Of course, this is a very serious topic.
On a lighter note, though, I can remember talking to my Dad one time about the "way" tackles seemed to be made when he played (and I was referencing films of the game from the late '30s and then the '40s and I'm sure I'm not the only one of us who has made the same observation).
Anyway, what I am talking about here is that the players of that era were tackling with their shoulders and looking as if they were keeping their faces and heads away from the point of impact.
And why would they be doing that? Nobody wore facemasks!
During our discussion my Dad commented that he'd look in the mirror at his face (before a game) and wonder if his nose (or something else) would appear the same afterward (nothing worse than a broken nose or a few missing or broken teeth to ruin your day).
So perhaps the fix is to eliminate the facemask. I suspect spearing and using the head/face as a ramming point would quickly become a thing of the past.
Needless to say, this is a comical interjection into a very important topic that certainly deserves to be front and center (which seems to be the case); however, as appears is often the case the reaction is getting too far (in my opinion) to the other side of the coin.
By the way, my personal, and admittedly anecdotally supported view on this topic, is based on my experiences in playing football which date back to the 3rd or 4th grade as a Queen of The Universe pee-wee guy (that was in Lower Bucks and probably 1963 or so).
Then following pee-wee and midget ball and junior high too I went on through high school and beyond as I was fortunate enough to secure a full ride at a D1 school located in the “Ol’ South” (that was in the early ‘70s). And although my collegiate career is most notable for injuries I did manage my way through to the end and have many great memories from those days (how many of us can say they had the opportunity to drop a sure touchdown pass just as they crossed the goal line at Neyland Stadium - ha).
Anyway, although I can’t say that I was ever knocked out cold in high school I can recall a few “dings” along the way that left an impression; however, in college it was a different story (everything was different then). And as it is, there are three events that stand out with two of them being those bell ringing, stunning moment “types” that featured a “booming” hit feeling followed by some disorientation and sound diminution with a generally blurry feeling for a while with all of that rather short lived (sadly, the headache that followed wasn’t as short lived).
The “one” that still stands out of those three was the result of a head-to-head shot. In that I was a fullback, and we ran the Wishbone, it seemed as if all I did was have the QB “ride me” for a bit before he pulled the ball back as he continued down the line and I pranced forward on my merry way off the left or right guard slot. But with that guy (the guard) pulling and the linebacker filling the gap as created there was always an impact (collisions for nothing as I used to say).
Still, one time I actually got the handoff (yay) so I had a little extra incentive to run over the LB (sure). And actually, I didn’t run over the LB as we instead we both put our head down and enjoyed a fairly high speed helmet crown to helmet crown head-on impact (I can still recall that “boom” just before the curtain came down).
Then interestingly the immediate thought I had – after the “boom” – was something like “man, I’m lying on a football on a field and it sure is quiet” (followed by “what year is this?”).
And it was quiet out there (there was a complete absence of sound). But with the quiet fading soon enough the next impression I had was that someone was turning the volume up as both reality and perception began to creep back into my head. Then despite the fact that I had been “absent” for a moment or so (and really wasn't "there") I did get up and walked back to the huddle. I then “listened” to the play call once there and trudged forward to assume my position. It was at that point one of the other RBs picked up on my apparent “lack of clarity” as I had no idea what the play call was and was still wrestling with the answer to the question that had been running through my mind from the moment I stood up to the point somebody yanked me to the sideline which was “what year is this?”.
The bad news about those experiences - which we all endured and from our view point - was that we would have to deal with excruciating headaches for several days. Then as to how the coaches and trainers and players too, as a whole, viewed those “bell ringers” – I’d say it was along the lines of “just another day” and “no big deal, just shake it off” (many a time a player was back in the game once the initial dust had cleared).
What’s the point of my walk down memory lane? Well, we all lived through those “things” and, as far as I know, I’m OK (now don’t ask any female I may have called my “girlfriend” over the years as they’d likely get into a litany of issues I have all of which would suggest I am not “OK”); however,and relying on our collective experiences, I’m thinking we can all say the same thing which would be “it seems that I’m OK”.
But most of us feeling we’re “OK” doesn’t make everyone “OK”. Plus with the evidence suggesting that the long term effect of continuous blows to the head (with some hits more significant than others) is not a good thing (who doubts that) this is an issue that requires whatever it takes to get it under control (and plenty of you guys are getting a finger on it when you note that parents will soon enough be keeping their kids out of the game to such an extent it will impact the available pool of players).
Wrapping it up, and in the meantime until this gets figured out, get rid of the facemask.