Violence of the Game

[buccolts]

With the concentration, and conversation, over the past few years, regarding making the game safer, the comment that fans watch Football, Hockey & Racing to see the big hits, collisions, etc. is bandied about quite a bit.

 

Makes me wonder: Is that your attraction to Football, or any other sport?

 

Me? No, absolutely not. Actually, I find fighting to take away from Hockey, and makes it boring.

In Football, I kinda cringe when there's a hit that you'd think would have hurt the recipient.

I'm amazed when the recipient is O.K., and I sometimes wonder why someone like James Harrison doesn't get fined more than he does, when he's obviously going for the knock out blow, as opposed to the tackle.

 

Have at it....

 

 

MODS: This is my first time posting a new thread, and just noticed that it ended up in the 'Colts' section.

Could it be moved to 'NFL General'?

[TKnight24]

Uh-Oh...... guess it's time for me to come clean.

Honestly:

Hockey: Only watch the Hockey fights on YouTube. Hockey bores me

Football: I enjoy watching our offense work. So poised & classy. But, I do enjoy watching the defensive players I like (P. Willis, B. Dawkins, B. Sanders, R. Lewis, Etc.) Dish out punishing hits. But at the same time, I do hope the player on the other end gets up fine. But people gotta understand that football is just naturally a violent game. Injuries will happen regardless of how "safe" they're claiming to make it. Look at Collie, they changed his helmet & he still got injured.

But that's just my opinion on this matter

[Nadine]

What I like most, is what entertains me most

super human athletic ability and amazing plays

These guys can do things that normal people cannot

And winning close games

Adrenalin

 

Really not a fan of unnecessary violence.

 

I quite watching hockey years ago, I really hate the amped up violence in that sport.  And watching basketball players get into fist fights turns me off as well

[Qwiz]

Kill the head and the body will die!!!

No but in all seriousness, while the big hits are entertaining, you never want to see a guy get seriously injured. I'm an offensive guy so I know how it feels to receive a helmet to helmet. As for hockey and NASCAR...uh, no. I don't watch these so I can't really speak on the violence in those sports.

[Warhorse]

I watch for the incredible displays of athletic prowess. I realize that big hits are part of the game, but I deplore them when players deliver a helmet to helmet hit with intent. Even if it is delivered from my team.

 

I think blatant hits of this nature will only go away when players are removed from the game for the next two quarters of play....and that extends to the next game if necessary.

[BOTT]

I have never finished watching a great game and thought "only thing that game was missing was a massive helmet to helmet kill shot". I don't get some people's need for it.

[House]

I don't watch games for big hits. I watch games to see who wins. I love the competition, and skill.

Though if a big hit happens I will go "OOOOHHHH" but that's more of a built in reaction than anything else lol.

[BrentMc11]

First and foremost:  Good thread Buccolts.  Thank you for posting a good topic!!

 

The sports that I watch are football, basketball, baseball, NASCAR/INDY Racing, and in person hockey.

 

 I am a fan of aggressive play in all 3 phases of football.  On defense I enjoy a good solid hit, but I still look for a defender to 'wrap up.'  Tackling is a lost art form.  On offense, I like an offensive lineman to have a little bit of a mean streak.  On special teams at full speed...love the flow and as Nadine says...adrenaline.

 

Basketball:  I enjoy defense that is in your face, diving for loose balls, and I do not mind a skirmish....do not look for violence...good hard nosed play on both ends...will lead to teams being 'chippy.'

 

Baseball:  I believe in brush back pitches to keep a batter off of the plate:  That is the old catcher in me  That will once in awhile lead to a bench clearer where rarely there is a punch thrown...but it does happen.

 

Racing:  I have listened to and watched racing since I can remember, and wrecks occur all of the time.  I never have hoped for the 'big one' at Talladega or for anyone to wreck and get hurt.  Wrecks are indeed exciting to fans.  In fact the first NASCAR event ever shown on TV, the 1979 Daytona 500 had a last lap wreck and an infield brawl....so it kind of started out that way.

