NFL to eliminate kickoffs? — Page 2

georgec said:

...it all just seems so...inconsequential.

When I hear people arguing about sports, what this guy said, what that guy said, etc., it just seems like such a waste of time. I think the culture of sports is extremely bloated. Watching a bit of a game here and there is fun, but anything beyond that doesn't interest me now.

Rant over.

Yay! Guys like me and the Gaffertape are generally made to feel like aliens our entire lives because we don't get into sports. It is kind of refreshing to see someone who was once into sports "get it" and start to see things the way we have always seen them. It just feels like a bunch of inconsequential crap used to sell lots of stuff.

One thing I honestly dread about meeting new people is that I know the sports question is always going to come up.

"What's your name?"

"C3PX"

"Cool. Who's your team?"

"Uhh, never really got much into sports, to be honest"

*Baffled look* *Alert stance* *Cautious tone of voice as if speaking to someone who is clearly a lunatic who could snap and kill you at any moment* "Really?! How come?" (seriously, this question almost always happens. Nobody can hear someone say they are not into sports and just leave it at that, they have to figure out what the hell is wrong with you by pressing the issue and trying to get to the bottom of things. I am not even kidding or exaggerating in the least.)

I've gotten to the point where I almost feel guilty when I say I am not into sports. Like I am being rude or difficult. Especially where I live now where people, sadly, have very little else they want to talk about. I feel like I am pushing people away, or telling them that their go to bridge for arbitrarily relating to strangers is, in my case, nothing more than a sheer drop into a gaping ravine. My dad, who has always for the most part felt the same way about sports as me, fakes it. He'll read the local college team's scores online along with any important highlights from the last big game so he can use it to make small talk with people and built rapport. Feels somewhat disingenuous to me, but I can see why he does it. Commercialized sports have become such a deep, embedded part of our culture, and when you don't embrace that aspect of our culture, it can be very hard to find common ground with those around you.

Warbler said:

well georgec, you are free to not post in this thread, if you think sports is "so...inconsequential".  

Haha. Didn't see this post before I posted mine. Case in point.

To get back on topic:

Sarcastaball! The future of American televised sports!

Warb is right.

More attention needs to be placed on making the equipment better than changing the rules.

I think those balls negate the need for other clothing altogether.

Nudey globeball anyone?

georgec said:

One of the problems is too much equipment. The more protective helmets have become, the more frequently we've seen hard, helmet to helmet hits.

Agreed. You take a man, dress him like a tank, he will act like a tank. 

I say make the game more interesting. Give one player in ten a breakaway helmet, but don't tell them or the fans which it is. Hilarity and excitement ensue. 

TheBoost said:

It's all rubbish.

When I watch football I want to see oversized genetic bohemoths good tough hard hitting/block/tackling football. There is no other reason it's on.

fixed.   

CP3S said:

Warbler said:

well georgec, you are free to not post in this thread, if you think sports is "so...inconsequential".  

Haha. Didn't see this post before I posted mine. Case in point.

The same goes for you.  If you don't like football, don't post in this thread.   I have no problem with people that don't like sports.   I don't understand why they don't like sports, but I have no problem with them.   My problem is that every time the subject of sports comes up,  you and the other anti sports people in the forum feel the need to come in a pooh pooh it.  If you don't like sports, just stay away from discussions about sports.   I am sick and tired of being made to feel guilty about liking sports.   

*sigh*  see, I knew as soon as I created this thread that instead of it being about whether  or not the NFL should eliminate the kickoff, it was going to turn into another pro vs. anti sports discussion.  If you don't like sports, why can't you just stay out of the discussion. 

I don't like sports and if you don't want to hear me say that then don't take me off ignore.

It might help if we had a NFL thread.

That way the NFL fans will have an ongoing narrative about current NFL news and tournaments etc.

People who want to make the sort of comment I made at the top of this post will do it once or twice in a while and it won't be that big a deal.

There is nothing wrong with posting zillions of threads about various aspects of one sport or another (I forget how many Doctor Who threads are out there now and that's not everyone's cup of tea).

