The religion of Texas, transcending politics

[Murph]

High School Football! College Football! Football! Yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh! Its Football Time!

[Clayton Wallace]

Ok, I'l get this thread hopping:

I was born and raised in Texas and strongly dislike football.

I played high school ball (varsity as a sophomore, 5A..had college scholorship offers and all that) and saw lots of my friends get injured (I ignored the warning signs like so many testosterone-filled teens do).
I got injured too and have now I am left with knees that pop when I bend down, a neck that gets stiff, and a back that hurts everyday, all day.

Football is a dangerous sport by its design (no matter the padding, stretching, conditioning) and there are thousands of injuries every year to prove my point.

I hope one day we come to our senses and stop promoting and encouraging the ego-filling, dangerous sports. (for that matter stop worshiping sports players in general)

None of this is directed at you Murph and I don't mean any offense to you personally. I obviously have a strong opinion about this one and feel some balance needs to be given in our lopsided culture of sports.

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by Clayton Wallace

Ok, I'l get this thread hopping:

I was born and raised in Texas and strongly dislike football.

I played high school ball (varsity as a sophomore, 5A..had college scholorship offers and all that) and saw lots of my friends get injured (I ignored the warning signs like so many testosterone-filled teens do).
I got injured too and have now I am left with knees that pop when I bend down, a neck that gets stiff, and a back that hurts everyday, all day.

Football is a dangerous sport by its design (no matter the padding, stretching, conditioning) and there are thousands of injuries every year to prove my point.

I hope one day we come to our senses and stop promoting and encouraging the ego-filling, dangerous sports. (for that matter stop worshiping sports players in general)

None of this is directed at you Murph and I don't mean any offense to you personally. I obviously have a strong opinion about this one and feel some balance needs to be given in our lopsided culture of sports.

I confess also, I am fellow heretic. I fail to see any virture in football at any level.

I'll take a Friday night, Saturday or Sunday afternoon in an art musuem or library over a football game any day.

[jecaph]

I guess our paths will never cross then. You couldn't pay me enough money to be in a musuem, unless it's sports related that is. The best musuem is located in Canton, OH.

Actually it's been proven that soccer is much more damaging to the body than football.

[Duffy Pratt]

"Comparing sports fatalities
Direct fatalities per 100,000 participants (measured from the 1982-83 academic year through 2002-03):
High school
Boys gymnastics 1.15 Boys soccer 0.11
Baseball 0.08 Boys wrestling 0.04
Boys lacrosse 0.48 Boys basketball 0.02
Boys hockey 0.37 Softball 0.02
Football 0.31 Girls track 0.01
Boys track 0.18
All other sports had no deaths. Football had a serious injury rate of 0.73, third-highest below hockey (1.29) and gymnastics (1.15).
College
Women's skiing 7.98 Football 0.57
Men's lacrosse 1.79 Men's track 0.41
Baseball 0.63 Men's basketball 0.34
All other college sports had no deaths. Football had a serious injury rate of 5.18, behind women's hockey (11.66), men's gymnastics (7.33) and men's hockey (6.25).
Source: The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research"

So where do you get your proof that soccer is more damaging? Hockey and gymnastics are more dangerous than football, but that's it.

Duffy

[boxofrocks]

I can tell this is going to get ugly.

Here's my take, since all of you were wondering :

I had a pretty serious injury from football in JV. In 9th grade, I played JV at a high school in Miami. There was another 9th grader in Miami at Christoper Columbus HS that we all thought was already on 'roids because he was so cut and huge. At the time, he played DB, but later went on to play FB.

I was playing TE, and on a dinky little screen pass up over head, that guy absolutely de-cleated me. I was laid out on the field like Beetle Bailey after one of his altercations with Sarge.

I ruptured 2 discs in my lower back, and spent 6 days in traction in the hospital. At 41, my back still ain't right (probably my fault, because I never fully completed rehab). That was the last time I put on the pads.

BTW, some of you may have heard of that guy. His name was Alonzo Highsmith. Howard Schnellenberger turned him int a RB at the U of Miami, and he later made a stop in Houston. I wish my brush with greatness had been a happier memory.

Having said all that, I still love football. I think it's a valuable tool for young men, and teaches a lot of life lessons--I believe that to my core, and see examples of it every week. I'm not saying there aren't any other ways to learn those lessons, but the fact is that this is a way that some may have a chance for guidance that they may otherwise never have. Sure, it doesn't work for all the kids--some remain egotistical no matter what [I] (ex: "I loves me some me" --T.O.).

