The world: “ are these hits legal?” Americans: “today or in the footage?”

Foreigners “pads make you look like pansy’s” Americans “here watch some football” Foreigners “WTF? what is wrong with you people?”

“What’s the point of the helmets if they keep coming off” A: would you rather be hit by a train standing on the tracks, or in your car?

"Seems like the pads add to the violence." Very perceptive and accurate.

Once read where a professional rugby player described it this way: rugby is a contact sport, American football is a collision sport.

Rugby fan: why do American football players were so much padding *10 seconds of American football video* oh they would die Never gets old

The fact that you have to watch it at half speed is a huge indicator of the difference between Football and Rugby. American Football is FAST and they hit hard.

I played HS football and a bit of Rugby in my 20s, while rugby has no body armor, there aren't blind side hits. So there are many differences. A QB hit by a 300lb defensive lineman from behind and never sees it coming is a truly brutal hit.

Irish: “We don’t have contact until high school” Americans: “If you haven’t broken a bone by 12 you’re not hitting hard enough”

I love her so many Europeans think American football is weaker based on having pads which she even mentions at one point. and then right into the compilation some dude gets lit up and shes like “he didn’t even have the ball”

When these clips were recorded, most of them were legal. Like 95% of them were. And yes depending on the ref, you can absolutely smack the living dog mess out of any opponent on the field if they're carrying the call or not. Great reaction BTW! Edit: You absolutely have to have as much endurance for football. We Polynesian boys that are born and raised here in the US grow up playing both sports. My cousins that move here from the islands kind of look down on football until they play and realize how much physical exertion it demands on the body. Of of those family members that move here and go to the NFL, they would say that there is more running involved for rugby. But football is more of physical battle against another human being. A test of who can outlast who in a grudge match of strength, speed, explosiveness, endurance, tenacity, and so much more. Different dynamic, same type of conditioning. Rugby is a gentleman's game. A contact sport. Football is a sinister game. A collision sport. Best regards! Your Tongan friend from the States

The "rule" is that if a player's hair is long enough that it reaches the jersey, it's part of the uniform and can be used to pull the player down, therefore it's up to the player to keep their hair short. The rule was named " The Ricky rule" after Ricky Williams, who came into the league sporting dreadlocks.

The “ old NFL “ was more like the movie “ Gladiator “. It’s been toned down if you can believe it.

She went from “makes you guys look like pansies” to being legitimately concerned

There is a reason they don't go straight to the NFL from High school. The sheer amount of strength and athleticism needed to play this game is amazing.

Irish: "American Football has padding, we don't" Americans: "Yea we can hit people harder then"

As an American that grew up in Europe I do love when "foreigners" watch American Football for the first time. There is very little comparison between Rugby and American Football whether were talking about the game or the athletes. I played them both through school then moved back to America and played American Football in college. At 6'5" and 285lbs. (just over 1.98m and 130kg for any non-Americans reading this) I absolutely dwarfed all other Rugby players I played against but wasn't close to the biggest player on my college football team. Another thing to consider is that, because the plays are so short, American Football players are trained for very quick, highly-explosive playing styles. This leads to these extremely hard hits that necessitate all the "safety" gear. I'd gladly enjoy a rugby match in no pads rather than a football game in full gear any day of the week. Stay safe everyone. Cheers.

"are people generally okay?" immediately after the hits, yeah..years after they retire? some of them not so much.

i played football in highschool, and rugby in college... i took MUCH harder hits in football

When she said he didn’t have the ball I was like well they still need to keep people from getting the ball

This isn't mine, but to share this saying: "Rugby is a contact sport. Football is an IMPACT sport." Two football players collide with energies that are very comparable to a low-to-mid speed car crash when at top speed, which is why they have the padding; unfortunately, this doesn't prevent certain long-term damage (like TBI and CTE) or injuries to unprotected areas like the legs. It can be a very dangerous but fun sport

When they hit someone who doesn't have the ball its called blocking. They're preventing them from reaching the guy who has the ball

The worst hits are when the helmet comes off, and the head is still in there.

