The NFL will be gone in 30 years.

The NFL is already a disaster. No NFL team is profitable w/o taxpayer welfare monies. Not one NFL stadium or parking lot is owned by the team. Each NFL stadium and parking lot is equal in status to a Public Housing project for Welfare recipients.

According a comprehensive survey of HS sports from 1997-2008: Boys’ lacrosse had the second-highest incidence rate for head trauma (after football) among boys’ sports, followed by soccer, wrestling and basketball. Also some anecdotes:Two days after helping the Colorado Mammoth to the 2006 National Lacrosse League championship, Jay Jalbert was laying in a hospital bed recovering from what a specialist would later say was his seventh concussion.Four weeks after taking a routine shot off his facemask, Denver Outlaws goalie Trevor Tierney was still feeling the effects of what he says was his sixth or seven concussion.Jalbert and Tierney aren't alone, and concussions in lacrosse don't just happen to professional players. Youth players suffer concussions too. For Jalbert, it wasn't one concussion, but a series of concussions that led to his problem. He suffered a concussion in the Mammoth's final regular-season game in 2006, but continued to suit up through three playoff games. On the field he was successful, scoring three goals and adding 10 assists during the playoffs to help the Mammoth to the championship.Off the field he knew something wasn't right."I just kept playing when I knew there was something wrong," said Jalbert. "I had trouble concentrating. That was the most glaring thing in my case."Simple things, like typing, also proved difficult. But the lure of the team was enough to make him look the other way.His team won the championship that night, but two days later he woke up and was stumbling around. He went to the hospital and stayed for two days. The symptoms weren't going away. Going out for a jog would result in pounding headaches.It took nearly two months for Jalbert to return to the field, this time as a member of the U.S. team competing in the International Lacrosse Federation world championship. Once again, his on-field play showed little effects of an injury. Jalbert scored 15 goals in the tournament and was named as the outstanding midfielder on the all-world team. But as the games wore on, he knew he was watching the end of his lacrosse career. "I'm back to normal now," said Jalbert. "I knew I wasn't going to be able to play anymore, and I have to live with it." Discussions with Jalbert and Tom Ryan, another player who suffered multiple concussions, helped Tierney to decide to retire from lacrosse following this year's MLL season."The past two summers I had gotten those `mild' ones more easily and the symptoms stayed for a longer period of time," said Tierney, who suffered painful headaches. "It screws up your life." http://www.laxmagazine.com/sports/w-lacros/spec-rel/092807aab.html

Mick Lovin wrote:

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Whaaat?

Lacrosse is every bit as dangerous as football?

Really?

I need to hear this. Explain how lacrosse is also a "collision" sport.

Explain how many ex-lacross players have no problems with migranes, memory loss, and shortened life spans, but football players do.

Please explain this.

real talk wrote:

Many people here on letsrun are white middle class and up from rich suburban areas. Many stars in the NFL are the complete opposite. Just because some rich white kid, who will never receive a NCAA scholarship, let alone make it anywhere near the NFL except in the stands, parent's don't want their son playing football, doesn't mean that those who are actually athletically gifted and can actually make the NFL will stop playing. At the end of the day, sure certain NBA players may have bypassed football, but we see the same thing with certain NFL players bypassing the NBA or MLB.

The notion that everyone has the ability to be good or just that some rich white kids will stop playing football means the NFL will die is outrageous. Get real.

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White, Black?

When did this get racial?

When in doubt, whip the race card out.

No raise? racist!

Not straight A's - racist!

Didn't come in first? judges are racist!

Your point, sir, is almost laughable. Almost.

While the irony of what you depict, takes any historian back to the Roman and Ottoman Empires when they used African prisoners from bfar away battles as entertainment in their arenas. Of course those "gifted athletes" died in those "games"

You see what you described was this " my culture does not have any other way to make it big other than sports."

And you assume all white people are rich. You assume you are deprived.

Boo friggin hoo.

Awww poor baby.

Many of us grew up wanting, and I even grew up less fortunate than almost evryone i knew. But I feel it was fortunate for me.

Now I appreciate my graduate degrees I earned while working two jobs. I appreciate my new cars, my house I just paid a builder to start in 2013.

I appreciate everything.

I'm glad I'm not you.

I'm glad I'm happy.

And I'm glad I don't hate people for the color of their skin - like you.

Do you normally enjoy making things up that aren't based in truth?Sun Life Stadium (Miami Dolphins) - owned by Stephen M. Ross (95%) and H. Wayne Huizenga (5%)Gillette Stadium (NE Patriots) - owned by Kraft Food GroupFedEx Field (Washington Redskins) - owned by Daniel Snyder

public Welfare for the NFL wrote:

The NFL is already a disaster. No NFL team is profitable w/o taxpayer welfare monies. Not one NFL stadium or parking lot is owned by the team. Each NFL stadium and parking lot is equal in status to a Public Housing project for Welfare recipients.

None of those teams and stadiums were built with private money. Each of those teams are public welfare corporations with $billions of taxpayer funds.

Mick Lovin wrote:

By 2020 you will essentially be watching flag football.

Uh oh, whatever will we do?

State Bonds funded Sun Life, Gillete, and FedEx. The governors gifted $500M to $2B to the owners no questions asked. They couldn't do it so easily in today's economy that's for sure.

