Yzerman&Bowman favor fighting crack down

[profpolisci]

"Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman is among a group of NHL GMs and executives who believe the time has come for the league and Players' Association to take a more aggressive path towards eliminating fighting."

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/darren_dreger/?id=433262" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Glad to see this

[pittsoccer33]

As I said earlier today

They want to stop head injuries but they allow bare knuckle punches to be thrown. Thats so hypocritical its kind of unbelievable.

Eventually the lawyers and insurance will catch up with hockey, football, and the combat sports. The NFL has the biggest financial target so it will start there. But they will all become uninsurable or the insurance will be so costly you will see non professional programs fall apart.

[profpolisci]

Eventually the lawyers and insurance will catch up with hockey, football, and the combat sports.

I see it starting with the parent's. Where I live, midget football program enrollments have been trending downward while soccer is soaring.

A slightly relevant anecdote: there are no hockey teams here, nor much interest in the game, but it's surprising the number of area parent's who are well familiar with the circumstance of Derek Boogaard.

[Rylan]

Best part about soccer is that people assume its safer when its dangerous in different ways. Makes me laugh.

[offsides]

Best part about soccer is that people assume its safer when its dangerous in different ways. Makes me laugh.

Being someone who has never played and knows almost nothing about it, what are the main dangers of soccer?

[columbia]

I like fighting, but this is the inevitable outcome.

[Rylan]

Best part about soccer is that people assume its safer when its dangerous in different ways. Makes me laugh.

Being someone who has never played and knows almost nothing about it, what are the main dangers of soccer?

Lower body injuries are high (knee and ankle especially. Can't name one person I played with that didn't have at least 1 significant injury to either). But, head injuries are also high when competing for aerial balls. Plus, rumor has it that repeatedly heading soccer balls is not very good for the brain either. But, soccer is far more physical than its perceived and parents' that want their kids to play soccer because its "safer" is rather comical.

[MRandall25]

Yeah, I have a friend who plays soccer for W&J, and I'm pretty sure he's had 2 or 3 concussions this season alone.

[offsides]

Yeah, I have a friend who plays soccer for W&J, and I'm pretty sure he's had 2 or 3 concussions this season alone.

I didn't know. This is a serious question but could helmets (soft or hard) help this issue, or do concussions just have to be tolerated?

[mikey287]

High speed things tend to be dangerous. That's why the good ones get paid the big bucks...it's risk pay.

Not that it needs any further backing, but count me in as someone that knows multiple people with pretty grotesque soccer injuries (one is concussed)...

Ban sports?

[Idoit40fans]

Yeah, I have a friend who plays soccer for W&J, and I'm pretty sure he's had 2 or 3 concussions this season alone.

I didn't know. This is a serious question but could helmets (soft or hard) help this issue, or do concussions just have to be tolerated?

Concussions could be avoided in all sports if movement was also eliminated. Until you dont hVe people and objects moving at high speeds in different directions, you arent even going to decrease them slightly.

[offsides]

High speed things tend to be dangerous. That's why the good ones get paid the big bucks...it's risk pay.

Not that it needs any further backing, but count me in as someone that knows multiple people with pretty grotesque soccer injuries (one is concussed)...

Ban sports?

I understand the risk pay thing, but will other professional sports go through the NFL type lawsuits? Also, the vast majority of high school and college athletes will never get the big pay but may be seriously injured. Banning physical sports is out of the question so I guess as long as athletes are completely informed of the dangers, concussions and other injuries will just be part of the equation. Guess there are no good answers that will satisfy most players and fans.

[shmenguin]

decades of clean hits in hockey, headers in soccer, blocking by linemen...these are the leaders in brain damage. not fights. if you want to eliminate brain trauma, you eliminate sports - not a niche part of sports.

[pittsoccer33]

Concussions could be avoided in all sports if movement was also eliminated. Until you dont hVe people and objects moving at high speeds in different directions, you arent even going to decrease them slightly.

