Buckle The Chin Straps

TigerBlog was on a field the other night at a huge park, where the change of seasons couldn't be more evident.

The occasion was lacrosse, obviously.

And yet on the field behind him and the field across the street, there were little kids who were getting ready for football season.

There's something All-American about the site of Pop Warner football practice in the late summer. The field is cluttered with kids, all trying to wear the equipment and go through their drills without falling down on their own, let alone by virtue of contact.

It's like a scene out of a Norman Rockwell painting - or a car commercial.

TigerBlog Jr. played Pop Warner football for awhile, starting with the flag league and then two years of tackle. He also played two years of football in middle school.

TB, for one, is glad that his high school does not have a football team. He's glad that TBJ no longer plays football. He doubts he would allow him to play the sport if he happened to be starting out today.

This is the current issue that the sport of football has to handle as it moves forward. There have always been mothers who didn't want their sons to bang heads with the other kids. Now, in light of the current climate of the sport and especially in terms of the risk and effect of concussions, TB sense that those numbers have skyrocketed.

Oh, there are still plenty of boys who want to play the game, as evidenced by the numbers TB saw on the two fields Monday night.

It's just that the pool has to be shrinking, all in the name of player safety.

TB heard about another scene on another field with another group of little kids, this time where the kids were using helmets that were padded on the outside. This, TB was told, looked weird.

Yes, it looks weird. That's part of the problem.

The helmet is the one piece of the equipment that stands out the most and is by far the coolest. Every little kid loves to put his helmet on.

Covering the outside of the helmet can provide an even greater level of protection to the brain than padding the inside. So why isn't it being done? Because it looks weird.

Football is a huge business in this country. On the professional level, each player has decided it's worth the risk to participate. On the youth and high school level, the players do the same, but the risks can be equal or even greater (with bodies and brains that aren't completely matured yet) without the promise of millions of dollars.

Protecting the money flow for the NFL and major colleges is a huge concern. And the prevailing logic is that the violence is what sells.

TB could make a few rule changes regarding tackling and leading with the helmet that would clean the sport up considerably. The NFL could too. It doesn't want to.

The violence sells.

Anyway, whether or not the off-season concussion news has scared you off, football is almost here.

The NFL has begun its exhibition games. The little kids are obviously out in force. Just drive around at 6 any evening and you'll stumble upon them.

One place where practice hasn't started is, of course, the Ivy League.

TigerBlog has come over to the "let the Ivy champ play in the NCAA playoffs" camp, and though he likes the 10-weeks, 10-games schedule, he could see starting a little earlier and having a week off, if for  no other reason than health issues.

Not that anybody asked him.

Princeton starts practices tomorrow for most fall sports. Football is still a few days away.

The big story for Princeton is obviously the news that Chuck Dibilio, last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year, is not going to be able to play this year after his stroke this past January.

It's a huge blow to a team that was looking to rebuild around Dibilio, who went for 1,068 yards as a freshman.

This should be a fascinating preseason for Princeton, with competition for the starting quarterback spot probably foremost, as well as figuring out what to do without Dibilio.

Princeton is trying to incorporate another recruiting class with last year's, which had significant contributions from more than just Dibilio. While it's probably harder to play with younger players in football than any other sport (considering the physical maturity of 21- and 22-year-olds vs. 18- and 19-year olds), Princeton is reaching the point of having a good mix of veterans and young players.

Besides, the league's history is filled with stories of teams who finished near the bottom one year who made a huge jump the next year.

TB, for one, is interested in seeing the 2012 Tigers. He can't believe, actually, that opening day is so close - one month from today, to be exact.

By that time, all of the Pop Warner kids will be a few games in. So will the NFL and the rest of college.

Hopefully everyone has a safe season.