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

 

[boog204]

What district? What are they wearing? Surely it isn't Lax and track merch. I wouldn't look at the NE as a great example of the majority of the country as it's not a hotbed for baseball talent, or football talent.

The one thing about baseball that's changed drastically over the last 20 years is simply a lack of personality. Back in the 80's through early 2000's, when I watched, there were so many unique player profiles. There were pitchers with funky mechanics & batting stances, their own way of doing. This day and age, the mechanics have all standardized to the point of everyone looking the same. There's no fat knuckle ballers, submariners, fat guys that mashed.

No, they are not wearing Lax or track merch, but they sure as hell aren't wearing Yankee, Sox, or Mets stuff anymore, either. For most of my career, there would be pretty consistent Yankees/Sox talk during the baseball season. Absolute crickets now.

I think there is something to this. Baseball definitely used to have this "fun" vibe to it that I think is more or less dead nowadays. As a kid, you watched TWIB, Baseball Tonight, and had VHS tapes filled with bloopers. I also think interleague baseball destroyed any semblance of mystery between the leagues. Watching the All-Star game used to be must-watch TV to see young Clemens face young Bonds or to see if Gooden would blow away Mattingly. I can't remember the last time I even considered watching an All-Star game.

 

[boog204]

I think it’s also an attention span shift. Sitting through 9 innings of a pitchers dual is fun for adults, not so much for kids. I begrudgingly go to Phillies games once in a while and the biggest draw for my kids and their cousins is the mini whiffle ball stadium and hot dog launcher game at Citizens Bank Park. Kids can’t sit still for more than like 20 minutes at a time these days. Maybe that’s how it’s always been and I’ve never noticed, I dunno.

For sure... The subtlety of baseball is something that younger viewers just won't get. I grew up knowing that someone like Maddux would show a pitch during the first at-bat so he could use it differently in the third AB, or the incredible joy of sitting on the bench during a baseball game, or how much fun an in-season baseball practice was: taking BP, shagging fly balls, and being an idiot in the spring outside with your friends.

 

[Jaydumo20]

For sure... The subtlety of baseball is something that younger viewers just won't get. I grew up knowing that someone like Maddux would show a pitch during the first at-bat so he could use it differently in the third AB, or the incredible joy of sitting on the bench during a baseball game, or how much fun an in-season baseball practice was: taking BP, shagging fly balls, and being an idiot in the spring outside with your friends.

Youre right. That was the best stuff. Kids won't know the joys of pepper.

 

[jleves]

All sports will be played by a couple of guys on iPads, but because or AI, it will look real. We'll still go to stadiums or watch on TV as the holograms act it out. Vegas will make a fortune.

 

[Jaydumo20]

All sports will be played by a couple of guys on iPads, but because or AI, it will look real. We'll still go to stadiums or watch on TV as the holograms act it out. Vegas will make a fortune.

Ha! What are we gambling with? Universal Basic Income? I used to starve and save the lunch money my parents gave me to buy albums.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I think so, you're the first person I've heard that doesn't like the changes, though I'm sure there are more.

Confused by your last sentence though, the wild card round was never 7 games, it was 1 game when it was 2 wild card teams and now is 3 games

My point is that instead of the expanded playoffs which cheapens the regular season, why couldn't they just have extended the division series from 5 to 7 games for more playoff inventory? Where the wild card winner played the worst division winner. Back from when it started in what 95, 96?

I have no issue with the pace of play, in fact it's a good thing. I don't like the expanded rosters to 26 because it just lends itself to bullpen minutia, the extra innings changes, constant interleague play (not exactly recent) as far as formal changes.

 

[navery12]

My point is that instead of the expanded playoffs which cheapens the regular season, why couldn't they just have extended the division series from 5 to 7 games for more playoff inventory? Where the wild card winner played the worst division winner. Back from when it started in what 95, 96?

I have no issue with the pace of play, in fact it's a good thing. I don't like the expanded rosters to 26 because it just lends itself to bullpen minutia, the extra innings changes, constant interleague play (not exactly recent) as far as formal changes.

Does it really cheapen the regular season though? Baseball still has the smallest percentage of playoff teams that get in, reducing that even more seems crazy to me. That's what cheapens the regular season IMO, when it's June 1 and half the league is already out of the playoff hunt and trading away half the team, and another 5-10 teams are giving up by the end of July. Now unless you're a bottom of the league team you're keeping most of your players, keeping fans interested and are still realistically in the playoff hunt until September

 

[B1GEast]

 

[Hunt for 7]

View attachment 111791

Have not seen this one yet. Unfortunately it may be somewhat prophetic of what lies ahead for humanity. Maybe the machines will take care of us maybe they won’t.

 

[RuffRuff]

Have not seen this one yet. Unfortunately it may be somewhat prophetic of what lies ahead for humanity. Maybe the machines will take care of us maybe they won’t.

Rode my first driverless Uber in Austin last week. Talk about a taste of the future. Of course it didn’t sense an ambulance trying to make its way through and was honking at any car that got close to it. Has a better crash rate than humans. Strap on your seat belt, the wildness is only beginning. There are robot stewardess’ on their way.

I embrace change, evolution and innovation but some of this is downright not human feeling.

Now seeing at the professional level often, I do wonder when we will have our first Husky alumni offspring as a key player on UConn. Have we seen much of this anywhere in college hoops? Anthony’s kid is one.

 

[HooperScooper]

Have we seen much of this anywhere in college hoops? Anthony’s kid is one.

Lots of it.

 

[brihman]

I don't think this is true at all. The recent changes have made baseball so much enjoyable for everyone from the casual fans to the diehards

The recent changes to speed up pace of play were huge. The season is about a month too long. It should be mid playoffs now. If they don’t want to do away with the 162 game season, maybe 7 inning weekend double headers? Another issue is pitcher injuries. No idea how to deal with that since high velocity is so effective.

 

[RuffRuff]

The recent changes to speed up pace of play were huge. The season is about a month too long. It should be mid playoffs now. If they don’t want to do away with the 162 game season, maybe 7 inning weekend double headers? Another issue is pitcher injuries. No idea how to deal with that since high velocity is so effective.

I tend to agree with it being too long - find it pretty silly when baseball is being played in the cold/sleeves when it's such a warm weather sport.

I just don't know if MLB will ever mess around with duration of season due to records/stats, and revenue. There isn't a ton of content during a lot of those months. Who knows- there are some stats out there that are already untouchable due to how the game has changed. Forget a pitcher ever breaking a shutouts record.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Does it really cheapen the regular season though? Baseball still has the smallest percentage of playoff teams that get in, reducing that even more seems crazy to me. That's what cheapens the regular season IMO, when it's June 1 and half the league is already out of the playoff hunt and trading away half the team, and another 5-10 teams are giving up by the end of July. Now unless you're a bottom of the league team you're keeping most of your players, keeping fans interested and are still realistically in the playoff hunt until September

I mean by definition isn't the regular season less meaningful when more teams make the playoffs?

I understand why more playoff teams appeals to more people because it gets more teams involved. I'm just of the opinion its artificial. You play 162 games nightly over the course of 6 months just to come down to a 3 game playoff?

I would expand to 32 teams AL and NL with two 8 team divisions. Ditch interleague. Dan Hurley and no Dan Hurley respectively.

Division winners and 3rd best record advance to 7 game division round. 4th best and 5th best play in a 1 game playoff to advance where they play the 1 seed.