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Cardinals Coach says, football being 'attacked by moms'

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andthebeatgoeson

Junior Member
Mom jeans me if old

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/10/cardinals-bruce-arians-football-attack-moms

Weeks after calling parents who did not want their children to play football “fools,” Arians, at a clinic of 130 high school coaches in Arizona, said the attacks on football had to stop, and claimed “it’s not dads, it’s moms” who are leading the charge.

When you read all of his quotes, I think he's ineloquent. But I'm a Dad and I don't want my kids playing football. I don't want them realizing their body starts to break down for an unlikely dream. I want my kids to be engineers. So, what say you Dad-gaf?
 
Arians has zero filter and he comes off as an asshole. Take it for what you will. I think it's important that discussion on injuries in football continue. Arians lives in a different era where he thinks teenage boys can take continual beatings because it builds character or some shit.
 
I love bruce, even as an eagles fan, and hes about as old school football as it gets, so this doesnt really come as much of a surprise i guess. thatd he say these things.

doesnt make him right, which he isnt. love football. played football.

wouldnt let my kids play football. especially not at a young age. ever watch pee wee kids play football? its fucking unnerving. little kids already look so malleable and uncoordinated and now they are running as fast as they can at eachother. its actually pretty not fun.
 
Responding to the OP, I don't think you're right to imply the only reason people play football is to make the NFL. The overwhelming majority, somewhere greater than 99.9%, play the sport without any illusions of making the NFL... They play because it's fun and something they enjoy.

Arians said:
“We have this fear of concussion that is real, but not all of those statistics, I think, can prove anything. There are more concussions in girls’ soccer than in football at that age. Our game is great. People who say ‘I won’t let my son play’ are fools.”

“Our job is to make sure the game is safe, at all levels,” Arians said. “The head really has no business being in the game. There’s a lot of different teachers, but when I was taught how to tackle, and block, it was on a two-man sled, and you did it with your shoulder pads. That’s still the best way to do it.

“There’s really isn’t any place for your face in the game. I would beg all of you to continue to learn more about what they’re now calling rugby style tackling.”

Arians is obviously not softening the delivery of this like a PR person would, but I think his overall argument is correct... You can dramatically reduce head injuries at all levels by teaching and enforcing proper tackling.

That parents aren't letting their kids play football is nothing new, my mom didn't let me play high school football 15+ years ago
 
Arians is obviously not softening the delivery of this like a PR person would, but I think his overall argument is correct... You can dramatically reduce head injuries at all levels by teaching and enforcing proper tackling.

That parents aren't letting their kids play football is nothing new, my mom didn't let me play high school football 15+ years ago

proper tackeling technique is a wonderful idea and does a great job preventing injury when you do it.

especially at a young age, you arent tackling properly. you just arent. and that doesnt account for all the times where you use good technique and still slam your head
 

esquire

Has waited diligently to think of something to say before making this post
The sounds stealth sexist. I hate it when people you otherwise like say borderline prejudiced things.

I played soccer and I never headed the ball because it fucking hurt. I don't know why they make that part of the sport. Especially for younger players who are not even at the professional level.
 

andthebeatgoeson

Junior Member
Responding to the OP, I don't think you're right to imply the only reason people play football is to make the NFL. The overwhelming majority, somewhere greater than 99.9%, play the sport without any illusions of making the NFL... They play because it's fun and something they enjoy.
That wasn't my intent. My intent was to give my reasons for my kids to not play.
Edit: wait, nevermind, that wasn't me
Arians is obviously not softening the delivery of this like a PR person would, but I think his overall argument is correct... You can dramatically reduce head injuries at all levels by teaching and enforcing proper tackling.

That parents aren't letting their kids play football is nothing new, my mom didn't let me play high school football 15+ years ago
His message is clouded by the NFL being an active participant in denying and covering up head injuries, then throwing a little sexism onto the fire, suggesting no man is against their kids playing football.

But I do agree that proper tackling can reduce head injuries, probably the same amount that defensive driving reduces dying in a car accident.
 

Wereroku

Member
Football needs some major revisions if it wants to continue being a viable sport. Even kids know about whats happening now. I have had several say they are going to play baseball or basketball to avoid ending up the way most football player do.
 
