Football fans won't like hearing this, but this lawsuit is the beginning of the end for organized football. Once lawyers start winning big judgments against teams, leagues, and helmet manufacturers, the leagues will be unable to afford insurance, and that will force them to shut down. A colleague suggested that concussions will end when helmets are banned. Think about it. Who is going to spear someone while not wearing a helmet?
If football survives, it will be in a different form, with different equipment. Why not make football more like soccer or rugby? Take the helmets and shoulder pads away. The players will determine (out of self-interest) how hard to hit, or even whether to hit. Better yet, why not ban tackling altogether? Flag football is great fun. People should be willing to pay to watch great athletes play flag football. It might even be more exciting than the version in which players look like machines.