Eliminating punches to the head is a pretty good start. This is what they do to the brain:



The one on the left is the healthy one. The one on the right has suffered repeated blows over time.

This isn't about soreness walking later in life. Its about forgetting where you're walking to and why.

[offsides]

decades of clean hits in hockey, headers in soccer, blocking by linemen...these are the leaders in brain damage. not fights. if you want to eliminate brain trauma, you eliminate sports - not a niche part of sports.

Isn't the NFL eliminating parts of their sport such as running backs not being allowed to lead with their helmets outside the tackle box and no one allowed to go near a receivers head?

[shmenguin]

decades of clean hits in hockey, headers in soccer, blocking by linemen...these are the leaders in brain damage. not fights. if you want to eliminate brain trauma, you eliminate sports - not a niche part of sports.

Isn't the NFL eliminating parts of their sport such as running backs not being allowed to lead with their helmets outside the tackle box and no one allowed to go near a receivers head?

Research has shown that repeated, low impact contact to the head is more dangerous than sporadic big hits. Linemen suffer a great deal.

[offsides]

decades of clean hits in hockey, headers in soccer, blocking by linemen...these are the leaders in brain damage. not fights. if you want to eliminate brain trauma, you eliminate sports - not a niche part of sports.

Isn't the NFL eliminating parts of their sport such as running backs not being allowed to lead with their helmets outside the tackle box and no one allowed to go near a receivers head?

Research has shown that repeated, low impact contact to the head is more dangerous than sporadic big hits. Linemen suffer a great deal.

Linemen are still the ones taking all the head trauma while big hits are being taken out of the game. I agree and sure don't have any answer for the linemen.

[IMFC]

Best part about soccer is that people assume its safer when its dangerous in different ways. Makes me laugh.

Being someone who has never played and knows almost nothing about it, what are the main dangers of soccer?

Lower body injuries are high (knee and ankle especially. Can't name one person I played with that didn't have at least 1 significant injury to either). But, head injuries are also high when competing for aerial balls. Plus, rumor has it that repeatedly heading soccer balls is not very good for the brain either. But, soccer is far more physical than its perceived and parents' that want their kids to play soccer because its "safer" is rather comical.

It's true: around 1 in a hundred times when one of them hits the turf as if they were shot, writhing in total agony, they are indeed actually hurt.

[Rylan]

Best part about soccer is that people assume its safer when its dangerous in different ways. Makes me laugh.

Being someone who has never played and knows almost nothing about it, what are the main dangers of soccer?

Lower body injuries are high (knee and ankle especially. Can't name one person I played with that didn't have at least 1 significant injury to either). But, head injuries are also high when competing for aerial balls. Plus, rumor has it that repeatedly heading soccer balls is not very good for the brain either. But, soccer is far more physical than its perceived and parents' that want their kids to play soccer because its "safer" is rather comical.

It's true: around 1 in a hundred times when one of them hits the turf as if they were shot, writhing in total agony, they are indeed actually hurt.

And that is exactly why people misinterpret the dangers of soccer.

As for the helmets, they won't happen because they are stigmatized by players and from what I was told by a teammate that he found it uncomfortable to play wearing it. (It was a scrum cap, which is what is usually used)

[Gaucho]

Helmets in soccer would mean eliminating headers, thus completely altering the sport. Not gonna happen.

I guess the opionions are split on whether eliminating fighting would completely alter hockey.

[GSdrums87]

Eliminating fighting isn't going to help reduce the things that lead to most injuries. Stupid.

[Gaucho]

Not much anyway.

[Idoit40fans]

It would probably reduce bruised and cut hands and cheek bones.

[GSdrums87]

Yeah, this boohooing over fighting is lame.

[Gaucho]

I think staged fights are lame and I wouldn't enjoy hockey any less if fighting were abolished, but I can't say I really mind it either. It's just one aspect of hockey that other people enjoy more than I do. So overall I'm undecided on the issue, because I don't care enough.