Football needs some major revisions if it wants to continue being a viable sport. Even kids know about whats happening now. I have had several say they are going to play baseball or basketball to avoid ending up the way most football player do.

Football players don't end up that way unless they are playing at a professional level which 99.9% of people never do. If someone is offered a bunch of money to go pro then they can make that decision. It isn't really any more dangerous than many other sports at the youth level.
 

DrMungo

Member
I'm a dad of two boys, and I would not let my boys play organized football. Thats dozens of hits every outing and practice on vulnerable, growing brains.

If they have a couple of buddies at the park and want to play games once in a while, thats fine.
 

esquire

Has waited diligently to think of something to say before making this post
Football players don't end up that way unless they are playing at a professional level which 99.9% of people never do. If someone is offered a bunch of money to go pro then they can make that decision. It isn't really any more dangerous than many other sports at the youth level.

Do you actually believe what you wrote here or are you using selective examples you decided were true to reach this conclusion?
 
“We have this fear of concussion that is real, but not all of those statistics, I think, can prove anything. There are more concussions in girls’ soccer than in football at that age."

That couldn't be because guys playing football are more "manly" and the precautions for head injuries at that level aren't that great, so they happen without getting reported, right? Right?

His comments do come off as sexist.
 

Malvolio

Member
My dad played in highschool and college. Growing up he told me I could play any sport I wanted as long as it wasn't football. I'm so glad he did. He has had back issues his whole life and I still feel young and healthy. I've told my kid the same thing. Luckily he will be too tall and lanky to play football but can drain a 3 pointer and loves basketball. Football is not safe as it is currently played.
 

Ripenen

Member
Bruce Arians is just talking out of his ass. He's one of the oldest head coaches in the league. I can't expect him to be in touch with the concerns of modern day parents. He's been in football for 40+ years and it's made him a wealthy man so of course he's going to be against anyone criticizing the sport.

I have two boys and I don't really want them playing football. Partially because of injuries, partially because the odds of them excelling are low (they aren't big kids), and partially because I prefer the smaller-team dynamic of two-way sports like soccer and basketball. If they want to play I don't know if I'll try to stop them.

Here in Texas is that youth football culture is insane. It's hyper competitive, and parents hold their kids back so they'll be older and more physically developed just for football. I do wonder what all that pressure from schools, coaches, and parents does to a young kid. Oh, and guess what there are just as many Moms driving that culture as there are Dads.

On top of all that, the NFL does not have a good look after the last few years with the high profile arrests, trying to pretend CTE doesn't exist, building insanely expensive stadiums on the taxpayer dime, and generally poor PR. It just all feels pretty gross.
 

blackjaw

Member
Im a dad and my kids won't play football. Risk vs reward just isn't there and plenty of other team sports that are safer and give the comraderie and opportunity, etc that a team sport gives
 

Wereroku

Member
Football players don't end up that way unless they are playing at a professional level which 99.9% of people never do. If someone is offered a bunch of money to go pro then they can make that decision. It isn't really any more dangerous than many other sports at the youth level.

That not true. We had a college player who was already showing symptoms a while ago. It all depends on the amount of trauma you experience. Starting early means you have as many years of trauma as professional players sometimes.
 
Do you actually believe what you wrote here or are you using selective examples you decided were true to reach this conclusion?

Come on dude people who play through the high school level do not develop life long debilitating conditions. People have done so for decades and been fine. I'm sure we all know plenty of people who played youth football.
 

Wereroku

Member
That couldn't be because guys playing football are more "manly" and the precautions for head injuries at that level aren't that great, so they happen without getting reported, right? Right?

His comments do come off as sexist.

Yep concussions in youth football are severely under reported because players don't want to lose game time and the culture mocks them for being weak. Most other sports handle concussions much better hell girls soccer will make you sit out for a week or more even if they suspect a concussion.

Come on dude people who play through the high school level do not develop life long debilitating conditions. People have done so for decades and been fine. I'm sure we all know plenty of people who played youth football.

No HS players you say?
 

haimon

Member
As a father of 2 girls, football isn't an option.

