Maybe Sanford Health is promoting cage fighting because football is declining in popularity:
Participation in 11-player boys football in South Dakota fell by 5.2% over the past three years, and dropped by 16.6% over the past decade, according to data from the National Federation of State High School Associations, which has done annual participation surveys for more than 25 years.
…South Dakota had 3,756 participants in 11-player boys football in 68 schools in 2009 and only 3,133 in 66 schools last year, according to the national survey. For comparison, the state had 3,576 participants in boys basketball last year, and 697 in boys soccer [Bart Pfankuch, “Football Participation Declines in S.D. and U.S. as Brain Injury Research Expands,” South Dakota News Watch, 2019.10.02].
Yet despite the clear health risks of coaching children to smash into each other, school officials like Highmore-Harrold superintendent Quinton Cermak keep pushing football as a way to grow through suffering:
This season, half a dozen players on Cermak’s team have suffered significant injuries — one a torn knee ligament, another a broken collarbone, and three concussions.
…But those injuries, and even a concussion suffered by his son while playing junior high football in the past, have not turned Cermak off of football as a way for young people to build character, develop a team attitude and learn to work hard or “grind” in order to find success on the field and in life.
“I call it a grinder mentality, and football and all sports really help facilitate that lifelong skill,” he said. “If you’re learning how to grind as a student athlete in high school, that will benefit you in life” [Pfankuch, 2019.10.02].
Don’t mind those concussions and other injuries, kids. Just keep banging away at each other. We want our enterpainment!
I don’t suppose it ever occurred to Cermak to use the “grinder mentality” for “book learnin”.
Football as we now know it is on it’s last dime. To save it, electronics could be employed. i.e. (Each player would have a sensor or sensors on their uniform. When enough sensors surround a ball carrier (in a captive moment) that player is deemed tackled. No more concussions and broken bones is the goal and a worthwhile goal, at that.)
“Grinding” is the popular word that has filtered down from pro sports. It refers to the day after day “grind” of a long pro season and the work professional athletes put in during their off season.
It’s really too bad coaches and parents at the high school and lower levels are pushing that mentality. Children that age should be engaging in FUN!
There will always be plenty of opportunities to work through difficulties of every kind throughout life. The chances to develop self-discipline abound without adding in concussions, broken bones, torn ligaments, etc. If a child is playing a game for fun, they may get an injury, but perhaps not.
I always wonder if those parents who push their children hard to play sports are indulging their unfulfilled fantasies.
Debbo … Perhaps many, if not most, of the extremist SD conservatives are latent, overly competitive adults who didn’t play sports and are indulging their unfulfilled fantasies. Never learned sportsmanship or how to take winning and losing properly. Again, exhibit A and A1 … Lederman and Powers.
I believe it was HBO that looked at how football is declining in white, affluent families but still strong in poor and families of color. The health risks seemed to be the prime motivation for the exodus, but the ability to get out of poverty and do have a pathway to college keeps poorer and players of color in — even knowing the health risks. The point is football is becoming the modern gladiators putting life and limb at risk for the entertainment of the affluent (look at the revenues of NFL teams/owner).
O, exactly right. The rich kids are switching to squash, tennis, lacrosse*, soccer*, rowing, hockey*, baseball, etc.
*They haven’t caught on yet that these sports come with plenty of concussions too.
There’s a big sea change beginning in college sports. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed the bill allowing athletes to make $ while continuing to play their sport. The school will not be paying them, but a volleyball player can make a commercial, get paid for it, and continue to smash kills for her team.
The NCAA has cried about this, as it violates their “amateur purity” rules. Here is Gov. Newsom’s response to that:
“[School leadership] all think this is the end of Title IX, they’re saying you’re destroying the purity of amateurism,” Gov. Newsom said on The Shop. “Not once did they talk about the needs of these [students].”
is.gd/GQEdde
Brava, California! 👏👏👏👏👏
The same was said about the “purity” of the Olympics. Millions were made by everyone except the athletes. Not any more. Shaun (Flying Tomato) White makes $9million a year on endorsements.
White is pretty cool. Fabulous boarder.
Pay those athletes for the risks they take and the work they do for their institutions.
At the same time, let’s work to turn our schools’ attention away from dangerous gladiator sports to coaching everyone in lifelong recreational activities.
Where was this attack on football 20 or even 10 years ago. I look at it in the way that you will never be able to play “organized” football again in your lifetime. You can have a pickup game of hoops or kick a soccer ball around with friends, but you will never be able to put on the pads and play a game of football again (most kids). Is it dangerous, sure, but what sport isn’t? I formed some of the strongest bonds in my life on a football field. I had some injuries, but I wouldn’t have traded that experience for anything, and I hope my son plays, and if he does’t want to… so be it. I am for the advancement of lifelong physical activity, but that’s what PE is for. The “team” sport mentality is also very important, and I believe that football is one of the all time greatest sports for teaching this. I don’t know of many people that actually played football at one time or another that are advocating against it. I know I never will… just my two cents. Have a good day!
John K, ” I don’t know of many people that actually played football at one time or another that are advocating against it.”
Many football players whose brains are shriveling up are advocating against it and refusing to allow their children to play.
Hockey, soccer and lacrosse seem to have fairly high rates of concussions too, but studies of those sports aren’t as advanced as the football studies.
Damn you autocorrect! An earlier comment was supposed to say “Fabulous PORTER!” Not “boarder.” 😠😠
Ha ha … Shauny is a fabulous snow-boarder. I saw him at the bank across the street, once. Really sweet, black, Porsche Carrera.
In local news, there appears to be some youth league playing flag football in Manor Park a few blocks from my house.