The Virtual Terrace • Re: Ban on tackling
bren2k wrote:
That's a lovely stereotypical rough and tumble attitude - but so long as this kind of academic evidence piles up, the possibility of clubs and/or the governing body of either code being sued out of existence by injured players (or parents of injured kids) becomes more likely. Didn't the NFL settle a class action lawsuit from former players a few years ago, to the tune of about $700 million?
It's not very sensible to dismiss these things based on a perception that it's health and safety gorn maaad.
May well be a rough and tumble attitude. And yes there is academic evidence to suggest contact sport can be harmful, it annoys me that these academics come out and say it needs banning. Probably a lot of them undertaking the study have never played contact sport. On the other hand to 'academic evidence' I fell out of a moving taxi going at roughly 30-35mph in Leeds last year. If it hadn't been for all my rugby training and learning to land/roll during contact and constantly conditioning my body for contact then it is safe to say I may well not be here now. So contact within Rugby probably saved my life.
Boxing is probably the worst sport in terms of injuries. And yet there is no outcry to ban boxing or wear helmets? And yes the NFL were rightly sued, they sent players back on the field knowing they had suffered concussions. This was pre-head testing. Now we have a system where a doctor has the final say, not a coach or a player but a professional who determines whether or not it is safe to re-enter the field or miss the rest of the game. Also in America they have to pay for their own healthcare, here it's a lot different. There is no upfront cost or paying thousands for a procedure.
We unfortunately now live in a suing culture. Where everyone is looking to sue someone for every little thing. For me if you want to play contact sport it should be written in the contract that you play knowing the risks, and you are only eligible to sue if there is negligence from the team (like the NFL case) or a player breaks the law and performs a banned tackle which results in serious injury. If people are afraid of getting hurt. Don't play.
Statistics: Posted by Bulls Boy 2011 — Wed Sep 27, 2017 8:32 pm