However, if I had a boy, he could play football, lacrosse, soccer, baseball or any other sport he decided he wanted to.

While we are seeing players that have lots of health issues, there are also plenty of former players that don't have them.

I love football, and so do my girls, and it will be a sad day when people take the little hitting that's left in football out of it.
 
Not sure why football gets singled out, but at least at younger ages, I'd probably rule out any high contact sport like football, hockey, lacrosse, etc. As they get older, like other things in life, I'll provide the information - pros and cons, then from there they can start to make their own decisions.

I don't see myself just outright banning something indefinitely. From dating and sex to drugs and alcohol to sports.
 

andthebeatgoeson

Junior Member
Before we allow people to spread BS, you don't need to be a professional to develop CTE.


http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/25-year-old-cte-college-football_us_568bc7dfe4b014efe0db8c87

That's a college ball player, no professional experience with CTE, by age 25.


Not sure why football gets singled out, but at least at younger ages, I'd probably rule out any high contact sport like football, hockey, lacrosse, etc. As they get older, like other things in life, I'll provide the information - pros and cons, then from there they can start to make their own decisions.

I don't see myself just outright banning something indefinitely. From dating and sex to drugs and alcohol to sports.
It's a $10 billion industry. We know why. You want to be the big dog, then be the big dog.

And... There only reason why people don't talk about hockey or soccer... Is because they don't care.

Let that sink in. They don't care about the well being of fellow humans. If you make a decision, you deserve everything you get, is the implication.
 

Griss

Member
I'd have no problem with my (hypothetical) kid playing football from the age of 12 onwards.

The biggest problem in the NFL and college is that the weight these guys carry turns their bodies into missiles of momentum. At school level where the size and speed of people is so reduced the danger is far, far less. I actually think that two-a-days in the heat in states like Texas might be a bigger deal.

I took a bad concussion playing rugby when I was 17 and wound up in hospital for 2 days while they checked me out. I was in a pretty bad way. But it didn't affect me at all once I recovered. Injuries happen, that one was to my brain, and I healed. The end.

Now, if my kid wanted to play after high school? At a high college or pro level? That's actually where I'd start to have concerns and ask if it's worth it.
 
And what person who played through high school has shown cte symptoms or any mental instabilities due to trauma later in life?

Study 1

We investigated the cumulative number of head impacts and their associated acceleration burden in 95 high school football players across four seasons of play using the Head Impact Telemetry System (HITS). The 4-year investigation resulted in 101,994 impacts collected across 190 practice sessions and 50 games. The number of impacts per 14-week season varied by playing position and starting status, with the average player sustaining 652 impacts. Linemen sustained the highest number of impacts per season (868); followed by tight ends, running backs, and linebackers (619); then quarterbacks (467); and receivers, cornerbacks, and safeties (372). Post-impact accelerations of the head also varied by playing position and starting status, with a seasonal linear acceleration burden of 16,746.1g, while the rotational acceleration and HIT severity profile burdens were 1,090,697.7 rad/sec2 and 10,021, respectively. The adolescent athletes in this study clearly sustained a large number of impacts to the head, with an impressive associated acceleration burden as a direct result of football participation.

Study 2
We expected and observed subjects in two previously described categories: (1) no clinically-diagnosed concussion and no changes in neurological behavior, and (2) clinically-diagnosed concussion with changes in neurological behavior. Additionally, we observed players in a previously undiscovered third category, who exhibited no clinically-observed symptoms associated with concussion, but who demonstrated measurable neurocognitive (primarily visual working memory) and neurophysiological (altered activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [DLPFC]) impairments. This new category was associated with significantly higher numbers of head collision events to the top-front of the head, directly above the DLPFC. The discovery of this new category suggests that more players are suffering neurological injury than are currently being detected using traditional concussion-assessment tools. These individuals are unlikely to undergo clinical evaluation, and thus may continue to participate in football-related activities, even when changes in brain physiology (and potential brain damage) are present, which will increase the risk of future neurological injury.

I mean, I can keep going.

