Is it just me, or has the rate of major injuries skyrocketed? When I was growing up ('70's) I never heard of anyone tearing an ACL or MCL in practice, and very few in actual games. It just doesn't make a lotta sense to me, the game is faster and stronger, but so is the workout regimen, guys are in better 'shape', but I guess that doesn't translate to 'less injuries'. Just seems odd to me.
Yeah funny. In the 70's they had less padding, and you could hit a guy as hard as you wanted anywhere. Quarterbacks included. No comfortable domes to play in either. In addition, players stayed in the WHOLE game. I think mental and physical toughness might be part of the problem. Get paid a ton whether they play or not.
athletes are wound so tight physically...absolute at max peak performance.. like racing engines, one small hiccup and somethings gonn give!!!
I don't know... I think there is just a lot more attention now with fantasy football, players with very large contracts, all the concussion awareness stuff the NFL is doing, etc. Also used to be you just read what was in the newspaper, or what they told you at the game over the speaker, and most people didn't care that much to notice. Now you can get 24/7 updates sent to your phone, along with sportscenter on TV and thousands of websites giving endless commentary and coverage. Everyone has a fantasy team, and everyone is trying to be a bigger superfan than the next guy. Also back in the day the athletes simply weren't as good, didn't have million dollar contracts riding on their performance and big plays, etc. They couldn't afford to get busted up because then they wouldn't be able to work their day job.
With all the new rules against concussions... guys are hitting lower. Lower hits = more ACL/MCL tears No matter how big of a guy you are, your knees are fragile if they get hit at the wrong angle.
Saw my first national commercial by a law firm requesting business for the concussion injury pay outs last night.
Shoulder padding, helmets, thigh padding etc, - listen I wasn't criticising far from it, when we are lucky enough to see a game in the Uk it's an awesome spectacle. But we are used to the rawness of Rugby Union/League - longer playing periods and just as brutal.
Watched parts of a couple preseason games. After the first 10 flags for illegal contact, illegal hands to the face, etc, etc. I knew I wasn't watching football anymore. Just like Boxing, if you grew up watching the good stuff, the game today just doesn't cut it anymore. Too much emphasis on participant safety. AKA fear of lawsuits.
The game isn't what it used to be. Do you recall at one point when a receiver was going over the middle and would get pummeled by the safety, and if he "short armed" it and dropped it the commentators would say "you have to make that catch because it's gonna hurt whether you catch it or drop it" (implying the defence had the right to drill the receiver) . Now this same play is called "illegal hit on a defenseless receiver ", and the defense has to let the receiver catch the ball first then hit him. I've seen horrible calls on the defense when a player loses the ball after the catch due to the hit. If the ball doesn't become dislodged, then I would bet my life that there is no penalty on that play. Ronnie Lott would not be allowed to play in today's NFL.
This. It's much more than it used to be. Same could be said for hockey where goalies wore no helmets at one point.
Are humans morphing into faster, stronger, bigger, or is it PED's saying yes but the body says no? I'll lean toward the later.
Speed, size, strength have all increased massively in the last generation. A guy like Lawrence Taylor would be lucky to make the team today. In his day he was dominant, but wouldn't even start on many teams these days. The money is so big, and pressure to play so high that many go through seasons with something wrong and they play through it until more severe injury forces them to sit out. Nagging minor injuries are compounded to where in totality many of them are a wreck by the end of their careers. IMO Bradford might have played his last game as a Ram, and maybe as a starter for that matter...
You didn't mention skill. You mention Lawrence Taylor, but there will never be another one like him. The game and players are NOT better. I still say they're doped to get that way.