But putting my practical head on for a moment , the threads that last are more general. 

Politics. Music, Books, Food, Religion, Pictures of Dogs in Hats.

People who are into sports tend to be into talking about them so I could imagine a general NFL or even or a general Sport Thread doing much better than a sport thread ending in some variant of the word "offs" of which we have more than one.

yep,  it starts the game,  it starts the 2nd half,  it starts overtime,  also it is done after touchdowns, fieldgoals,  and safeties. 

Warbler said:

yep,  it starts the game,  it starts the 2nd half,  it starts overtime,  also it is done after touchdowns, fieldgoals,  and safeties. 

Clarification: after a safety, the kicking team can choose to either kick off or punt.

Mrebo said:

Warbler said:

yep,  it starts the game,  it starts the 2nd half,  it starts overtime,  also it is done after touchdowns, fieldgoals,  and safeties. 

What's so dangerous about it?

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8390839/tampa-bay-bucs-coach-greg-schiano-advocates-eliminating-kickoff-espn-magazine

a safety.

Mrebo said:

TV's Frink said:

Warbler said:

yep,  it starts the game,  it starts the 2nd half,  it starts overtime,  also it is done after touchdowns, fieldgoals,  and safeties. 

Clarification: after a safety, the kicking team can choose to either kick off or punt.

You lost me at safety.

I read a proposal once to do away with helmets, perhaps that would work better to encourage people to be more careful.

That's insanity.  Head injuries will happen (ir)regardless, and they'll be much worse without helmets.

The real problem is defensive players leading with their head.  Defenders like to launch themselves like missiles instead of using good tackling techniques.

Having said that, this is just a ridiculous transparent attempt at heading (yuck yuck yuck) off lawsuits.

Mrebo said:

Warbler said:

yep,  it starts the game,  it starts the 2nd half,  it starts overtime,  also it is done after touchdowns, fieldgoals,  and safeties. 

What's so dangerous about it?

the kickoff can involve players colliding with each other at very high speeds.  

timdiggerm said:

From the other perspective though, someone who's just met is hoping to make small talk (an important part of any social interaction, especially when you've just met) and picks what, statistically speaking, has been a very dependable small talk topic. Uh....shoot, now what to talk about? Plus, if you don't know many people who aren't into sports, it would seem strange.

I know, didn't I say as much in my post?

You probably exaggerate when you say that they immediately suspect you of being ready to murder, and exaggeration never helped anybody come to a peaceful understanding of one another.

And, if it matters, I'm saying all this as a person who doesn't follow sports.

Of course it is a bit of an exaggeration, but nobody is having any trouble coming to a peaceful understanding. There is almost always a look of minor shock, followed by bewildered questions of "why" and "how".

Warb is a good example of the sort of reactions you get, actually. He seems quite pissed off at me and georgec right now, telling us to leave an all. What other thread in off topic stays on topic? For the most part it is only the sports thread where hissies are thrown in the event someone meanders onto some other subject.

I do find this whole thing interesting though.

Kickoffs are where the largest number of head injuries occur. The largest percentage of concussions. In several cases, these concussions have lead to permanent loss of cognitive function. Even early onset of Alzheimer's, which is kind of a big deal. You have a lot of irreversible brain trauma happening to these players. 

So, a proposal comes to alter this one aspect of the game, which statistically speaking, ought to dramatically reduce the number of head injuries sustained, and best I can tell, wouldn't really effect the over all experience so much. You'd still have two teams of ridiculously large American guys throwing and carrying a non-ball around while wearing excessive armor, just the way in which they initially get the ball into play would be a little different. Am I right? Or would this truly alter the game to such a degree many fans would no longer find it enjoyable?

A google search on the subject seems to indicate that it is the consensus of the general population of the internets that by removing the kickoff it will ruin the game and castrate a once great and manly sport. So many people seemingly up in arms about this suggestion. Really? Wouldn't it completely be worth this small change in order to prevent the players you love to watch, cheer for, and admire so much from suffering permanent quality of life ruining injuries? The whole cry for blood and fast unwillingness to even consider such a change feels almost gladiatorial in a way.