After the Tua incident last night I’ve never seen so many people talking about how awful the NFL is and they’re “after your kids” etc etc etc….
Should we get the flags? Are we bad people for supporting this sport? (I think not, but some do)
The more we learn about the cause and effect of football, the more I'm glad I never bothered to play. I'm glad the college kids get paid now so at least they get some monetary compensation for the lifelong trauma the sport can cause. Before NIL though, I always felt way more uncomfortable watching college football than I did watching pro football simply because the players earned these schools billions, got coaches getting life changing money and the players only got a very small fraction of it.
The pros, at least today, are a different story. They know the risks, the likely aftereffects long-term and have chosen to go ahead and do it anyway. It's one of the reasons that I don't blame any player for deciding it is no longer worth it. That 49ers linebacker that played at Wisconsin retired after a single season. He was a pretty solid rookie but he determined the long-term risks outweighed the short term benefits. I think that's the way to approach it.
I still think they should make the rosters larger so that you can easily play backups in blowout situations. It's silly to me that teams basically have to play their top players the entire game regardless of score and circumstance because the rosters are so small. The wear and tear adds up over time and I can't help but wonder if some players would have their careers extended if they didn't have to always be on the field.
I also think in situations like Tua's on Sunday, the people with real power need to step in and save the players from themselves. The players know one thing, when it's game time, it's go time. On Sunday, Tua's wobbling and stumbling around but instead of calling it what it is (an obvious concussion), they say it's a "back" injury. He passes a few tests (probably had the answers), says he's good and suddenly he's back in the game. Like that's just stupid and neglectful to everyone involved. Then last night, we're having to repeatedly watch replays of him looking like he's dying on the field. Sorry but no thanks, I had to turn the game off at that point. It makes me extremely uncomfortable that the medical staff didn't seem to care about Tua the player but rather Tua the team. Either you have teeth in your concussion protocol or you don't. There are several hits every game that you can argue should be looked at by the medical staffs but it's rare you actually see a ref or coach make a player get checked out after a big hit.
I do not have kids nor do I want any but if I did, I would strongly encourage my child to pursue other sports rather than football. The chances of becoming a college football player, much less a pro, is so small. It doesn't seem worth it.