Bill would require helmets for school soccer players

Discussion in 'Politics & Current Events' started by Matt in the Hat, Dec 15, 2005.

  1. Matt in the Hat

    Matt in the Hat Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 21, 2002
    Brooklyn
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...ld_require_helmets_for_school_soccer_players/

    "BOSTON --Soccer players would join the list of athletes required to wear helmets under legislation making its way through the Statehouse.

    The bill would cover teams from pee wee leagues to college teams. Professional soccer players, like the New England Revolution, would be exempt. No other state appears to have a soccer helmet law.

    Supporters of the bill say helmets are needed to prevent head injuries from collisions and from heading, a key element of the game where players use they heads to ricochet the soccer ball to another player or at the goal.

    Backers point to evidence of long term neurological damage among some players as a result of heading -- evidence that has prompted a call by some for a ban on the practice.

    State Rep. Deborah Blumer, D-Framingham, sponsored the bill on behalf of a constituent, but conceded it likely won't pass. She said lawmakers may instead approve a commission to study sports safety legislation.

    Critics said the call for helmets is an overreaction."

    I'm sure the big Full 90 lobby has something to do with this legislation
     
  2. AFCA

    AFCA Member

    Jul 16, 2002
    X X X rated
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    Iran
    I've never quite understood why anyone would want to legislate issues that concern one's own health and nothing else.
     
  3. spoonman

    spoonman Member

    Sep 6, 2005
    Nat'l Team:
    Netherlands
    This is crazy :D

    How about heading the ball?
     
  4. Claymore

    Claymore Member

    Jul 9, 2000
    Montgomery Vlg, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  5. Dammit!

    Dammit! Member

    Apr 14, 2004
    Mickey Mouse Land

    Oh, there are always crappy arguments to make, like how "health care costs" are affected by soccer-player head injuries.

    The fact is that we are all in danger when the legislature is in session. Someone famous said that. Except he said it much better. Who was that?
     
  6. CHICO13

    CHICO13 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Oct 4, 2001
    SECTION 135
    Club:
    The Strongest La Paz
    Nat'l Team:
    Bolivia
    I thought new ball technology refuted this premise? It's not like the old days when soccer balls were made of leather and soaked up water. Heading one of those things was like heading a medicine ball.
     
  7. Chicago1871

    Chicago1871 Member

    Apr 21, 2001
    Chicago
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Twenty years in the game and I'm as ever as sharp.
     
  8. bojendyk

    bojendyk New Member

    Jan 4, 2002
    South Loop, Chicago
    I think that we should all celebrate the fact that we can now move on to this important health care issue, now that the obesity epidemic has been controlled.
     
  9. Footer Phooter

    Jul 23, 2000
    Falls Church, VA

    One of the best threads ever was when the president of that compnay tried to push that junk in the referee forum. Didn't go so well for him.
     
  10. Claymore

    Claymore Member

    Jul 9, 2000
    Montgomery Vlg, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That was fun. As I recall, his "medical expert" turned out to be some quack from a completely unrelated medical field, like urology.
     
  11. yossarian

    yossarian Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 16, 1999
    Big City Blinking
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    IIRC, he and his brother initially posed as "concerned" fans but were quickly exposed as to their true motives. All hell broke loose at that point.....and I grabbed a popcorn and a coke and just watched.

    :D
     
  12. speedcake

    speedcake Member

    Dec 2, 1999
    Tampa
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    link? sounds like a good read
     
  13. Deuteriumoxide

    May 27, 2003
    Rockville, MD
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    All these years heading the ball and I think the only side effect is that I keep coming back and posting in this forum...


    There must be brain damage.
     
  14. Claymore

    Claymore Member

    Jul 9, 2000
    Montgomery Vlg, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  15. CrewDust

    CrewDust Member

    May 6, 1999
    Columbus, Ohio
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Next thing you will know is that the will legislate that you have to wear shoulder pads and you can use your hands.............


    Seriously are we trying to make today's youth a bunch of sissies and momma's boys and girls.
     
  16. Dr. Wankler

    Dr. Wankler Member+

    May 2, 2001
    The Electric City
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Same hear. I started to play when the ball were leather. Man, those things were loud. You wood head them and they would ring. I remember not being able to remember whole stretches of matches, which don't light when their wet.
     
  17. dfb547490

    dfb547490 New Member

    Feb 9, 2000
    The Heights
    This is just another logical step in the progression where kids can't play tag or dodgeball at recess. The degree to which sociologists and the feminist movement are trying to feminize American children is appalling.
     
  18. CHICO13

    CHICO13 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Oct 4, 2001
    SECTION 135
    Club:
    The Strongest La Paz
    Nat'l Team:
    Bolivia
    :D Repped!
     
  19. dj43

    dj43 New Member

    Aug 9, 2002
    Nor Cal
    This reminds me of a news piece I heard a month ago about an elementary school in Florida that posted signs on the chain link fence surrounding the grass playground that said, "No Running."

    Gotta be careful about running. One can get all hot and sweaty and mold will grow on you.

    Gotta love these folks. ;)
     
  20. Chicago1871

    Chicago1871 Member

    Apr 21, 2001
    Chicago
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Who is Bill?
     
  21. nsa

    nsa Member+

    New England Revolution
    United States
    Feb 22, 1999
    Notboston, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's the old Puritan ethic, "I'm afraid to have fun so I'll make sure that you can't." :(
     
  22. Dolemite

    Dolemite Member+

    Apr 2, 2001
    East Bay, Ca


    i have a brother who is eight years younger than me. when it came time for him to play little league, they wore batting helmets with a full face gaurd, and the city had passed a law requiring anyone under the age of sixteen to wear a helmet while riding just about anything with wheels (skateboard, bike, rollerblades, etc). helmets are cool for certain things..... hell, i got a concussion while wearing a helmet on a skateboard half pipe...... docs said i would've fractured the hell outta my skull if i hadn't be wearing one. that was on a 12 foot tall half pipe though (i wouldn't have been caught dead wearing one while street skating). but sticking all this crap on kids for everyday stuff is stupid.
     
  23. Smurfquake

    Smurfquake Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 8, 2000
    San Carlos, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's not me, I live in California.
     
  24. nicephoras

    nicephoras A very stable genius

    Fucklechester Rangers
    Jul 22, 2001
    Eastern Seaboard of Yo! Semite
    Oh great, we're legislating that anyone who plays soccer must be a nerd.
     
  25. Karl K

    Karl K Member

    Oct 25, 1999
    Suburban Chicago
    Has anyone seen the Full 90 infomerical on FSC? It's actually pretty interesting.

    I have no idea whether this device actually protects you from head injuries, but it might.

    Meanwhile, my son has gotten two concussions playing soccer -- one at u14 and one at u15. The one at U15 was particularly nasty, but he seems to be fine overall. It was head to head contact going up for a header, in both instances

    Since then, he has played in much more physical matches, without a problem.

    My understaning is that today, virtually all concussions occur in head to head contact, or head to ground contact. With today's ball technology, heading the ball causes no problems.

    Look, some government safety mandates are good. Seat belts. Air bags.

    This one?? In some instances, people need to use judgment. Dennis Hamlett had to quit soccer because the next concussion would have been very damaging. At least that's what the doctors told him, though from what I see, doctors are pretty much in the dark about how severe each specific concussion really is, and what long term effects really are for, say, the isolated ones, like my kid's. Though clearly, if you get many, and they tend to be bad...well, this is not good.
     

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