IS FOOTBALL DOOMED?

IS FOOTBALL DOOMED?

A cranky opinion for

CRANKY OPINION SATURDAY

The following is the opinion of a cranky old man with limited knowledge in the subject opined.   Opposing opinions are welcome.  They are welcome but they will be ignored, and as always, please no name calling; that means you, Butthead!

Football is a rough sport.  Injuries are common.  In the past the most common problem was knee injuries.  Knee injuries ended many careers or resulted in problems down the line for ex-players.  Rule changes, better equipment and improved surgical procedures greatly reduced knee injuries.  Artificial joint surgery has lessened the problems of ex-players.  Today the big problem with football is head injuries and concussions. 

Concussions never used to be a big problem.  I played high school football.  My three sons played high school football (one has a year to go) and one son played division III in college.  Concussions were not a big issue for me or my sons.  What has changed?

First of all there were concussions, but they were just not as common, and the long term problems from a concussion were not recognized.  Players who were knocked dizzy shook off the cob webs, sniffed some smelling salts and went back in to play.  One of my sons played a full fourth quarter without remembering any of it.  Concussions were not a problem because they often did not affect players until years later and their issues were not traced back to previous football injuries.

In my opinion there are other changes in football that make concussions far more common than in the past.

First, players are bigger and faster.  Fifty years ago, I played tackle in high school.  I weighed 170 pounds.  Today the average high school tackle probably weighs 230 pounds, and they are as fast if not faster than I was at 170 pounds.

Bigger faster players cause greater head trauma.  Knockouts by boxers in the heavyweight division are common. They are relatively rare in the flyweight division.  The larger the body is, the bigger the blow, but larger bodies are not able to absorb greater force to the head.  The brain is just as vulnerable for a 300 pound player as it is for a 150 pound player. 

Second, the forward pass creates more dangerous situations.  Years ago, high school football was a 90 percent run game.  Now it is more 50 percent run, 50 percent pass.  Pass plays create more situations of players running full speed in opposite directions diving and leading with their head in an attempt to catch the ball, or knock it loose.

Larger, faster players, and more passing, equal more head trauma in football.

What is the solution?  Better headgear may just make for more fearlessness in hitting with the helmet.  Rule changes should reduce hitting with the helmet, but it will take much time for the culture to change.  Some coaches still teach tackling by driving the helmet into the runner’s chest. 

I think this concussion issue will ultimately put an end to football as we know it.  Players and their parents will be less willing to accept the risk of concussion damage, and law suits will make the game too expensive and financially risky for schools at all levels to continue the sport. 

I believe that tackle football will give way to flag football.

Flag football replaces tackling a player with grabbing a flag from his waist.  The emphasis in flag football is less on size and strength and more on speed and agility.  There are no helmets in flag football, no shoulder pads or hip pads.  The lack of protective gear actually reduces dangerous hits as players are less reckless and it makes the game safer from major injuries.  Passing, catching, running and blocking are still prominent, dangerous hits are not.

It may take a while for the culture to change, but tackle football as we know it today is ultimately doomed.  I will miss the traditional game.  I will not miss the long term debilitating injuries that are now so common.

Flag football is almost the same game, just less violent.  It is exciting, and it is much safer.

The preceding was the opinion of a cranky old man and not necessarily that of management…Mrs. Cranky.

GUITAR MAN

GUITAR MAN

Years ago, I bought a guitar and tried to learn to play.  I managed a few chords and a little bluegrass finger picking, but I only got proficient enough for my own enjoyment. I never played well enough to actually perform in front of anyone. 

I did gain an appreciation for those who can play well.

As it is too cold to play golf, and as I am retired and have plenty of time, I recently pulled out that old guitar.  I practice a half hour a day, or until my fingertips start to hurt.

I have a theory about playing a musical instrument. 

Real musicians make it look so easy, they not only pick up new songs quickly, but they also improvise to make a piece their own.  A real musician can play a piece in different keys on command.  A musician hears a piece in his head and his fingers go to the correct string and the correct fret.  There is no thinking; it is virtually automatic from hours and hours of practice.

