Bob Costas on the future of football: 'This game destroys people's brains'

[DanT]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ins/842904001/

Quote from top of article:

Originally Posted by USA Today article

As far as longtime sports broadcaster Bob Costas is concerned, the future of football in the United States is clear — and bleak.

“The reality is that this game destroys people’s brains," he said Tuesday night.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion at the University of Maryland, Costas, who hosted Football Night in America on NBC for more than a decade, said the sport could collapse over time, barring a development in technology to make it reasonably safe. He said the decline of football, which was once “a cash machine,” is the most significant story in American sports.

“The cracks in the foundation are there,” Costas said. “The day-to-day issues, as serious as they may be, they may come and go. But you cannot change the nature of the game. I certainly would not let, if I had an athletically gifted 12- or 13-year-old son, I would not let him play football.”

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by TLO

I'd destroy my brain too to become an NFL caliber athlete. (So would most people, I'm guessing).

As long as the money is there they won’t have trouble filling rosters with guys that are willing to make the trade.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by TLO

I'd destroy my brain too to become an NFL caliber athlete. (So would most people, I'm guessing).

The most talented athletes in America have choices and many, for years, have chosen baseball over football.

For most of these guys, playing in the NBA is the penultimate.

Once more people deny their children the opportunity to play football, the sport will die.

It’s already happening.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

As long as the money is there they won’t have trouble filling rosters with guys that are willing to make the trade.

The money will decrease as the game declines due to the talent level.

Hell, people are already complaining about the quality of play.

Can you imagine if the league becomes like the World Football League or NFL Europe or the XFL?

The money will go away, which is why municipalities are foolish to invest $2 billion plus in stadiums.

[Jamie]

Originally Posted by hometeam

Or maybe, if we are lucky, we will return to an age of personal responsibility. That would be neat.

I'm not talking about football being outlawed by any kind of external authority. If they can detect CTE in high school, college, and mid-career NFL players it would destroy the talent base, even if the test is optional and they let players continue to play in spite of being diagnosed.

[DanT]

'Penultimate' isn't a very useful word. It means "next to the last", which has the same amount of syllables but has a much more clear meaning. It seems that a lot of folks think it means the "ultimate", as in the best or most extreme, but it actually just means "second from the last".

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penultimate

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by carcosa

Do you think more personal responsibility is going to save football somehow?

More like,

I hope that people understand that the juice is worth the squeeze. At the same time they can always work the technology etc to make the game safer, etc.

Knowing everything I know about CTE, I would still go back and play football in middle school and high school just like I did, and if we are daydreaming, I would have played in college and beyond.

I hope that there are still plenty of people out there like that.

[Chief3188]

It’s no different than boxing. Everyone knew that hits to head and concussions could cause brain damage. The extent of that damage is relatively new information. Why would this sport be in any more danger than boxing? People will know the risks and some will choose to do it for the chance of millions of dollars with the opportunity to retire in their 30’s. The amount of people who allow their children to play will definitely go down but that won’t stop young adults.

[Garcia Bronco]

Costas is a baseball douchebag and he's always resented football for overtaking baseball as America's favorite pastime.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Chief3188

The amount of people who allow their children to play will definitely go down but that won’t stop young adults.

So 18 year olds will begin playing football, for the first time, when they’re young adults?

What?

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by DanT

'Penultimate' isn't a very useful word. It means "next to the last", which has the same amount of syllables but has a much more clear meaning. It seems that a lot of folks think it means the "ultimate", as in the best or most extreme, but it actually just means "second from the last".

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penultimate

Wrong.

Penultimate has been repurposed as being the top of the chain

[Jimmya]

Speak for yourselves, football in Texas is soaring in popularity. High school coaches get paid over 100,000 and stadiums are full every Friday night!

[eDave]

He's right:

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Jimmya

Speak for yourselves, football in Texas is soaring in popularity. High school coaches get paid over 100,000 and stadiums are full every Friday night!

Yep.

It's going to take decades for the NFL to die off.

Bob Costas will be burning in hell before it folds.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Once the Cowboys are ashes, then, Jerry Jones, you have my permission to die.

[KChiefs1]

Costas hates football & always has.