Script image posted February 19, 2015; text on page last updated May 20, 2017:

Thank you for viewing this presentation of American Tackle Football, or “Football” as it is known in the nation in question; the name could be considered misleading in that case, since having the best kicker is no longer as much of a deciding factor.

Traditionally three points are scored upon a successful field goal, where the ball is kicked through a goal post, located in the end zone.  Participation in “Rotisserie Draft Challenge” wagering games has called into question the option to award additional value, based on yardage of the kick, for instance four points on a field goal from beyond 40 yards and five for a successful 50 yard try.  Quality of competition in the sport itself has reached a level where field goal percentages are higher than before, to which some have suggested narrowing the goal posts, which ties into our next topic…

Proposals have stated safety advantages if the sport could take place on a surface of snow at all times.  League commissioners have made clear the priority of preventing head injuries, and a sufficient amount of snow on field keeps players from running at top speeds, reducing the impact of collisions.  Concussions can occur in all forms of football when some one lands on the ground from the air, to which snow provides a softer landing surface.  Such injury concerns have forced leagues to diminish the kickoff phases of the game, when some of the most dangerous collisions occur, notably roughing the kicker.  Narrowing the goal post and adjusting the “extra point” also would not be necessary because the degree of difficulty to kick accurately is greater in these weather conditions.  If they sweep any snow out of the way before the kick, this may be treated as a “delay of game” penalty.

Not all regions naturally offer climate conditions needed to carry out this adjustment.  Some stadiums would require field level cooling as used in ice hockey.  Snow generators used with other winter sports can be moved in and installed on site, the product of which to be distributed by technological means or more practically at this time a sideline crew shoveling snow onto the field between plays.  Trials are requested to determine the optimum depth of snow to prevent injuries while not trading off too much mobility.  We are also requesting to develop guidelines for the process, in terms of how much additional snow production will be required to maintain the determined depth, accounting for a range of field level temperatures and melt off rates.  If you or your organization has performed calculations of this nature, please post your research.

Recently much of the focus concerned equipment, where the offense could gain an advantage by using a ball inflated outside the allowed range, and the offending team pays no penalty if found out.  What if they handled this similar to a “coach’s challenge,” where once or twice during the game coaches have the option to test their opponent’s ball in use, such as before a key play or if there is any suspicion; if the test determines it is above or below the acceptable level of inflation, they get to select one player from the opponent’s team to have ejected / disqualified for the remainder of the contest.  On the subject others have also made the case for a similar approach in the event of malicious conduct – otherwise a bench player from one team injures the opponent’s most valuable player with a cheap shot, and the trade off is in their favor to throw out some one who is barely on the field anyway.

Under the current circumstances, players of modern times largely will not experience the long-term health conditions found in publicized cases of former professionals. It was determined the damage is much greater when there is a cumulative effect of additional cranial injury when onset symptoms of one earlier are still present. Now that the dangers are known, participants at all levels are removed from action immediately upon any indication for concern, then held out for periods of multiple weeks until receiving medical clearance, whereas previously they could just tell the coach they wanted to go back in the game. Because of the studies from football, safety of all other sports has been improved applying the same principals. Our above discussion is evaluating options for the next level of protection; looking ahead it is also possible for the sport in the future to take place using military combat-suits, with on-field variables no longer being a factor, opening options for other types of terrain.

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References (Last Updated August 18, 2021):

– International Federation of American Football
– National Football League
– Canadian Football League
– Football – XFL
– Legends Football League
– Pro Football Hall of Fame
– College Football Playoff
– Heads Up Football – USA Football
– Heads Up to Brain Injury Awareness – CDC Injury Center
– Pop Warner Health & Safety
– Girls’ Most Dangerous Sport: Cheerleading – Live Science
– Cheerleading Injuries and Safety – NIH
– Cheerleading Ranks First in Catastrophic Sport Injuries – USSA
– Acromioclavicular Joint Injuries in the National Football League – Northwestern
– John Madden Thinks Kids Start Playing Football With Helmets Too Young – LA Times
– NFL FLAG Football
– American Flag Football League – AFFL
– Youth Football: Heat Stress and Injury Risk – American College of Sports Medicine
– Heat Stroke Deaths in Football ‘All Preventable’ – Live Science
– EPA GreenChill – Reports, Guidelines, and Tools
– Winter Olympics Technology – History
– The Slick Science of Making Olympic Snow and Ice – Smithsonian
– Basic Snow Grooming – FIS Freestyle Wiki
– Lions vs. Eagles 2013 Snow Bowl – SB Nation
– Unreal Tournament – Blitz Tutorial – Epic Games
– Clash Royale – What is Touchdown?
– Mutant Football League