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as more American children are diverted from the dangers of youth football, the vacuum will be filled in with athletes from Germany and East European nations that are developing players right now. Some guy named Dieter will be along any minute to shatter all of Peyton Manning's passing records.
it's all in the Euro games expansion and Goodell's master plan.
NFL players of the future are probably more likely to come from countries south of our border rather than across the pond I think. More impoverished countries than Europe.
JJ, Agreed the NFL isn't gonna die.. I believe it's in some decline, but not due to concussion issues..
That said, it's indisputable that the rank & file of the NFL is predominately Black. But, currently I'd submit, the best QBs are White (all 4 left in the conference championships are White..), the best young coach McVay, best established coach Belichick, arguably the most dominant defensive player (JJ Watt), there are more Caucasian receivers (than I can remember in the last 25 years ?), White American place-kickers have displaced a lot of the foreign soccer players who rose in the 8os.. Young guns in Wentz and Goff, etc..I think the signs are that White players & coaches are thriving in the league, not fading.. And guys just up, & coming up like Christian McCaffrey & Mayfield are from the concussion-aware generation.
What say other City Datites ?
I was not suggesting that whites in the NFL were going to disappear, I was saying that the disparity between blacks and whites will continue to grow. Black representation in the NFL went from 67 percent to 70 percent over 4 years. The OP's link references middle class. Most blacks in the NFL do not come from middle class households.
I do have to disagree when you say CTE has little to do with any decline, and the latest report recently released won't help much.
Which is ridiculous because playing soccer can lead to CTE, as well.
That's like saying you shouldn't choose to wear a seat belt over not wearing a seat belt because riding in a car while wearing a seat belt can result in death, just like riding in a car while not wearing a seat belt. Of course, what that misses is that riding in a car and wearing a seat belt results in fewer fatalities - just like playing soccer has a lower incidence of CTE than football.
People rarely choose things based on 100% certainties. But they very often make choices based on better odds.
disparity between blacks and whites will continue to grow. Black representation in the NFL went from 67 percent to 70 percent over 4 years..
JJ, hi again. The percentage of racial representation (in the NFL) always fluctuates a little. But the % of Whites in America is shrinking, so I think that should also be factored into analyzing any (potential) shrinking of Caucasians in the NFL.
But to re-iterate my theory, the constant drumbeat of concussion dangers is not currently/ultimately diminishing the Caucasian talent pool. (Again my subjective take).. the best QB (Brady) is a White, middle class product, JJ Watt (best defensive player in the league), White middle class product, the dominance of White, middle class raised place-kickers.. Arguably the best tight-end (Gronk)..
I believe the concussion narrative is primarily aimed at, & received by middle & upper class parents.. but there are plenty of determined dudes who have, & will, make it, in spite of the known risks.
And I think the racial disparity in the NFL is not meritocratic.. I believe there is institutional racism against White prospects in college & pro football (& I believe Whites are more readily diagnosed & sidelined w/concussions than non-White players). Underestimating White skill players, etc. I look at a guy like Thielen, who is helping lead Minnesota into the NFC championship & he was undrafted, McCaffrey broke Sanders' epic yardage record & didn't win the Heisman, etc.
I get that it sounds conspiratorial, but I could list hundreds of examples, but don't wanna extra-long post. Peace
JJ, hi again. The percentage of racial representation (in the NFL) always fluctuates a little. But the % of Whites in America is shrinking, so I think that should also be factored into analyzing any (potential) shrinking of Caucasians in the NFL.
But to re-iterate my theory, the constant drumbeat of concussion dangers is not currently/ultimately diminishing the Caucasian talent pool. (Again my subjective take).. the best QB (Brady) is a White, middle class product, JJ Watt (best defensive player in the league), White middle class product, the dominance of White, middle class raised place-kickers.. Arguably the best tight-end (Gronk)..
The thing is the concussion issue did not get blown up to what it is now until just a few years ago. Brady is a bad example (as are the other twp players mentioned) because he played youth and high school football in the early 90's. Parents today in 2018 are raising the NFL players of tomorrow. That pool of players at the youth and high school level is shrinking without question.
Any effect of the reduced player pool should not be felt in the NFL for at least another couple of years. Figure most current Freshman players in college were already playing at the Freshman or Sophomore level in high by the time CTE became a hot topic. It's unlikely a substantial number of players stopped playing at that time.
That's like saying you shouldn't choose to wear a seat belt over not wearing a seat belt because riding in a car while wearing a seat belt can result in death, just like riding in a car while not wearing a seat belt. Of course, what that misses is that riding in a car and wearing a seat belt results in fewer fatalities - just like playing soccer has a lower incidence of CTE than football.
People rarely choose things based on 100% certainties. But they very often make choices based on better odds.
That's not even remotely comparable Are you forgetting about soccer players heading the ball? That leads to CTE. Saying soccer has a lower incidence is not necessarily true. The science of CTE is in its infancy. It's almost always diagnosed post mortem. It is receiving a lot of attention for its prevalence among football players now. In the future, I think more attention will turn to soccer.
This has been argued on here before. The NFL is not going away in mine or your lifetime. It just simply isn't. It's much and too big and makes too much money to ever fail or cease to exist no matter what medical scare might be present. And the fact is, for kids, especially high school kids, the glamour of being an NFL star outshines any risk, and I seriously doubt you'd see enough parents saying no to their kids playing football to make a huge dent in the "supply chain" for the NFL. By the time that DID ever happen, the NFL would have a plan in place to promote football to kids outside of schools.
Despite whatever ratings dip it had this year, the NFL is still the king in pro sports and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
"Too big to fail"
Where have we head THAT before?
Ma Bell, Sears (used to be the biggest retailer in the country) Pontiac, Oldsmobile, DeSota, Imperial, Xerox, Armour, etc.
"The first-ever Fortune 500 was published in 1955. 60 years later we look back at where the companies from the head of the class—Fortune 500 companies 1-10, with revenues ranging from $1.7-$9.8 billion—are now. Some no longer exist, some exist by another name and/or as shadows of their former corporate selves, and some still stand today as the biggest names in corporate America."
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