 

Hockey:  Hard to see the puck on TV.    I love hockey in person.  The fans are intense, and they react to the fights.  I do enjoy fights, but I like the play that leads up to the fights.  A clean hard check to the boards...at center ice...great stick handling.  It is ALL about the entire experience.  I loved our very own Bob Lamey on the radio calling Indianapolis Racer games....I wish I could find some of them on youtube...priceless!!!

 

Finally, I am not a fan of flag football, I do not like a basketball game called with 'touch fouls.' I love a pitcher to control the plate in baseball, 'if there aint rubbin...they aint racin,' and they need to check their men to the boards at the rink....WOW, I guess there is a fine line between aggression and violence......

[ÅÐØNϧ 1]

With the concentration, and conversation, over the past few years, regarding making the game safer, the comment that fans watch Football, Hockey & Racing to see the big hits, collisions, etc. is bandied about quite a bit.

 

Makes me wonder: Is that your attraction to Football, or any other sport?

 

Me? No, absolutely not. Actually, I find fighting to take away from Hockey, and makes it boring.

In Football, I kinda cringe when there's a hit that you'd think would have hurt the recipient.

I'm amazed when the recipient is O.K., and I sometimes wonder why someone like James Harrison doesn't get fined more than he does, when he's obviously going for the knock out blow, as opposed to the tackle.

 

Have at it....

 

 

MODS: This is my first time posting a new thread, and just noticed that it ended up in the 'Colts' section.

Could it be moved to 'NFL General'?

 

It the fear of a big hit that creates players with alligator arms . The game is played within the rules on most big hits , Unless we are willing to pay the same money to watch flag football the NFL will be violent . Bob Sanders - Austin Collie  understand this all to well whether dishing it out or receiving the hard hit careers are cut short . The game can change in an instant courtesy of the knock out blow / tackle , fumbles are a big part of the game . Tackling - stripping the ball however you can is the sign of a good defense . A hard hit knock out blow / tackle is the NFL -  Anything less would be the Lingerie League  IMO .

[DILLIGAFER]

What makes me love football most? It's the 'Did you just see that!!!' amazement. Cant get that feeling from any other sport than football.

[BOTT]

It the fear of a big hit that creates players with alligator arms . The game is played within the rules on most big hits , Unless we are willing to pay the same money to watch flag football the NFL will be violent . Bob Sanders - Austin Collie  understand this all to well whether dishing it out or receiving the hard hit careers are cut short . The game can change in an instant courtesy of the knock out blow / tackle , fumbles are a big part of the game . Tackling - stripping the ball however you can is the sign of a good defense . A hard hit knock out blow / tackle is the NFL -  Anything less would be the Lingerie League  IMO .

No offense, but that is ridiculous

[ÅÐØNϧ 1]

No offense, but that is ridiculous

 

In Football, I kinda cringe when there's a hit that you'd think would have hurt the recipient.

I'm amazed when the recipient is O.K., and I sometimes wonder why someone like James Harrison doesn't get fined more than he does, when he's obviously going for the knock out blow, as opposed to the tackle.

 

 

None taken .   My post is in reference to this .. I'm not sure what yours is . Hard hits I hope .

The fear of big hits make some WR's short arm catchs & big hits create game changing moments . I hate to see people get hurt playing the game but it happens . I hated seeing Collie get nailed & laid out I liked the Eraser but his body could not hold up to the punishment . Promising careers cut short .

I don't see what's ridiculous  but your entitled to your opinion . Mine is that the op is about violence which

[buccolts]

It the fear of a big hit that creates players with alligator arms . The game is played within the rules on most big hits , Unless we are willing to pay the same money to watch flag football the NFL will be violent . Bob Sanders - Austin Collie  understand this all to well whether dishing it out or receiving the hard hit careers are cut short . The game can change in an instant courtesy of the knock out blow / tackle , fumbles are a big part of the game . Tackling - stripping the ball however you can is the sign of a good defense . A hard hit knock out blow / tackle is the NFL -  Anything less would be the Lingerie League  IMO .

