ddc_Cal said:

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"The danger is if the NFL becomes the tobacco industry of sports where there is enough of a movement against it to actually force changes. I don't know, though. We are already talking about a sport that can have gruesome injuries actually on the field for all to see. I'm not sure that guys mostly seeing effects after they have left and are out of the public eye is really going to move the needle. We are a country that believes in individual choice and as long as there are relatively poor people with no other means of earning that kind of a living, there will be people willing to participate."

I think the NFL is not at all worried about any forced changes.

What would really terrify them would be eliminating government subsidies -- building stadiums, tax subsidies, tax deductions for tickets and luxury boxes, police security, military support (flag football), etc.

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Tax deduction for tickets and luxury boxes is gone

StrawberryCanyon said:

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Northside91 said:

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bearchamp said:

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Undoubtedly some of this injury concerns. People should face the fact that football as we know it is not long for this world. Just a matter of time before some big universities abandon it for ethical reasons. I wonder why Cal is not a leader.

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Should be interesting to see how Cal manages the program after JW leaves after this season or (latest) next. I wouldn't be surprised to see the university start winding up football at that time.

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People said the same thing - in the 1890s. Spoiler alert: College football still exists.

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But College football came close to being eliminated in the early 20th century (Cal dropped it for a few years) and it survived only by making important changes.

GivemTheAxe said:

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StrawberryCanyon said:

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Northside91 said:

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bearchamp said:

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Undoubtedly some of this injury concerns. People should face the fact that football as we know it is not long for this world. Just a matter of time before some big universities abandon it for ethical reasons. I wonder why Cal is not a leader.

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Should be interesting to see how Cal manages the program after JW leaves after this season or (latest) next. I wouldn't be surprised to see the university start winding up football at that time.

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People said the same thing - in the 1890s. Spoiler alert: College football still exists.

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But College football came close to being eliminated in the early 20th century (Cal dropped it for a few years) and it survived only by making important changes.

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If football dies, how do all the other sports survive given that the cash cow is gone? Maybe soccer can become as big but football will die faster than soccer will become as popular is football once was.

fat_slice said:

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GivemTheAxe said:

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StrawberryCanyon said:

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Northside91 said:

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bearchamp said:

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Undoubtedly some of this injury concerns. People should face the fact that football as we know it is not long for this world. Just a matter of time before some big universities abandon it for ethical reasons. I wonder why Cal is not a leader.

---

Should be interesting to see how Cal manages the program after JW leaves after this season or (latest) next. I wouldn't be surprised to see the university start winding up football at that time.

---

People said the same thing - in the 1890s. Spoiler alert: College football still exists.

---

But College football came close to being eliminated in the early 20th century (Cal dropped it for a few years) and it survived only by making important changes.

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If football dies, how do all the other sports survive given that the cash cow is gone? Maybe soccer can become as big but football will die faster than soccer will become as popular is football once was.

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It may be rugby, but after decades of trying and failing to gain traction in this country, it really isn't going to be soccer. I also don't see basketball or baseball taking over at the college level, as too many games are required. You need something that can bring the faithful back to college a few times a year. Football's savior is going to have to be scientific with equipment changes that prevent blows to the head from causing CTE, not some rule changes. In that regard, the NFL was short-sided in discouraging research for some time.

wifeisafurd said:

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fat_slice said:

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GivemTheAxe said:

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StrawberryCanyon said:

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Northside91 said:

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bearchamp said:

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Undoubtedly some of this injury concerns. People should face the fact that football as we know it is not long for this world. Just a matter of time before some big universities abandon it for ethical reasons. I wonder why Cal is not a leader.

---

Should be interesting to see how Cal manages the program after JW leaves after this season or (latest) next. I wouldn't be surprised to see the university start winding up football at that time.

---

People said the same thing - in the 1890s. Spoiler alert: College football still exists.

---

But College football came close to being eliminated in the early 20th century (Cal dropped it for a few years) and it survived only by making important changes.

---

If football dies, how do all the other sports survive given that the cash cow is gone? Maybe soccer can become as big but football will die faster than soccer will become as popular is football once was.

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It may be rugby, but after decades of trying and failing to gain traction in this country, it really isn't going to be soccer. I also don't see basketball or baseball taking over at the college level, as too many games are required. You need something that can bring the faithful back to college a few times a year. Football's savior is going to have to be scientific with equipment changes that prevent blows to the head from causing CTE, not some rule changes. In that regard, the NFL was short-sided in discouraging research for some time.

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I don't think football is dying, but if it did, soccer would absolutely be the favorite to fill its void over rugby.

TomBear said:

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Cost for equipment, injuries, showboating, emphasis on size (bigger players get best consideration)....all of these are factors.

Rugby, on the other hand, is growing. Players don't need to be 300 pounds, get to play both offense and defense, cost is minimal, rugby etiquette keeps showboating and taunting at a minimum, and injuries are lessened because rugby requires proper tackling technique.

A high majority of h.s. players I've spoken to who play both football and rugby indicate they prefer rugby. Why not? You get to play both offense and defense, you don't have to deal with all those pads, and you get to play a contact sport where there is respect on both sides.

I'll continue to enjoy my college football. The color and pageantry of college football is hard to beat. College football is a spectacle. But for comradeship, sportsmanship, respect and pure athletic competition, I prefer rugby, and Cal Rugby games are a particularly great experience.

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Yep, our boys here at LB Wilson and Shore Rugby are leading the way! Move over gridiron!

https://www.presstelegram.com/2018/08/29/wilson-players-bring-love-of-rugby-and-its-lessons-to-football-field/

Rugby EASILY over soccer, for all the reasons I noted in my earlier post in this thread.

BTW, when Cal did drop football for rugby earlier in the 20th century, crowds for the rugby games were excellent. Give people more exposure to rugby, particularly if football were to cease, and it would be a natural.

But football isn't going to disappear any time soon. It will, however, continue to decline. At Cal it may get a little shot in the arm if the team does well (which I expect it to do). The oncoming victories will produce a surge in attendance because Cal fans have been starved for a winner and some will see victories as a reason to go to CMS (referring to the fair weather fans, of which there are too many). That will allow attendance to increase at least for a period.

Overall, there are few events with the pageantry, the color and tradition of college football. Rugby is a great game......in my opinion better than football. But it doesn't lend itself to halftime shows, pregame shows, and the same kind of in-stands activities for a student body that football provides. The color and pageantry of the college football event is what will save the game. Nothing else compares.