All things sporting

chris63 wrote:

Ah yes, the Fifth Element. Should have won an award for Best Use of Milla Jovovich. Ever.

Best use of string too, for her costume.

Messi spits on Ronaldo. lol

An example of true sportsmanship:

http://elpais.com/elpais/2012/12/19/inenglish/1355928581_856388.html

This why there should always be a ribbon across the finish line- so they know where it is!

My Niners vs your Ravens! Couldn't be a better Super Bowl!

After last year's disappointing Conference Championships I am very pleased with how this weekend turned out. Best of luck to you and the 49ers in the Super Bowl, Lorient!

For those who don't know, the head coaches of the Ravens and the 49ers are brothers. They're the first pair of brothers to both become head coaches in the NFL. Their last name is Harbaugh, so Harbowl = Harbaugh Bowl.

this I would watch

Is that the padded American version of football?

Watched it last night. Ball boy gets kicked by player.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/chelsea-eden-hazard-in-strife-after-kicking-ballboy-charlie-morgan-in-league-cup-semi-against-swansea/story-e6frf423-1226560767890#.UQClzqXPb8t

Pettytyrant101 wrote:Is that the padded American version of football?

Funny you should mention that because (mood whiplash warning) I was just reading an interesting article about the attempts to make American football safer and the cultural obstacles to that. I thought it might interest others here so I thought I'd post it.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/13/3179926/dan-le-batard-jason-taylors-pain.html

Context: the guy mentioned in the first paragraph (Junior Seau) was one of my favorite football players and childhood heroes. He committed suicide last year by shooting himself in the chest, one of several players to do that recently since it leaves the brain intact for study. Several of these former players were found to have sustained serious brain damage as a result of playing football that is believed to have contributed to their suicides.

I wonder why there seems to be more injuries than in rugby say?
Could it be that the padding ect gives a false sense of security and they take risks they otherwise would not?

I suspect that is part of the problem. The league has been trying to crack down on helmet-to-helmet collisions, but they still happen on a regular basis. Just last week in the AFC Championship Game a player got knocked unconscious as a result of such a play. On the other hand, the reason they introduced helmets in the first place was because people were dying playing the game on a disturbingly regular basis (this was back in the early 1900s).

Video (sorry for the guys talking over it, but it's the only version still on YouTube):



GIF version:

Spoiler:

Not surprised, some of those guys are big units.

american footbal is a mystery to me.. i mean, it's.. like. omg. brain damage and ..

petty, i think you're on to something that padding gives a false sense of security, if you don't have it, you'll know you'll breake arms and stuff, you know the boundaries.

I think there's something to the security idea, but don't forget that the tackles are averaging 300 to 350 lbs (135 to 160 kilos) while the quarterbacks and running backs who are getting hit weigh about 2/3 that weight. A sense of security doesn't really enter into it. It would just be #$%@ing insane to go out there without protection, yet people used to, and there were frequently deaths. The game is designed around explosive amounts of force for short periods of time. The protective equipment has saved a lot of lives.

Auto racing used to be a murderous sport, and it's still pretty dangerous although many drivers now survive multiple crashes that would have been fatal in the past.

Would it be fair to blame the seatbelts and roll cages for creating a false sense of security?
Possibly to some extent, but you also have to give them credit for the lives they've saved.

Yes but other full contact sports like rugby don't seem to have the same problem, which is odd as they have little more than shinguards, a mouth protector and a bollocks guard.

This is a very interesting discussion. I have heard of the false sense of security quite often, and I believe that really plays a part. I also think that many of the players are injured even worse because they attempt to play through injury, either out of fear of losing their position, or to just seem like some sort of hero for doing something so incredibly stupid. The league hasn't helped the case because many players have lost their position due to injury, one of the most recent ones being my profile pic Alex Smith. He was performing at a very high level but incidentally received a concussion and treated it the way injuries are supposed to be treated: seriously. He ended up losing his starting spot when the backup came in and played well. As a result, it has confirmed to many players that they need to hide or play through injury, otherwise they could be benched.

You raise a good point, Lorient. I was really disappointed a few weeks ago when the Redskins sent Robert Griffin III (their rookie quarterback) back into a game with a really obvious knee injury. He ended up getting pulled eventually, but only because he was literally unable to play anymore. I understand that both players and coaches often want to return but that's why there should be impartial doctors on the sidelines to make that call. But even if that's the case, if coaches can overrule the doctors, then you get situations where concussed or otherwise injured players are sent back out.

That was a really stupid move on both the part of Griffin and their coach. They are all lucky his injury didn't end up as something much more serious. Luckily they have passed the rule where concussed players cannot reenter a game and ca t play again until approved by a neutral specialist. This does not stop players from lying about their symptoms though.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnmndyy

Cmmmmmmmmmmmn aaaaaandy

He's still ahead but looking a bit wobbly at the mo- come on Andy get yer crabbit back on!