 

I really have no problem with the physicality of the game. I enjoy a big hit, a pancake block, etc.

My issue is with the cheap shots (for my lack of a better phrase to come up with). The hits with no other intent than to take a guy out of the game, and create a turnover. Actual tackling be darned.

 

James Harrison is my poster child. I can't think of a more ignorant being than him when it comes to this topic. That, or he thinks we're really that gullible, or coaches really do teach turnovers over tackling these days. I just can't get over seeing his hit on Massaquoi (sp?), and others then have him tell me that's how he was taught, and he'd do it again.

*sips on a coke, since TK took all the apple juice*

 

Anyway, the real issue was 'is this why we watch?', and I feel a bit uncomfortable when the media suggests that it is. That's just me though, and I was curious.

[ÅÐØNϧ 1]

I really have no problem with the physicality of the game. I enjoy a big hit, a pancake block, etc.

My issue is with the cheap shots (for my lack of a better phrase to come up with). The hits with no other intent than to take a guy out of the game, and create a turnover. Actual tackling be darned.

 

James Harrison is my poster child. I can't think of a more ignorant being than him when it comes to this topic. That, or he thinks we're really that gullible, or coaches really do teach turnovers over tackling these days. I just can't get over seeing his hit on Massaquoi (sp?), and others then have him tell me that's how he was taught, and he'd do it again.

*sips on a coke, since TK took all the apple juice*

 

Anyway, the real issue was 'is this why we watch?', and I feel a bit uncomfortable when the media suggests that it is. That's just me though, and I was curious.

 

Its not why I watch .  

I like a good hard hitting game played by folks who can tackle . If a person wants something really  violent then they should try MMA .  I really do hate to see players hurt on either team .  I'm no fan of a cheap shot artist Harrison is a good example IMO the fines are'nt enough repeat offenders should be benched for a year if not retired permanently . There dangerous .

[Mameluc]

I watch NFL because i love the tactical/mental aspect of it. and it complements with athletical ridiculous one handed catches or amazing INT or a RB exploding into a hole.

 

but mainly the mental aspect of it...i freaking love it

[amfootball]

I love the big hits as much as the athleticism and strategy of the game. I don't think you can divorce two. To suggest fans watch simply for the violence is to deny the beauty of the game. But to deny the object of the game is for one team to enforce its will upon the other is to deny the very essence of football. It is a game like no other. A complete team game that requires 11 players be in unison at the same time every play. The physicality is what makes it great and separates it from every other sport. This is why any true fan hates the new rules that alter the very nature of the sport rendering it on the same level as Arena football.

[southwest1]

Why do I watch professional football? Miraculous comebacks. I love it when underdogs shock the world & dig themselves out of a huge hole to bring the giant, invincible adversary to their knees...

 

Dark horses that defy the odds are what appeals to me the most: Kurt Warner & the AZ Cardinals in SB XLIII [True, they lost, but a great game & no one expected them to play so well in 2009], The NY Giants in 2007 [The G-Men all wore Black because it was supposed to be a SB funeral for Big Blue by all the experts], Colts during the 2006 AFC Championship Game [The wheels almost fell off, but we regrouped & got to the SB & won a Championship.]

 

A united front with tight lock room chemistry also fascinates me. You create a bubble that the outside world cannot penetrate. These men bleed with you, sweat with you, study film with you, get chewed out by coaches & coordinators with you, destroy rivals with you, & win Playoff games with you...They all sacrifice pain, rehab, time with their families, & restructured contracts to maintain the trust of their team mate standing next to them that they cannot disappoint or let down...That's why football is the best sport imaginable. 

