Will the NFL be around in 5 or 10 years?

[Montana is da Man]

After seeing Donte Whitner get flagged for a perfectly legal hi, it makes me wonder if we'll be watching the professional flag football league in 5 or 10 years to prevent any player from being injured from a big hit.

[keggerz]

The NFL will be around for much longer than that.

[CaptainHook]

People would have to stop watching for that to happen. Another year like this, and I could see viewership going down.

[Papa Deuce]

The NFL will be around for much longer than that.

 

 

Maybe, and even likely BUT I have now heard 2 NFL ex players say that they don't expect it to last 25 more years because less kids each year are playing football because parents won't let them play due to the concussion / injury factor. Even Brett Favre said he doesn't want his kids to play football, and he coaches, I think.

 

Where will the talent pool come from?

[keggerz]

Maybe, and even likely BUT I have now heard 2 NFL ex players say that they don't expect it to last 25 more years because less kids each year are playing football because parents won't let them play due to the concussion / injury factor. Even Brett Favre said he doesn't want his kids to play football, and he coaches, I think.

 

Where will the talent pool come from?

 

minimally, inner cities and poorer areas. Edited December 24, 2013 by keggerz

[keggerz]

So let me get this straight...people won't watch the game because the NFL is trying to make it safer but parents won't let their kids play because it's currently not safe...that sum it up?

[Papa Deuce]

minimally, inner cities and poorer areas.

 

 

You don't think their parents have concerns, too?

 

Plus, I can tell you that I live in an affluent area, and schools are talking about dropping their football teams. Heck, my daughter plays softball, and they want kids to wear masks while playing in the outfield. It is mandatory in the infield. And runners that run into catchers can be called out if the umpire determines that a collision was meant to dislodge the ball by knocking over the catcher.

 

Kids are playing soft these days.

[keggerz]

You don't think their parents have concerns, too?

 

 

Yes I do, but it's funny how the lure of making millions and the opportunity for a free education versus living in poverty will impact a decision.

[BeeR]

racist.

[Shorttynaz]

Yes I do, but it's funny how the lure of making millions and the opportunity for a free education versus living in poverty will impact a decision.

 

Ding!

[Shorttynaz]

racist.

 

He must be from Arizona. Edited December 24, 2013 by Shorttynaz

[Sunday Couch Potatoe]

yes

[Bobby Brown]

Lol, today was the one year anniversary of Chancellors hit on Vernon Davis. Very similar hit in a similar situation. I don't exactly remember 49're fans thinking the NFL was going to end after that penalty.

[keggerz]

racist.

 

White people live in inner cities and in poverty too. Take your and go filet it. Edited December 24, 2013 by keggerz

[Papa Deuce]

Yes I do, but it's funny how the lure of making millions and the opportunity for a free education versus living in poverty will impact a decision.

 

 

Even if that is true, schools are cutting athletic programs because of cost factors. And schools in less fortunate areas would seem to be likely to cut sports if they can't afford to run the programs.

 

Go look up the numbers. Each of the last 5 years has less kids playing football than the year before. Last year alone was a 5% drop from the year before. If that happens 5 more years, imagine how few kids will be playing.

 

I absolutely hate soccer... Well now some schools forbid the use of using your head to contact a ball.

 

See where this is going?

[keggerz]

 

 

Even if that is true, schools are cutting athletic programs because of cost factors. And schools in less fortunate areas would seem to be likely to cut sports if they can't afford to run the programs.

 

Go look up the numbers. Each of the last 5 years has less kids playing football than the year before. Last year alone was a 5% drop from the year before. If that happens 5 more years, imagine how few kids will be playing.

 

I absolutely hate soccer... Well now some schools forbid the use of using your head to contact a ball.

 

See where this is going?

 

Colleges and the NFL have too much money to lose. There'd be a point that they would start supporting their pipeline...more than they already do.

 

I'm sorry if I'm bring cynical but there's far too much money to be made for all involved for it to go away.

[stevegrab]

I think it is silly to even ask the question. First off it won't go away if people keep watching. Despite those few people who say they will quit, most others will not. Ratings and attendance at games will not drop.