Most people can sing a song without reading music, some better than others, and most better than I, still most people can follow a tune vocally.  Imagine how difficult singing is.  Your instrument, your voice, is far more complicated than playing a piano or a guitar.  You don’t play a note by simply striking a key, or strumming the correct string while covering a fret, you must shape your mouth and tongue in just the right way, and adjust your vocal cords simultaneously while forcing air from your lungs.  It is so incredibly intricate that it defies teaching and yet most of us can sing a tune.

OK, here is the theory…finally.

Most of us can use their voice as an instrument because from the time we are born we constantly use our voice, constantly hit different notes and constantly experiment.  By constantly experimenting with this instrument, our voice, most of us can to different degrees of expertise learn to sing, and often do it in different keys with little effort.

Musicians can do this with their instrument of choice because they put in so many hours of practice that they can eventually play with the same level of ease as most people can sing.  Their fingers learn to go to the right key as easily as others learn to shape their mouth, tongue and vocal cords.

If this theory is correct, if I practice guitar and constantly experiment with different chords and scales and note patterns, eventually the sound I hear in my head will be converted to the correct fingering and plucking required to duplicate that sound with the guitar.  In effect I can learn to play the guitar with the same ease as I can play my voice.

I have been practicing now for over a month and in fact I see great improvement.  Some pieces I can pick up and play without really thinking of what string to pluck and what fret to cover.  It is in fact starting to become somewhat automatic.

I have mastered one piece (to my own satisfaction) and parts of several others and can even improvise a bit.  At the rate I am improving I firmly believe I can reach a high level of competence simply by playing over and over and letting my fingers learn to react the same as my vocal cords react when I sing.

I know I can never reach a professional level of competence the same as I could never sing beyond my own enjoyment in a shower venue.  But if I keep practicing everyday for first a half hour, then an hour, and finally several hours a day I think I can become a pretty good guitar player…in about ten years.

Of course I will need a water-proof guitar.

When the weather warms up I might just put the guitar down and bring out the golf clubs again.  In the mean time I am having fun trying to prove my theory.

STRANGE HOMO SAPIEN BEHAVIOR

STRANGE HOMO SAPIEN BEHAVIOR

Trapped in Disney World by Disneyophile Mrs. Cranky, I look for ways to pass the day and preserve some sanity.  Sometimes, I gaze upon all the other Disney World patrons and imagine David Attenborough describing their behavior:

In most areas of the world, human behavior is rather similar, there is however a remote area in Central Florida where their behavior deviates from the rest of the world.  Many of the males of the species don unusual beanie type hats with large round ears.  It is thought that this might be part of a mating ritual as the female of the species wears a similar hat except it often includes a pink ribbon.

Most of the residents of this remote area seem to be migratory.  By the use of tags cleverly hidden in the large mating ear hats, it has been determined that most stay for no more than a week and then leave for their permanent homes all over the world.

Many of these migratory humans bring younger children with them.  The purpose of this is not known.  It is assumed to be some sort of a punishment as all these children seem tired and cranky.  They cry and demand toys and trinkets, but no matter how many things they are given they seem to be living a tortured existence.

This remote area is also assumed to have some religious significance.  There are religious symbols all across the land.  The number one idol is a four fingered giant rodent with ears much like the mating hats.  Part of the religion involves standing in lines.  There are lines everywhere that lead most often into tunnels with more religious figures.  Waiting and trying to make children stop crying takes up the majority of the day for the large rat worshipers.

It is assumed that all humans eventually must make a trek to this land to pay homage to the large four fingered rodent.  Apparently they must go at least twice, first as children and later with their own children.  The real reason behind this migration is unknown and will probably remain one of the great unknown mysteries of this most unusual creature.

And so as we discover more and more about this strange…

“Joe! Joe! Hurry, we have just five minutes to get to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride before we lose our fast pass!”

“Ok, ok I’m coming.”

 I wonder what David would have to say about chasing the fast pass?