 

Let the defense drop the hammer...The offense is too pampered & coddled these days...

[BOTT]

I love the big hits as much as the athleticism and strategy of the game. I don't think you can divorce two. To suggest fans watch simply for the violence is to deny the beauty of the game. But to deny the object of the game is for one team to enforce its will upon the other is to deny the very essence of football. It is a game like no other. A complete team game that requires 11 players be in unison at the same time every play. The physicality is what makes it great and separates it from every other sport. This is why any true fan hates the new rules that alter the very nature of the sport rendering it on the same level as Arena football.

Simply not true. Jack Lambert was not head hunting like James Harrison and it still managed to be the NFL. The game has changed over the last 25 years or so...the emphasis on helmet to helmet got out of control IMO....even Chris Mortenson has pointed this out.

[MAC]

"I will watch baseball for hour after hour, just praying that someone will get beaned and have to be carted away to the hospital. Such fun. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll witness a car accident on the way home too."

 

That's sarcasm in case you were wondering. Football is certainly a violent sport, but that's supposed to be a side effect of battling for territory, not an end in and of itself. A guy has the ball - you wrap him up and bring him down as efficiently as possible.  Gathering yourself then launching at somebodies most vulnerable parts in an attempt to inflict as much damage as possible isn't sport, it's aggravated assault. The fact that it happens is bad enough. Getting exited upon seeing it is as absurd as my example above. If you listen to this argument and say "I don't want to watch flag football", then you aren't actually listening. I have NO interest in watching flag football either.

 

My pleasure in football comes from the amazing individual athleticism, the fascinating tactical gamesmanship, and the thrilling intensity inherent in a sport where every moment of every game is vital, and the clock is ticking down. The ultimate for me would be Marvin Harrison making a mind-altering one handed TD catch to complete a brilliant Peyton Manning comeback with time expiring. Nothing in sports could be more exciting. Of course my team on defense knocking down that last second pass or sacking the QB to win the game would be close. If instead you'd find pleasure in the defense rendering both players unconscious before the ball can be released - likely ending both of their seasons, risking their careers, and increasing the chances that they spend their golden years drooling incoherently  - I'm not sure that we're actually watching the same sport.

[BrentMc11]

Simply not true. Jack Lambert was not head hunting like James Harrison and it still managed to be the NFL. The game has changed over the last 25 years or so...the emphasis on helmet to helmet got out of control IMO....even Chris Mortenson has pointed this out.

Lambert was just a fantastic linebacker.  I was watching old tape the other day.  Yes like Deacon Jones and Too Tall.....a lot of his hits would be 15 yards today.  However, the man was a tackling machine....hit and wrap...exceptional!    Love tackling!!!

[Warhorse]

"I will watch baseball for hour after hour, just praying that someone will get beaned and have to be carted away to the hospital. Such fun. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll witness a car accident on the way home too."

 

That's sarcasm in case you were wondering. Football is certainly a violent sport, but that's supposed to be a side effect of battling for territory, not an end in and of itself. A guy has the ball - you wrap him up and bring him down as efficiently as possible.  Gathering yourself then launching at somebodies most vulnerable parts in an attempt to inflict as much damage as possible isn't sport, it's aggravated assault. The fact that it happens is bad enough. Getting exited upon seeing it is as absurd as my example above. If you listen to this argument and say "I don't want to watch flag football", then you aren't actually listening. I have NO interest in watching flag football either.

 

My pleasure in football comes from the amazing individual athleticism, the fascinating tactical gamesmanship, and the thrilling intensity inherent in a sport where every moment of every game is vital, and the clock is ticking down. The ultimate for me would be Marvin Harrison making a mind-altering one handed TD catch to complete a brilliant Peyton Manning comeback with time expiring. Nothing in sports could be more exciting. Of course my team on defense knocking down that last second pass or sacking the QB to win the game would be close. If instead you'd find pleasure in the defense rendering both players unconscious before the ball can be released - likely ending both of their seasons, risking their careers, and increasing the chances that they spend their golden years drooling incoherently  - I'm not sure that we're actually watching the same sport.

