Is College Football Going To Get Banned?

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A murder suicide in a NFL practice facility lot of an NFL player in front of the GM and HC 29 hours before kickoff wasn't even enough to postpone a game. What makes you think it will topple the one of the greatest sports leagues.

[BallBoy]

Boxing was as ingrained before the 1950s.

When the public start viewing the sport as watching the athletes ruining their lives rather than playing a game, the public gets turned off and its popularity suffers.

This happened with boxing and it has not recovered.  Auto racing had this problem but safety enchancements allowed it to rebound.

Have to disagree.  Boxing lost popularity with pay per view events which paired a heavy weight champion versus a completely unqualified opponent aka a boring product.  What channels put on much boxing anymore HBO and Showtime which are pay channels.  Who is going to pay for a boring product.  Boxing does well outside of the heavy weight division with Mayweather, pacquio, and others when the bout pairs equally matched opponents.

UFC does well because it has brand name fighters who battle every several months.  They also have "free" product on channels like Spike to get people interested. 

Injuries won't kill football as it hasn't killed any other sport.  MLB lost its place not because of injuries but it put forth a boring product.  As long as football puts forth a quality product they will remain on top. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Have to disagree.  Boxing lost popularity with pay per view events which paired a heavy weight champion versus a completely unqualified opponent aka a boring product.  What channels put on much boxing anymore HBO and Showtime which are pay channels.  Who is going to pay for a boring product.  Boxing does well outside of the heavy weight division with Mayweather, pacquio, and others when the bout pairs equally matched opponents.

Absolutely agree.  My group is responsible for boxing revenue (among other things) for our company.  PPV was the absolute killer for the sport..absolute killer.  We had a meeting recently with Larry Holmes (former champion), Dana White (UFC), Tony Parker (HBO boxing), and others.  Unanimously it is the same story, PPV killed boxing.  It made many people rich, but it killed the excitement for the sport.  The fights used to be on Wide World of Sports on Saturday afternoons where the average blue collar guy could see the sport.  Now it is very expensive, it has also meant the dilution of talent in the ring.  Our Olympic team is in shambles and no heavyweights of any kind from the US to spark any interest.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Cleveland Browns suicide...not by gun.  He wasn't a player.  Part of life unfortunately.

http://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/another-nfl-suicide-this-time-a-browns-employee/

[Parsighian]

100 years ago the biggest sport going was boxing.  It remained the top sport for 70 years.  Then the constant complaints about violence and injury got it banned in many places (not Vegas) and now the sport is fraction of what it used to be.

The Sweet Science is still just that

[martyconlonontherun]

A murder suicide in a NFL practice facility lot of an NFL player in front of the GM and HC 29 hours before kickoff wasn't even enough to postpone a game.

I just don't understand the people who were talking about postponing the game. Yes, its a game but it is also a business. Any other business would be open a day after a murder/suicide unless it was told to be closed by authorities. I'm sure the players are playing with a heavy heart but you have to think about the thousands of customers that have made travel arrangements for the game. Is sucks but sometimes you have these moments in life.

[MUDPT]

I work in the medical field, granted with a smaller office than an NFL team, and I can safely say that we would not be open after one of our employees committed suicide in front of us.

A couple of points that I will add to the thread.  First, Junior Seau did not have CTE.  Whatever was going on emotionally, it was not reflected in his brain scans. That's a whole other debate.

UFC is way safer than boxing, in my opinion.  UFC ends fights when someone is "knocked out." In boxing, if they are just dazed and can stand up in 8 more seconds, then they can continue with the fight.  A big difference in head injuries. 

Does anyone else think that insurance costs will kill college football?  I can realistically see one fatal injury with a huge settlement.  Insurance costs go up and universities have some decisions to make.  Football popularity will also go down.  More and more individuals will not allow their kids to play.  The individuals that play football will come from the same social classes that the current boxers do.  There has to be incentives for individuals to play.

[GGGG]

I just don't understand the people who were talking about postponing the game. Yes, its a game but it is also a business. Any other business would be open a day after a murder/suicide unless it was told to be closed by authorities. I'm sure the players are playing with a heavy heart but you have to think about the thousands of customers that have made travel arrangements for the game. Is sucks but sometimes you have these moments in life.

You mean like the spa in Brookfield that was closed for about a month?

[Pakuni]

You mean like the spa in Brookfield that was closed for about a month?

It was a crime scene. Doubt it was even available to be reopened for 7-14 days.

Also, there's a pretty significant difference between shutting down a single small business where mass murder involving several workers occurred and shutting down 6 percent of a multi-billion dollar industry because a single employee killed himself.

