School Information System: What Would the End of Football Look Like?

May 5, 2012

What Would the End of Football Look Like?

The NFL is done for the year, but it is not pure fantasy to suggest that it may be done for good in the not-too-distant future. How might such a doomsday scenario play out and what would be the economic and social consequences?

By now we're all familiar with the growing phenomenon of head injuries and cognitive problems among football players, even at the high school level. In 2009, Malcolm Gladwell asked whether football might someday come to an end, a concern seconded recently by Jonah Lehrer.

Before you say that football is far too big to ever disappear, consider the history: If you look at the stocks in the Fortune 500 from 1983, for example, 40 percent of those companies no longer exist. The original version of Napster no longer exists, largely because of lawsuits. No matter how well a business matches economic conditions at one point in time, it's not a lock to be a leader in the future, and that is true for the NFL too. Sports are not immune to these pressures. In the first half of the 20th century, the three big sports were baseball, boxing, and horse racing, and today only one of those is still a marquee attraction.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at May 5, 2012 3:59 AM
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Comments

Start with High School football.

Posted by: reed schneider at May 5, 2012 8:01 AM

Very silly idea. American football can easily continue to exist but it will have to change from being a blood sport. Equipment changes, some rule changes, and weight and size changes of players.

Less padding would discourage damaging hits, sportscasters celebrating finesse over hard hits, and celebrating the athleticism of many players. Towit, the Jerome Simpson somersault over a defender for a touchdown last year, and any number great catches among the pro players last year. There is plenty to admire.

Just stop admiring brutishness.

Posted by: Larry Winkler at May 5, 2012 2:47 PM