I respect the fact that it's not for everyone. Sure, some get hurt. But as one of those that did, I can say I'm a better man today for what I learned from my coaches going back to Pop Warner league.

[iCe]

Personally, I'm just as happy in a museum or at an art show as I am at a football game or other sporting event.

[Tom]

I had never been to a HS football game until I shot my first one when I was 25.

From what I understand, soccer has the highest rate of serious concussions because of players jumping to the same spot to win the header. I have certianly had my share of concussions playing soccer - the last coming a couple weeks ago along with a broken cheekbone.

And if you are still reading, the reason I never went to a HS football game was because I played V. Soccer throughout HS and we had our season in the fall.

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by jecaph

I guess our paths will never cross then. You couldn't pay me enough money to be in a musuem, unless it's sports related that is. The best musuem is located in Canton, OH.

Actually it's been proven that soccer is much more damaging to the body than football.

My favorite Musuem is located in Paris, France.

[Clayton Wallace]

I think it's a valuable tool for young men, and teaches a lot of life lessons--I believe that to my core, and see examples of it every week.

True, and I benefitted from that greatly as well. But, as you point out, there are plenty of other ways to learn discipline, teamwork, sacrifice etc. without such a strong risk of injury (or death). We will be a better nation and culture when we finally decide to make some of the hard choices our parents (and now us) keep avoiding: who we decide are our heroes, dependence on oil, affordable heath care...and plenty of other hot-button issues.

[DJRobin]

hmmm...interesting.

My husband was raised in Europe. He played soccer his whole life and also says (and believes) you get hurt worse in soccer. He is also quick to point out that soccer in Europe is NOT like soccer here, and is much "rougher".

I have an 8 year old that's played all the sports. Baseball scares me. I have a cousin that played minor leaque ball and was hit with the ball "between the eyes" and spent hours in surgery having bone fragments picked out of his brain. Scares the crap out of me.

Football? Have seen injuries, too...absolutely...I think the ones that hit us personally scare us the most. (for me, baseball...for my husband, soccer)

Actually...I'm more scared of skateboards. My son has had TWO broken arms on them. Last one, bones were sticking out and his arm was mangled to where he could have scratched his right elbow with his right hand.

So, to me...pad up, hit hard...but DO NOT step on a skateboard!

[Daniel Bates]

I play frisbee. It's much less dangerous than most sports. Plus, I don't need any credentials to shoot it...

[anorcross]

I am boringly in the center of this debate. I do enjoy watching American football, though I enjoy watching real football more. The injuries certainly bother me, though. I could never get excited about Texas teams. The Cowboys are pure evil incarnate (I lived for ten years in Dallas, so this isn't a Houston vs. Dallas thing), and the Texans are simply pathetic. I do root for the Texans, but that's because they're always the underdogs, and you should root for the underdogs (unless we're talking about the Cowboys or Notre Dame). The Longhorns are boring, and the Aggies are, well, Aggies ('nuff said). My wife and I used to go to all the games in college (Syracuse, back when they were good), but since we had a son, she doesn't enjoy watching football nearly as much. It's the injuries, and the relish with which the TV replays them over and over again. Luckily, our son, now 14, has never wanted to play football. My favorite American sport to watch is lacrosse, which is also pretty violent, but requires much more skill than football. Nothing beats cricket, though. If you weren't brought up with it, chances are you will have a hard time understanding it, and an even harder time appreciating it. In fact, I bet jecaph would probably prefer going to a museum than a cricket match! My wife, who is American, has actually managed pretty well with cricket. But then she's exceptionally smart (look who she chose to marry )
That's my 1 pence (equivalent to 2 cents).

[Bruce M. Morris]

I understand the need for the organized sports and for kids to learn how to stay in shape. My "sport" that I question validity of is DODGEBALL. Having played soccer, baseball, basketball and rugby, I know that rough sports can cause injury, but for the most part it is good fun. I can think of no legitimate reason for Dodgeball in the P.E. program yet there are lots of schools here in Texas that are still using it when "Coach" doesnt want to do anything else with the students.

This is a personal opinion and in no way reflects on management....

[Daniel Bates]

Originally Posted by anorcross

The Longhorns are boring,

amen,

and the Aggies are, well, Aggies ('nuff said).