Good. There are enough black people beating each other up on the streets. No need to make a sport of it.

opposite catman wrote:

The average life span for a football player is about 70, and they suffer various brain disorders into middle age.

I'd live 15 years less to get to live the lifestyles those guys get...money, women, etc. And I'm not dirt poor living in the 'hood....

I'm gunna assume I'm not the only one.

Treated like stars from grade school through college. Scores on tests are bent. Special tutors and even test-takers given.

Even blind-side Michael Ohr had "Miss Sue"

We treat these people like heroes. Super stars.

And are they?

Are they really?

Do they do something for society?

Lacrosse has the second highest number of concussions?

I'll bet the gap between #1 and #2 is a mile wide.

"got your bell rung" is what I used to hear people say when I got knocked goofy and was dizzy.

I love football. I really do. I wanted to be a football player almost all my childhood.

I don't want the NFL to go.

But with everything that's happening,it's hard to see it not going away.

We have posters saying " never happen"

I'll be we all said that 15 years ago before title IX eliminated some men's sports on college campuses.

I'll be we all thought that was impossible. But it happened. Not comparing the two, since they are different. But, we have seen the impossible, be possible.

I want my NFL Sunday. I'm just snake bitten by all the awareness, lawsuits and now suicides and everybody on national TV saying " we need to take a look at the game"

What will be the outcome?

I don't know. And, I'm not too optomistic.

My child will kick and punt. End of discussion.

You are partially right about the financing but are stretching the truth. They are all 100% privately owned now.Sun Life: 90% privately financedGillette Stadium: 100% privately financed by KraftFedex: Private ($180 million) and state ($70.5 million)Where do you get billions from?

Non-Profits wrote:

None of those teams and stadiums were built with private money. Each of those teams are public welfare corporations with $billions of taxpayer funds.

Well, ask yourself where boxing was 30 (or more like 50) years ago.

Boxing died because even more violent competition took its place.

runn wrote:

I wonder how long this can go on. How do parents let their kids get into football at a young age knowing the consequences?

Will schools be liable for long term damage? I mean look at the over the top safety regulations for the pole vault- the padding, extra padding, pole weight and the coach, officials, school are responsible.

When will football be regulated to its death.

This isn't exactly a new discovery - everyone has known about this for decades! My parents never would have signed the waiver forms to play football because they didn't want me to get injured and I knew many other kids whose parents were of the same opinion when I was a kid in the 80s.

The only thing that might shut down football programs would be the threat of lawsuits, which I suppose is a very real threat.

C'mon lacrosse the second highest concussions?

You seem to be leaving out some stats to make your point look good.

I know the number of concussions from football doubles, even triples the numbers of most others, including lacrosse (which is a great sport)

So, don't say "second most" like it was close.

I mean should we even talk about how many high schoolers and college football players are paralyzed from football?

Compare that?

How about long term effects?

Football has to cause more long term effects than anything else.

In 30 years the NFL will exist but as prison teams. seeing as how the trend for lawbreaking by the players is increasing eventually the teams will be prison teams. for instance the San Quentin 49ers, The Leavenworth Cowboys, Sing Sing Giants. since most of the excellent players will be incarcerated anyway this move will be sure to take place. The regular society teams that we have now will be sort of a minor league. Players will be promoted to the Prison team as sort as they commit a crime heinous enough to give them street cred amongst their "home boys". rules in the elite Prison league will be for all intents and purposes on parr with a Roman gladiator contest. Ratings will be off the charts in fact it will be a crime to not watch the weekly contests.

Football will do fine.

But I can easily see some major changes happening in thirty years.

Widening the field by even just a few yards would do wonders for preventing concussions. It gives the offense space to run away from the defense instead of into them. A huge problem is that over about 40 years players are both bigger, stronger, and faster. But the field size remained fixed and players craniums, tendons, and bones all stay the same. Something has got to give. Expanding the field is very reasonable. There was never anything sacred about the width of a football field.

Also I think the whole mentality of glorifying toughness may change. Football fans generally love a wide receiver swallowing their fear and going across the middle to make a catch and getting absolutely destroyed by a defending safety. But its really kind of stupid and football players really should listen to their fears and not do it. I think it will go that way over time.

WHATS SO FVCKING LAME IS ESPN COVERING FOOOTBALL TO NO END. THEIR TOP STORY IS ABOUT SOME STUPID ROOKIE WHO HASN'T PLAYED ONE DOWN IN THE LEAGUE REPORTING TO CAMP. ANDREW LUCK REPORTED TO TRAINING CAMP. WHOOOOPPPYYYYY FREAKING DOOO ESPN YOU PIECES OF CRAP A GUY DID WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO. LETS MAKE THAT THE TOP STORY WHILE THE FVCKIHNG NBA PLAYOFFS ARE GOING ON!?!!?!!! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEN YOU HAVE THESE DOPES AND I MEAN ABSOLUTE DOPES LIKE CHRIS MORTENSEN AND MEL KIPER JR GO ON AND ON ABOUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET A FVCKING CLUE ESPN NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR CRAP QUIT TALKING ABOUT FOOOOOOTBALL SOOOOOOO DAMN MUCH.

AND TO THE IDIOTS THAT MENTIONED LACROSSE, GET A FVCKING CLUE YOU MORONS NOBODY WATCHES OR LIKES THAT DUMB STUPID LAME PIECE OF CRAP SPORT. GOLF AND BASEBALL IS WWHERE ITS AT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1