 

Second the current pro and college playes will last beyond the next 5-10 years. I also do not see many local schools even considering dropping football. But then Ohio is very big with football in HS.

 

Rules and enforcement are changing to protect the players which make up the game. Did NASCAR die when drivers were required to wear the Hans device after Dale Earnhardt died in a crash? (Don't watch it but seems to be doing ok,)

[SecondString]

Flag football....here it comes. I can hear it now:

 

Marv Albert: "Running at top speed, Richard Sherman continues to be one of the best flag snatchers in the NFL."

 

Brad Nessler: "That was one of the worst displays of flag snatching I've ever seen on that run from Jamaal Charles. Here it is again (shows instant replay) one, two, three, FOUR Titans defenders whiff as they go for his flag."

 

Chris Collinsworth: "...and as they go under the hood to review this LeSean McCoy touchdown, what they will be looking for is to make sure that his flag was not 100% out as the ball crosses the plane".

[coordi88]

Football is life for a lot of people around here. I've always assumed it was the same almost everywhere else. There can be this thing around controversy where one side ends up with all the voice and movement behind it simply because the other side is satisfied. So it seems like there is this inevitability around football that it will be shutdown even though around the country its making as much money as ever. Right now a lot of NFL fans are grumbling about the new penalties but the facts are that this concussion stuff is real and they have to do something to at least maintain the image of proactive actions. You can't argue against that and sound reasonable. Eventually it will get to a point where either they stop changing the rules or the game gets watered down enough that the other side can reasonably say that the product isn't sufficient anymore, even relative to safety concerns. It will always be allowed to reach this new median because, as was mentioned earlier, there is too much money for anything to happen otherwise.

[DMD]

So long as there are High Schools in Texas, the NFL will always have plenty of players. It is the most popular sport in the country. The Superbowl is the biggest sports event in the country. Not a problem in our lifetime.

[QFFL]

So long as there are High Schools in Texas, the NFL will always have plenty of players. It is the most popular sport in the country. The Superbowl is the biggest sports event in the country. Not a problem in our lifetime.

 

 

Agree. There will be no shortage of players willing to play. There will be no shortage of people love to watch the game.

[MustOfBeenDrunk]

 

 

Maybe, and even likely BUT I have now heard 2 NFL ex players say that they don't expect it to last 25 more years because less kids each year are playing football because parents won't let them play due to the concussion / injury factor. Even Brett Favre said he doesn't want his kids to play football, and he coaches, I think.

 

Where will the talent pool come from?

 

heard the same about boxing but instead of it disappearing they added a new element called MMA

[Papa Deuce]

 

 

Agree. There will be no shortage of players willing to play. There will be no shortage of people love to watch the game.

 

 

But then the talent level likely drops. I guess we will see. All I know is that if ex NFL players are saying it might disappear, then I think there is a chance that it might, or it might just be a far inferior product in 25 years.

[HowboutthemCowboys]

 

 

Chris Collinsworth: "...and as they go under the hood to review this LeSean McCoy touchdown, what they will be looking for is to make sure that his flag was not 100% out as the ball crosses the plane".

 

[BA Baracus]

I think it is silly to even ask the question. First off it won't go away if people keep watching. Despite those few people who say they will quit, most others will not. Ratings and attendance at games will not drop.

 

Second the current pro and college playes will last beyond the next 5-10 years. I also do not see many local schools even considering dropping football. But then Ohio is very big with football in HS.

 

Rules and enforcement are changing to protect the players which make up the game. Did NASCAR die when drivers were required to wear the Hans device after Dale Earnhardt died in a crash? (Don't watch it but seems to be doing ok,)

 

 

I used to be a huge NASCAR fan but I stopped watching it completely when they stopped racing back to the line on caution flags. The Hans device didn't interfere with the competition, but that crappy rule change did. Improved equipment won't interfere with NFL competitiveness, but crappy contact rules will. Head shots should be illegal, but hard hitting in general is getting flagged and that is a major problem because it interferes with the competition.