The Future of Sports

One thing I often think about is how sports will be in the future, especially after my last post about injuries, and how they are changing the rules. So, what exactly does this hold for the future of sports? I think it will include new sports, equipment advances, and rules changes.

New sports is something I know will happen. My friends and I will make up games all the time during recess. New events are being added to the Olympics all the time too. For example, luge team relay and women's ski jumping, as well as many others, will be added for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. I am curious to see if these games will become more popular than other professional sports. One example is how the Xgames have started to become a more televised event than some sports like hockey. I also want to see how people who create new games will get them to be played by others. But there is one thing I know for sure, new sports are coming, so be ready.

The next thing I want to talk about is equipment. Equipment has been changing ever since a sport has been created. In hockey players have had to start wearing helmets, and have gotten carbon fiber sticks instead of wooden. With technology advancing so much and at such a fast pace, what will the future of players' equipment hold? Will they be able to see behind them? Can we eliminate concussions, or for that matter injuries completely? We will have to wait to find out.

Then there is the unfortunate part, rule changes. For example, they have taken out certain hits in hockey and football (i.e. blind side hits) to make the game safer. How will all these changes play out in the future? Will they in fact make the game safer, and people will still like to watch them? Or will the worst happen, will they ruin the games we love and have the profession (NHL, NFL, etc.) completely destroyed?

I am excited (and a little nervous) to see what the future holds for sports. I guess the only thing we can do is watch, wait, and hope for the best.

Injuries in Sports

There is a lot of controversy these days about whether or not sports are safe. You can argue either way, but here’s what I think the bottom line is; if you play sports, especially contact sports, you are going to get injured. I’m glad to see that parents are worried about their kids getting injured, but there is only so much you can do to stop it. I love that they are now working on teaching kids the correct way to tackle, and how to protect yourself from a hit (in hockey). These are great things that need to be emphasized by coaches, parents, and even the athletes themselves.

 There has been work to equipment (especially helmets) to help prevent injuries like concussions. But really, if you fall hard on your head, you will get injured. Helmets are mainly made to keep from getting major lacerations. Concussions are caused by your brain ramming against the skull. Even with a great helmet, the jolt of a fall onto the ground could give you a concussion. If they want to make equipment improvements, that is fine by me. I guess stopping just a few concussions is better than stopping none.

In addition to equipment changes, the rules of the games are changing. For example, they have taken hitting out of peewee hockey and moved it into the bantam level. This really bothers me though. They are ruining the way the game is played. Taking out a few things like hits to the knees or the head, that’s fine, but you can’t take away the integrity of the game. Most people watch sports like football and hockey because they love seeing the bone crushing hits. I know they sometimes might get injured. I’m not saying they need to toughen up and deal with it, but it’s part of the game. The players know what they got themselves into when they signed up to play tackle football and professional hockey. They didn’t sign-up for flag football or peewee hockey. Professional games have been played this way for a hundred years or so… and now they want to change those rules?

Sports aren’t meant for everyone. Some people don’t like contact or are scared of getting injured. That’s why only the tough ones choose to play. They don’t really want to get injured, but I think they are willing to take that risk to earn the reward of money, the joy of the game, or whatever it is to them. That is part of what keeps them going.