[Tugg Speedman]

It was a crime scene. Doubt it was even available to be reopened for 7-14 days.

Also, there's a pretty significant difference between shutting down a single small business where mass murder involving several workers occurred and shutting down 6 percent of a multi-billion dollar industry because a single employee killed himself.

So when Romeo Crennel is standing their with Belcher brains all over his sweatshirt he's told to get over himself because their is a lot of money involved in playing the game the next day.  That is what appears like to me and that is the worst possible impression the NFL wants to leave with its fans ... money grubbing whores that treat players (71% black, and yes you know what I'm suggesting here) and expendable pieces that will be cast aside as the show must go on.

This is the NFL.  Get a mop and shovel, change your shirt, and move on.

If Belcher pulled a gun and killed himself on the field today, would the game be delayed 3 minutes or 5 minutes?  If he blew his brains out on the sideline, would they even call a time-out?

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http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8697360/kansas-city-chiefs-jovan-belcher-kills-girlfriend-commits-suicide-police-say

The player was "holding a gun to his head" as he stood in front of the front doors of the practice facility.

"And there were Pioli [Chiefs GM] and Crennel and another coach or employee was standing outside and appeared to be talking to him. It appeared they were talking to the suspect," Snapp said. "The suspect began to walk in the opposite direction of the coaches and the officers and that's when they heard the gunshot. It appears he took his own life."

The coaches told police they never felt in any danger, Snapp said.

...

"They said the player was actually thanking them for everything they'd done for him," Snapp said. "They were just talking to him and he was thanking them and everything. That's when he walked away and shot himself."

[Pakuni]

So when Romeo Crennel is standing their with Belcher brains all over his sweatshirt he's told to get over himself because their is a lot of money involved in playing the game the next day.  That is what appears like to me and that is the worst possible impression the NFL wants to leave with its fans ... money grubbing whores.

This is the NFL.  Get a mop and shovel, change your shirt, and move on.

If Belcher pulled a gun and killed himself on the field today, would the game be delayed 3 minutes or 5 minutes?  If he blew his brains out on the sideline, would they even call a time-out?

---

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8697360/kansas-city-chiefs-jovan-belcher-kills-girlfriend-commits-suicide-police-say

The player was "holding a gun to his head" as he stood in front of the front doors of the practice facility.

"And there were Pioli and Crennel and another coach or employee was standing outside and appeared to be talking to him. It appeared they were talking to the suspect," Snapp said. "The suspect began to walk in the opposite direction of the coaches and the officers and that's when they heard the gunshot. It appears he took his own life."

The coaches told police they never felt in any danger, Snapp said.

...

"They said the player was actually thanking them for everything they'd done for him," Snapp said. "They were just talking to him and he was thanking them and everything. That's when he walked away and shot himself."

Stop with the phony drama.
Belcher didn't pull out a gun and kill himself on the field.
And nobody told Crennel to get over it. He and the team captains met yesterday and decided unanimously they wanted to play today.

Anything else you want to make up?

[Tugg Speedman]

Stop with the phony drama.
Belcher didn't pull out a gun and kill himself on the field.
And nobody told Crennel to get over it. He and the team captains met yesterday and decided unanimously they wanted to play today.

Anything else you want to make up?

No he pulled a gun at the practice facility and blew his brains out in front of Crennel, the GM and several other people.  I guess that makes it ok.

And NFL players would elect to play if a nuclear bomb destroyed KC that day.  It part of the macho culture.

It's up to the adults in the room (the NFL) do what is right for their league's perception and image.

And to recap the NFL's priorities, bounties are no-no and worthy of a 1 year suspension.  The Belcher situation is merely unfortunate and everyone back into the film room.

[honkytonk]

Didnt have a chance to watch any football today. Was the NFL banned? No? Maybe next week, huh?

[GGGG]

No he pulled a gun at the practice facility and blew his brains out in front of Crennel, the GM and several other people.  I guess that makes it ok.

And NFL players would elect to play if a nuclear bomb destroyed KC that day.  It part of the macho culture.

It's up to the adults in the room (the NFL) do what is right for their league's perception and image.

And to recap the NFL's priorities, bounties are no-no and worthy of a 1 year suspension.  The Belcher situation is merely unfortunate and everyone back into the film room.

Is there outrage out there that I am missing???

[ChicosBailBonds]

It was a crime scene. Doubt it was even available to be reopened for 7-14 days.

Also, there's a pretty significant difference between shutting down a single small business where mass murder involving several workers occurred and shutting down 6 percent of a multi-billion dollar industry because a single employee killed himself.

