Which Team sport has the biggest hits?

[Ed_Gein]

If they didn't wear helmets and protective gear in american football there would be many deaths. So many players chasing the one player. In the rugby codes and Australian rules if 5 players came and tackled 1 player that 1 player would be lucky to walk off.

I don't think that's the case. The padding and the helmets give the NFL players the excuse to go in as hard as they do. Without all the protective gear, i can guarantee their tackling would change significantly.

 

[Caesar]

I don't think that's the case. The padding and the helmets give the NFL players the excuse to go in as hard as they do. Without all the protective gear, i can guarantee their tackling would change significantly.

They went plenty hard back in the early days of the sport, before all the protective gear. So many people died and were crippled that Teddy Roosevelt threatened to ban the game unless they brought in safety gear and rule changes.

It's just an inherently brutal sport in the way it's designed. The kinds of tackling that are permitted under the rules are nowhere near what's allowed in other contact sports.

 

[Ed_Gein]

They went plenty hard back in the early days of the sport, before all the protective gear. So many people died and were crippled that Teddy Roosevelt threatened to ban the game unless they brought in safety gear and rule changes.

It's just an inherently brutal sport in the way it's designed. The kinds of tackling that are permitted under the rules are nowhere near what's allowed in other contact sports.

Ah ok, well there ya go. Whenever i've seen a game and then seen players diving headfirst over the scrimmage (i think it's called) trying to get a touchdown, i thought to myself "They wouldn't try that without padding", but after looking at this list;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sportspeople_who_died_during_their_careers

it's insane how many people died due to injuries in College NFL 50+ years ago. So i guess it's plausible.

 

[matt_897]

Ice Hockey just a bit ahead of NFL, and then they are miles ahead of the rest. Ice Hockey you are going at a faster pace in a small walled arena, massive hits come with the game. NFL you can have hits coming from anywhere with the ball in the air (even though they are trying to stamp out leading with the head) with guys going at a significant pace and a lot of weight depending on the position.

 

[Tigger Please!]

League and Union are comfortably behind NFL, NHL, and AFL. It's pretty much impossible to blindside someone and therefore most impacts have the two combatants bracing for impact. Union is behind league as there's no 10m rule and less of a chance to build up momentum.

league and union comfortably behind aussie rules? please.
have you seen the size of some of those islanders/maoris playing the rugbies? i'd take a blindside from byron pickett any day of the week over having to take down fui fui moimoi with a 20m run up charging the ball back from the kick-off.

 

[Warner_Bros_FC]

Demolition Derby. (American voice)

 

[stmookeyj]

Any mentions for Roller Derby? Those girls don't hold back you know.

 

[SFgiant]

Baseball obviously isn't as tough as NFL and NRL. But i'll just leave this here anyway..

 

[courtjester]

I don't know how they take the big hits and keep on going

 

[La Vache]

Can only be hockey.

Blinding speed, walls, rock hard ice.

This guy was probably the most brutal exponent over the years.

 

[entourage]

NFL for mine, Ice Hockey not far behind, but the fact you have guys jumping well off the ground to catch a ball only to get decked by someone running the opposite direction at full pelt is just brutal. I guess it's a different kind of brutality, but NFL gets my vote. There are more dimensions to getting hit in the NFL.

 

[PP34]

NFL. Search "Lawrence Taylor" or "Dick Buktus".

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Another vote for the NFL here. They're bigger and quicker over a short distance despite the size of some of them.

 

[Gough]

Would have to be the NFL for the sheer force of the hit. Rugby Union can be very dangerous playing in the front row. Front row of a scrum is probably the most dangerous position in Australian sport to play.