If all football players become futbol players, will there be a reduction in concussions? Some studies suggest no.

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/soccer.html

Just to be clear, I posted this for discussion. I don't have an opinion. Certainly boxing no longer has the participation or fan base it once did, so a dramatic shift is certainly possible. On the one hand I enjoy watching the game . On the other hand, I hate seeing anyone get injured, so it's a mixed bag. If football does die, I won't replace it with following some other sport, though. Most likely I'll just stop following sports altogether.

I think this is a generational thing. For the under-35 crowd, soccer has become VERY popular. My Facebook and Twitter feeds have a lot of soccer on them. TV ratings are up. It's on ABC, ESPN, and they're adding soccer-specific channels to the lineup. It's growing.

And the MLS is an unqualified success. They are getting good attendance and support. I believe every franchise is profitable right now.

I don't think it's a generational thing as much as it's a niche thing. I, too, am under 35, and my facebook has nothing about soccer. And using the term 'VERY popular' too seems to be a bit of hyperbole. Very popular compared to what? To itself in the past? It's always been a niche sport in America that people say is growing.

Look at the MLS and television ratings, two things you highlight (though possibly separately). MLS's television contracts for all television outlets is $27 million a year. Hockey is $200 million. If the very popular label is given for MLS, what is given to the NHL? In that same article, NFL, NBA, and MLB are over $1 billion annually.

Then you look at the production. The MLS finals last year, which featured one of the flagship franchises (LA Galaxy) drew a 0.7 rating on television. Comparatively, that same weekend, the third round of golf's World Challenge drew a 1.0 rating. Even worse, despite soccer games becoming more readily available, the ratings for the finals actually went down from 2011 to 2012.

I come from a family that has football in its blood. I know football fans. I don't believe for a second that a wave of football fans will ever migrate to soccer. There is little to entice fans to the game.

The EPL gets much better ratings than the MLS in America.
 

MLS people will try to tell you they aren't comparable products. They are right. The MLS is vastly inferior. The MLS is going to grow in popularity the next couple years, but with the recent EPL TV deal I think it's very possible the EPL is the league to gain mainstream US acceptance.

I thought of this thread when I recently read an article in the American Spectator reviewing the book The War on Football. While I'm not sure where I fall on the issue, it's definitely not securely in one camp or another. Yet there's little question that the reporting recently has been one-sided and this offers a new and refreshing look. Worth the read to see how stats have been misreported and then spoken as gospel despite little basis of fact.

Part I loved the most (if you don't take the time to read the article) is that Al Williams is an example of former NFL players suing the league over its ambivalence toward concussions. Yet interestingly, Mr. Williams played just three games, all as a replacement player during the 1987 strike.

For whatever reason, this issue of "the war on" football has become an issue with a lot of conservatives. They seem to see concern about brain injuries as another imagined war against the country by "liberals and elites." This piece contains some interesting elements of the debate:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2013/08/culture-war-over-football/68464/

I like football. Hell, I have season tickets, but head injuries are real, and they're a real threat to the sport. Those who pretend otherwise are not helping the game in the long-term. Upton Sinclair's classic quote goes really nicely with the NY Times link below.

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/sports/football/nfl-pressure-said-to-prompt-espn-to-quit-film-project.html?pagewanted=all

Pastaskala has an interesting point and I would love to see some research on it. I wouldn't be surprised if it is worse in boxing, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is less severe there, either, because generally you don't fight that often and aren't getting your bell rung over and over in training. MMA - well, we'll be hearing about that in 15-20 years as these guys age, I bet.

Agree.  The increasing restrictions on blocking and tackling have the sport headed toward glorified flag football.

Twenty or so years ago when my sons were playing high school and club soccer, some top tier athletes never played a down of football.  BTW, both my sons knew I loved football - still do - but both regarded it as boring. 

Good read from WSJ

In Defense of Football
 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324085304579011072125138740.html

Boxing is regulated by sport specific commissions in every state in the US and they will and have acted to keep at-risk individuals from taking a match - at least in their own state.  Nothing of the sort exists for team sports that I am aware of outside of the leagues and conferences themselves.  Even then, I'm unaware of any systematic reviews of participant health on an on-going basis by either.

If football doesn't change itself and soon, it will be marginalized at best, much the same way that boxing and, even MMA, are now.

Anecdotal aside here, when I was at OU in the '70's, there was a boxing "team".  I don't know if it was a club or varsity sport, but I know it existed and I was nodding acquiantances with at least one member.  Anyone else run into this or know when it was abandoned (if it was)?

A few thoughts on the MLS - one, I wholly disagree that it's "minor league" or that it's an inferior product.  It's just as professional, or entertaining as the NHL, or NBA.  It just happens to be in the US, where it's not yet as relevant as those sports here.  The Premier League is superior because it has a century long head start on the MLS, and is the single most popular sports league on the planet.  Therefore it has much more money pumped into it.  The MLS isn't meant to compete with a league like that, but it is a tremendous success since it's formation in 1996.  I tend not to study TV Ratings, mainly because I just don't care about them.  I agree that they are important in the discussion of a sport's relevance in our country.  Personally, I'm more concerned with the local area relevance and popularity...i.e. how many people are wearing the team's stuff, watching them on TV, and going to the games.   Also, not all teams in the MLS are profitable.  Look no farther than Ohio's own Columbus Crew, who are clawing to gain more local importance and attendance. 




It's a niche sport in your eyes, not to a lot of people, and not to the rest of Planet Earth.  I view hockey as a niche sport.  The same for boxing or MMA, or auto racing.  To the remainder of the world other than us, there area few major sports:  Football, Cricket, Golf, Track & field, and perhaps auto racing (Formula 1).




You're right, this is a throw ball, run ball forum.  We should ignore the rest of the conversation.




It's interesting how opinions vary on this.  I'd rather watch the NFL most days.  I buy tickets for the Bobcats, and watch some college football in the process, but I do it because I really enjoy coming to Athens for a full day of fun in the fall.  I couldn't tell you about half the players in the MAC, but I can name whole rosters of NFL players.  (Conversely, I could tell you about most players in the MAC when it comes to hoops.)  I think the trend in American football is troubling.  The idea that you can't truly hit someone is taking away from the game to some degree, and it will continue to get worse.