Post of the year thus far...........

[Tark The Shark]

Hockey and fighting just go together. I wish I could be able to say that if Hockey banned fighting, that it would be better for the sport but that sport needs all the publicity it gets. I think that sport is ruined because everytime they get on a roll, there is another lockout.

 

I watch football for the freakish athletic plays like a WR making a one handed catch. A LB leaping over a crouched RB to get to the QB. And great 2 minute drills and games that end on the last play (i.e Jacksonville's Hail Mary or Indy's Avery catch & run)

 

I have played this sport and it is very violent and I decided to get out while I still had something resembling a healthy knee. If guys actually tackled instead of trying to hit the guy, the sport would be a lot safer. Guys are trying to hit a guy so hard because they want to knock the ball out, when in all actuality, you have a better chance of tackling and using your hand to strip the ball out instead of launching yourself at a guy.

 

I just don't understand guys that say," my job as a defender is to inflict pain on the other team." No it's not, your job is to keep the offense from scoring points. Until teams actually re-teach guys to actually tackle, it is going to keep being dangerous and guys career will keep getting shorter and shorter.

[amfootball]

Simply not true. Jack Lambert was not head hunting like James Harrison and it still managed to be the NFL. The game has changed over the last 25 years or so...the emphasis on helmet to helmet got out of control IMO....even Chris Mortenson has pointed this out.

Oh my. When I watch football from the Lambert days it seems like an alternate universe. Guys were mean, dirty and did hit vicuously. The head hunting may not have been there because the helmets were not as good but I totally disagree that today's game is on par with football of old. There were no protection rules for anybody back then either.

[amfootball]

"I will watch baseball for hour after hour, just praying that someone will get beaned and have to be carted away to the hospital. Such fun. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll witness a car accident on the way home too."

 

That's sarcasm in case you were wondering. Football is certainly a violent sport, but that's supposed to be a side effect of battling for territory, not an end in and of itself. A guy has the ball - you wrap him up and bring him down as efficiently as possible.  Gathering yourself then launching at somebodies most vulnerable parts in an attempt to inflict as much damage as possible isn't sport, it's aggravated assault. The fact that it happens is bad enough. Getting exited upon seeing it is as absurd as my example above. If you listen to this argument and say "I don't want to watch flag football", then you aren't actually listening. I have NO interest in watching flag football either.

 

My pleasure in football comes from the amazing individual athleticism, the fascinating tactical gamesmanship, and the thrilling intensity inherent in a sport where every moment of every game is vital, and the clock is ticking down. The ultimate for me would be Marvin Harrison making a mind-altering one handed TD catch to complete a brilliant Peyton Manning comeback with time expiring. Nothing in sports could be more exciting. Of course my team on defense knocking down that last second pass or sacking the QB to win the game would be close. If instead you'd find pleasure in the defense rendering both players unconscious before the ball can be released - likely ending both of their seasons, risking their careers, and increasing the chances that they spend their golden years drooling incoherently  - I'm not sure that we're actually watching the same sport.

I guess it is a matter of opinion. Pollards crushing hit on Welker was a thing of beauty to watch. He timed his hit with the ball hitting Welker's hands. I enjoy the Pollards of the world as much as the Brady's. While I don't like to see guys get hurt, the big hits can be just as exciting as the circus catches. QB sacks may be some of the most thrilling plays in a game.

[BOTT]

Oh my. When I watch football from the Lambert days it seems like an alternate universe. Guys were mean, dirty and did hit vicuously. The head hunting may not have been there because the helmets were not as good but I totally disagree that today's game is on par with football of old. There were no protection rules for anybody back then either.

Players can still hit viciously...just don't go helmet to helmet