I was in a Denver suburb last holiday and a man killed his estranged wife in the parking lot of a McDonald's with his kids in the McDonald's.  The killing happened in the evening.  They were open for breakfast the next morning.  I agree with Pakuni, life has to go on unless there is a crime scene that involves keeping it shut for an extended period of time.  Chiefs played with a lot of passion today.  Tragedy...a little kid is now without a mom and dad as well. 

[tower912]

Had two co-workers commit suicide a few weeks apart a couple of years back.   The fire stations never closed.   I'm on the department Critical Incident Stress team and worked my ass off for a couple of months, but the fire stations never closed.    Sometimes you just have to power through and mourn later. 

[Parsighian]

Had two co-workers commit suicide a few weeks apart a couple of years back.   The fire stations never closed.   I'm on the department Critical Incident Stress team and worked my ass off for a couple of months, but the fire stations never closed.    Sometimes you just have to power through and mourn later. 

I am glad to hear that the fire stations did not close. Though tragic a suicide does not come close to outweighing community safety. Would the Marine Corps shut down over a suicide?

[Parsighian]

A murder suicide in a NFL practice facility lot of an NFL player in front of the GM and HC 29 hours before kickoff wasn't even enough to postpone a game. What makes you think it will topple the one of the greatest sports leagues.

The guy was an idiot. Who knows why he murdered someone then waxed himself but there is no connection with this event and shutting down a business. Whenever there is some event like this there are candle light vigils and all sorts of tear jerking gatherings. This guy kills his SF then shoots himself? So what. Stock boy at Safeway shoots himself? I expect to be able to get milk and eggs once the police clear out.

[Benny B]

Absolutely agree.  My group is responsible for boxing revenue (among other things) for our company.  PPV was the absolute killer for the sport..absolute killer.  We had a meeting recently with Larry Holmes (former champion), Dana White (UFC), Tony Parker (HBO boxing), and others.  Unanimously it is the same story, PPV killed boxing.  It made many people rich, but it killed the excitement for the sport.  The fights used to be on Wide World of Sports on Saturday afternoons where the average blue collar guy could see the sport.  Now it is very expensive, it has also meant the dilution of talent in the ring.  Our Olympic team is in shambles and no heavyweights of any kind from the US to spark any interest.

Strangely, both my wife and I have colleagues who are in relationships with boxing promoters, and at a holiday function last year, we actually talked about this very subject.  Now granted, it can be somewhat difficult to have an intellectual conversation with someone who spent the better part of his life taking blows to the head, but what I surmised from the conversation was that within boxing circles, the sport is just as popular as ever; however, it's the excitement of the general public that has waned.  Boxing has taken its hits over the years, but PPV and forty-eight different championship belts didn't "kill" the sport or make it any less popular... boxing fans still order PPV for the big fights, still show up to the Gold Glove competitions, still know the names on the under card, still teach kids at the armory on Saturday afternoons, etc., but it's the casual fan - who used to watch the sport (mostly because it was accessible) - no longer does.  And in that regard, boxing no longer generates any of the mainstream "excitement" that football does.

How does this translate to football, I am not sure.  When the NFL Network was launched, I got a little nervous not knowing what direction they were taking their TV model.  But instead of migrating more games to the NFLN, the NFL only puts the bare minimum on the NFLN necessary to get the channel on basic-tier, because after all, even at the zenith of its popularity, the NFL isn't quite popular enough to generate excitement for its own network without putting any games on it.  Hmmm.

[TJ]

This talk is hardly new.

In the early part of last century, a big move was made to abolish college football. In one editorial, the New York Times spoke of two "curable evils": football and lynchings.

A group of influential people that included President Teddy Roosevelt convinced the sport's higher-ups to make the game less violent. The rulebook was rewritten, and football was saved.

At least they were about to cure lynchings.  Far, far less lynchings going on these days.

[MUfan12]

At least they were about to cure lynchings.  Far, far less lynchings going on these days.

Until oft-concussed retired football players start doing it.

[unforgiven]

Just watched footage of the Chiefs post game locker room on ESPN. A lot of smiles and concern over where to have dinner but not much crying about the suicide

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Football is insane if you actually think about it.

I still like it... but if you really think about it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgOUgrOHuFc

[jficke13]

Maybe some people were remembering that this wasn't just a suicide. This person murdered somebody.

[GGGG]

Yeah, I mean if a co-worker of mine, someone who I genuinely liked and gotten along with, suddenly showed up at work and killed himself after shooting his wife, to say my feelings would be "complex" is an understatement.

And even if the dinner banter is true, after everything those players had gone through in the past 30 hours, finding a place to hang out together and decompress as a team is actually a good thing.