“I don’t think we need to do away with football,” Craddock said. “A lot of people enjoy football, including myself. I just think we need to maybe put more safety measures out there to protect our kids.”
The problem with implementing more safety measures - especially more padding or tougher gear - is that leagues, coaches and even some players start believing they can hit harder because they’re safer now … and that’s not the reality of it.
Take hockey for example. I grew up watching hockey when goalie masks were just that, a mask; there were zero plexi plates surrounding the rink and not one player wore a helmet. Yes there were fights and hard hits, but the players understood that being injured would do nothing for the player and game. So they took it easy on each other (mostly).
Same goes with mountainous highways, where back in the 60’s/70’s there were 2 lanes with a rock face on one side and a 100’-200’ drop on the other. People took care while they were driving because they recognised the danger. Now there’s concrete barriers on the slope side, 4 lanes with concret barriers between direction of travel, and people (especially young ones) speeding like there’s no tomorrow.
Better gear and more rules doesn’t always stop injuries. A change in mindset (like flag football instead of tackle) is a better way to deal with things.