Where will we be in ten years?

[RuffRuff]

I haven't really subscribed to the "people will stop playing football" point of view, but this just hit the news. Repeated head trauma causes brain changes in young athletes before CTE symptoms

At some point, youth sports has to be dialed back. It used to be casual, now all these parents are making it hyper competitive.

NFL will still lead the way, college football too. College hoops is hard to project. I think the NIL and money angle has a much bigger influence on a 13 person team than on a football team with 80-100 guys. They have to figure it out. The Euros are coming for it too. MLB is fine and may have a resurgence if they can fix the imbalances. NBA needs some help to focus on the actual game instead of flashy highlights and star power. It has lost its way. NHL is rock solid, but the ceiling is low. Soccer could see a benefit if people shift from "contact" sports, but the reality is that heading soccer balls is probably not ideal for CTE, we know it is very bad for young girls.

You'd hope it to be dialed back, but not sure how it happens. The current system is practically toxic, lot's of parents projecting themselves on their kids and just throwing money at programs thinking/hoping their kid is better than they are. If there is money to be made on emotional spending, it will be taken advantage of.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I haven't really subscribed to the "people will stop playing football" point of view, but this just hit the news. Repeated head trauma causes brain changes in young athletes before CTE symptoms

At some point, youth sports has to be dialed back. It used to be casual, now all these parents are making it hyper competitive.

NFL will still lead the way, college football too. College hoops is hard to project. I think the NIL and money angle has a much bigger influence on a 13 person team than on a football team with 80-100 guys. They have to figure it out. The Euros are coming for it too. MLB is fine and may have a resurgence if they can fix the imbalances. NBA needs some help to focus on the actual game instead of flashy highlights and star power. It has lost its way. NHL is rock solid, but the ceiling is low. Soccer could see a benefit if people shift from "contact" sports, but the reality is that heading soccer balls is probably not ideal for CTE, we know it is very bad for young girls.

I'm in grad school for psychotherapy right now and I did a study on CTE. The "end around" that the NFL did and continues to do regarding research and disclosure is pretty sad. Basically, they are saying, "hey, players have heard about the risks (kinda) and they still want to play and America loves it, sooooo....play on" but as we would expect with a multi-billion dollar industry the NFL does anything it can to keep earning revenue. Tua played last night, that man should not be allowed to take any more hits. Concussion protocol is like prescribing a nap after a heart attack.

 

[superjohn]

I haven't really subscribed to the "people will stop playing football" point of view, but this just hit the news. Repeated head trauma causes brain changes in young athletes before CTE symptoms

At some point, youth sports has to be dialed back. It used to be casual, now all these parents are making it hyper competitive.

NFL will still lead the way, college football too. College hoops is hard to project. I think the NIL and money angle has a much bigger influence on a 13 person team than on a football team with 80-100 guys. They have to figure it out. The Euros are coming for it too. MLB is fine and may have a resurgence if they can fix the imbalances. NBA needs some help to focus on the actual game instead of flashy highlights and star power. It has lost its way. NHL is rock solid, but the ceiling is low. Soccer could see a benefit if people shift from "contact" sports, but the reality is that heading soccer balls is probably not ideal for CTE, we know it is very bad for young girls.

Ever since we've learned so much about CTE there's been a dramatic shift as to who is playing football. I expect this trend to continue and the racial, socioeconomic, and regional differences will be even more pronounced 10 years from now.

 

[Scoe]

As an educator, I am around 13-18-year-olds every day. The buzz concerning baseball is dead. It's an absolute rarity to have a kid talk baseball, you rarely see them wearing merch, and as a sport, fewer and fewer are playing it, opting for Lacrosse or Track.

I think the over-30 crowd still watches. But the youngin's in my district just do not have much interest anymore.

In the US that's the case not so much in other countries.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Ever since we've learned so much about CTE there's been a dramatic shift as to who is playing football. I expect this trend to continue and the racial, socioeconomic, and regional differences will be even more pronounced 10 years from now.

View attachment 111755

100% true that white parents in highly-educated suburbs are keeping their kids out of football, and for good reason.

That isn't the sad part. The sad part is that Black families don't see another way out.

 

[John]

100% true that white parents in highly-educated suburbs are keeping their kids out of football, and for good reason.

That isn't the sad part. The sad part is that Black families don't see another way out.

there's still a lot of support for football in those towns - Greenwich, Westport, Glastonbury, Fairfield Prep - all highly-educated suburban schools.

https://www.maxpreps.com/tournament/BWgnWOeUIkOqslfcqZgJyA/Zz0LNWPPxke2-aMFyRdqNg/football-24/2024-connecticut-high-school-football-playoff-brackets-ciac-class-ll.htm