You need to understand that concussions and continual impacts to the head do more than increase the risk of CTE later in life. They disrupt short-term and long-term memory and significantly increase the risk of depression and emotional/behavioral disorders in young adulthood.
 

otakukidd

Member
Before we allow people to spread BS, you don't need to be a professional to develop CTE.


http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/25-year-old-cte-college-football_us_568bc7dfe4b014efe0db8c87

That's a college ball player, no professional experience with CTE, by age 25.



It's a $10 billion industry. We know why. You want to be the big dog, then be the big dog.

And... There only reason why people don't talk about hockey or soccer... Is because they don't care.

Let that sink in. They don't care about the well being of fellow humans. If you make a decision, you deserve everything you get, is the implication.

That kid played since 6 years old. He was playing for 16 years before he died. The only problem I would have is tackle before middle school. That should be only flag. I think the majority of people that are OK with it are only talking about junior high and high school. Or even just high school.
 

Yaboosh

Super Sleuth
That kid play since 6 years old. He was playing for 16 years before he died. The only problem I would have is takle before middle school. That should be only flag. I think the majority of people that are OK with it are only talking about junior high and high school. Or even just high school.


Man them goalposts are mobile.
 
Before we allow people to spread BS, you don't need to be a professional to develop CTE.


http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/25-year-old-cte-college-football_us_568bc7dfe4b014efe0db8c87

That's a college ball player, no professional experience with CTE, by age 25.



It's a $10 billion industry. We know why. You want to be the big dog, then be the big dog.

And... There only reason why people don't talk about hockey or soccer... Is because they don't care.

Let that sink in. They don't care about the well being of fellow humans. If you make a decision, you deserve everything you get, is the implication.

One case doesn't equal a trend, we don't know what predispositions he may have had. Also that is through college. Not youth football. To suddenly say that the activity that millions of people have participated in over the last century and been just fine is now unconscionable is ridiculous. Dangers? Sure. Like many other things including sports in general. Let's just not make them out to be bigger than they are.
 
I'd have no problem with my (hypothetical) kid playing football from the age of 12 onwards.

The biggest problem in the NFL and college is that the weight these guys carry turns their bodies into missiles of momentum. At school level where the size and speed of people is so reduced the danger is far, far less. I actually think that two-a-days in the heat in states like Texas might be a bigger deal.

I took a bad concussion playing rugby when I was 17 and wound up in hospital for 2 days while they checked me out. I was in a pretty bad way. But it didn't affect me at all once I recovered. Injuries happen, that one was to my brain, and I healed. The end.

Now, if my kid wanted to play after high school? At a high college or pro level? That's actually where I'd start to have concerns and ask if it's worth it.

Your anecdotal evidence means nothing.
 

shira

Member
Arians has zero filter and he comes off as an asshole. Take it for what you will. I think it's important that discussion on injuries in football continue. Arians lives in a different era where he thinks teenage boys can take continual beatings because it builds character or some shit.

There is no doubt the team bonding and leadership aspect of football is huge, especially in American culture. But yeah the coach is talking concussions vs proper tackling when CTE or continual head hits is the main topic of the day. You literally can not avoid CTE without making it flag football

My kids are playing soccer. Football will be a no go

I played soccer and I never headed the ball because it fucking hurt. I don't know why they make that part of the sport. Especially for younger players who are not even at the professional level.

Seeing some of the header plays at even the high school level is just nuts. You have a guy receiving a full length field kick and he's heading it back another 40 yards.
 
Yeah, wouldn't want my kids to play football. All the science says it does awful things to people, they can run track, play basketball, play baseball, be on the chess team or something else, but no football.
 
There is no doubt the team bonding and leadership aspect of football is huge, especially in American culture. But yeah the coach is talking concussions vs proper tackling when CTE or continual head hits is the main topic of the day. You literally can not avoid CTE without making it flag football

Proper tackling means shit when you have OLs and DLs who run the same blocking schemes involving their heads over and over.
 
Football is very dangerous, and for most, won't lead to anything truly worthwhile. If a parent thinks it's not worth the risk, then fine, it's not something I would call being overprotective, which can definitely be a problem these days. I also wouldn't have an issue with a parent being completely against their kid performing a header in soccer.
 
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