit by a pitched or hit ball can cause concussion. Continuing to play after concussion can aggravate damage, which is why the MLB is considering making players sit out for seven days after a concussion. Collisions can also occur during base running.

Source: National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research ('82-'83 to '08-'09)

Men's Track & Field -- 4.7 casualties in a million
Participants since '82: 13,891,928
Casualties since '82:
21 fatalities
18 permanent disabilities
26 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injuries

Deaths have been associated with various field events, including pole vaulting and discuss. For instance, a high school pole vaulter died in 1997 due to head and neck injuries after a practice.

Source: National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research ('82-'83 to '08-'09)

Men's Wrestling -- 9.1 casualties in a million
Participants since '82: 6,502,394
Casualties since '82:
2 fatalities
36 permanent disabilities
21 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injuries

In 2007, a young wrestler lost feeling from the neck down after an injury from a wrestling match. Wrestlers often end up in awkward positions, putting stress on their head and spinal cord.

Source: National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research ('82-'83 to '08-'09)

Men's Lacrosse -- 12.7 casualties in a million
Participants since '82: 947,308
Casualties since '82:
2 fatalities
4 permanent disabilities
6 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injuries

In attempt to make the game safer the NCAA is making stricter rules for the 2011 season. Players will receive one to three minute penalties if they deliberately strike an opponent in the head or neck area. Similar precautions are taking hold in high school.

Source: National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research ('82-'83 to '08-'09)
THIRD MOST DANGEROUS SPORT: Women's Gymnastics -- 13.7 casualties in a million
Participants since '82: 656,309
Casualties since '82:
0 fatalities
6 permanent disabilities
3 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injuries

Performing flips and flying on uneven bars, gymnasts risk landing incorrectly with every trick they do. In 2009, an 11-year-old girl lost her grip of the bars at practice, landed on her head, and spent 21 days in the hospital and months of recovery.

Source: National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research ('82-'83 to '08-'09)

SECOND MOST DANGEROUS SPORT: Men's Football - 19 casualties in a million
Participants since '82: 36,762,903
Casualties since '82:
111 fatalities
308 permanent disabilities
280 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injuries

Despite helmets and pads, head injuries continue to be a concern in professional and amateur football. In October 2009, a 13-year-old Hollywood High School football player died from a "massive cerebral edema due to blunt head trauma," after collapsing on the field during a football game.

Source: National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research ('82-'83 to '08-'09)

MOST DANGEROUS SPORT: Men's Ice Hockey -- 25 casualties in a million
Participants since '82: 760,129
Casualties since '82:

2 fatalities
9 permanent disabilities
8 non-permanent brain/spinal cord injuries

http://www.businessinsider.com/most-dangerous-high-school-sports-2010-10?op=1

 

[+paradox]

i know, i was just showing you that a lot of sports are dangerous, including football...

but in professional and college basketball, a lot of players get hurt/injured in game play that has life long affects...