Contact sports and risk

We should accept the risk inherent in contact sports

  • Professional athletes are now fully educated on the risks, and make an informed choice to continue;

    Votes: 6 60.0%
  • Yes, but remove unsafe elements of sport not just for children but at the elite level as well;

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Despite rule changes, improved technology and ‘smarter’ coaching, sports like NRL can never be safe;

    Votes: 4 40.0%
  • We might have to acknowledge the only way to play smarter football is to not play it at all.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Concerns over player safety should not destroy the game as a result.

    Votes: 1 10.0%
  • Change the aim of sports from winning to enjoyment at both the amateur and professional levels

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Contact sports teach things more valuable than player safety.

    Votes: 1 10.0%

  • Total voters
    10

Tiger_heart

Well-known member
Do we tear out the ‘soul of the game’ in the name of safety? Do these sports pose such a considerable danger that the only option is not to play at all? Or do we allow those athletes who choose to embark on these careers to take risks, and if we ‘don’t like it, stop watching’? Should we put safety first, or is there something more valuable to be learnt at the heart of contact sports?

(Original source here, for anyone interested: https://debatingmatters.com/topic/we-should-accept-the-risk-inherent-in-contact-sports/ )
 
It’s all just a morality play unless kids from the age of 16 are signing waivers that absolves the governing body from taking any responsibility. I watched a clip the other day of an A Current Affair story on Mark Carroll who is showing signs of CTE.


It’s why the game is so heavily watered down these days. The NRL are doing everything they can to reduce the amount of heavy contact. Especially from set starts like kick offs and drop outs that require players getting up a full head of steam and running into brick walls. They’re now talking about removing kick offs or just giving sides incentives for going short. Not to mention how strict they are on head contact. Imo the game sucks these days. It’s not the game I watched growing up, and hasn’t been for about 10 years. But at the same time I can understand why. They don’t want to be raked over the coals in 20-30 years by ex players who are suffering CTE. The NFL already experienced that.


In short, in this day and age, with everything we know about head trauma, the old days of players toughing it out are gone. Not too long I watched the 2002 Prelim between the Roosters and Broncos (a game I attended interestingly enough), and in the very first tackle of the game, Roosters hooker Simon Bonetti go KO’d. In today’s game, it would be a Cat 1, 10 day mandatory stand down. Back then, although he never came back on, for about 20 mins the commentators were speculating on him returning and showing him sitting on the bench. I’ve often mentioned how there is a big difference between racism and drugs these days, compared to 20 years ago. Back then, racism wasn’t a big deal, yet they would throw the book at you for drugs. See Bryan Fletcher and Craig Field and Kevin McGuiness as examples. These days it’s the reverse. They will throw the book at you for racism, and turn the other way with drugs. But it’s also the way head injuries are now viewed. It’s almost like they didn’t give a shit back then. And not just the NRL, society in general. There wasn’t the awareness of just how fatal the long term affects were. But now there is and they don’t want to be sued out of the arse. Hence why the game is frustrating to watch these days. We live in a far different world in 2024 compared to 2004.
 
Nothing is stopping these guys from getting regular jobs like the rest of us if they have fear over their health & safety. It’s good to try & reduce head knocks but it’s always going to be apart of a brutal contact sport, the money or love of the game makes these guys think it’s worth it.

The NRL also has no reward for classic legs tackles which means we see the wrestle which results in multiple head clashes a week, this needs to change in my opinion
 
I think we have to look at it as a risk you are either willing or unwilling to take.

The proviso would be that the rules don't allow reckless behaviour. The rules, as they are, go a long way to preventing reckless behaviour, but you can't stop those that break the rules. Right there is the risk a player must accept if they are to accept the paycheck.

Just like any dangerous job, they are paid danger money and they can't expect to get the fat salaries if they want it all risk free.
 
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