The expression on the Lady's face when the little kids were tackling was CLASSIC!!!!

HER:he didn't even have the ball ME:It's called a block

Football was so violent originally that a US president (Teddy Roosevelt) had to step in and be like “yeah new rules so people stop dying”

I think you owe it to yourself to rewatch the video at full speed to truly appreciate how violent those hits actually were.

I love how the game is so confusing to them and how its so brutal. 🤣

It’s more accurate to say, “it’s a house running full speed into a player.”

General rule: You can hit anyone below the head and in the front of the body any time. Many of these hits were legal until just recently.

Dude had a mane of dreadlocks, she says "was that a female player?" Lmao. I love it.

Rugby is like a "group Hug" and American football is a "stop your opponent at any cost" game.

One of the biggest differences in American football and Rugby: Rugby, not everybody is going 100% the whole time. Only 2-3 players are going full force at a time. American football, every player is going 100% full force every play.

Most accurate description. “Like full speed running into a house.”

i must admit i had to laugh more than once at your surprised reaction to some of these hits. not in a bad way, but just in your surprise. i watch it every weekend during the football season and played for 9 years as a kid so i just take it for granted. i even broke a collar bone running a kick off back for a touchdown. i scored so it was all good. in most cases after a big hit you get up and go back for the next play. your ready for the hits and playing hard. it's when you dont play full speed but slow down and relax that you are more likely to be hurt.

We played a game called "kill the guy with the ball" in 1st grade. We played on an asphalt parking lot you had to move the ball as far as you can and everyone tries to tackle you. I broke my arm and the bone was sticking out running into a bike rack. They still let us play behind the church.

American football: high speed, high impact.

Hitting a person in the head, and leading with your head when tackling has become illegal, due to the problems with concussions. Most of those tackles are still completely legal. I played from 3rd grade through 8th grade. I loved every minute!

The first thing my high school coach taught us was you always need to hit full speed and you need to face the hit and counter the force with force. When you back away or try to pull back is when you get seriously hurt. I remember having a few “stingers” but for the most part I managed to avoid a lot of serious injuries. Of course, my forearms were purple from August until December and my fingers were swollen like unbendable bratwursts until Easter. I enjoyed playing defense and my coach loved to put me in with just one instruction. “Make that whining quarterback not want to take another snap.” We always made sure the back of his uniform was unreadable. 😁

In most cases the guys got up and continued playing. Some of these hits are documenting major injuries, some career ending. Rules have changed over the years because prolonged trauma to the head has shed light on many problems that were over looked for decades.

Jennings: after these hits the people legitimately look like they don’t where they are Me: that’s cause they actually don’t know where they are

It's also really important to note that the league wide average size for all players is like 6'3" 265 lbs. They don't just hit harder than rugby, the players are larger and a lot of the times, faster.

I like the dog in the background, hes not sure if he should sleep there or stretch out on the ground, ha ha.

I lost it laughing out loud when she said the padding part.

On football rules: It is super important to know that the rules have changed wildly depending on the era you are watching. For example, in a black and white clip, there was a quarterback pulled down backwards by his facemask. This is definitely NOT legal today, nor has it been for a while. Lowering the head to use the helmet as a weapon, called "spearing," was outlawed relatively recently. Hits directly to the head have been illegal for a while, but it's important to watch closely; many hits that initially look like they went right to the head or that cause the helmet to come off are actually impacting in the area of the shoulders. Hits off the ball are allowed; generally, they are blocking for the ball carrier. There are some very specific rules about when you can block and how (for example, if your non-ball carrier is already engaged with one person, you aren't allowed to come in and hit him in the knees, and you can't "block" from behind -- that's more or less a tackle.) Some of the hits in this clip selection are definitely not legal, though most were. For example, there was one that was clearly a punt returner (holding his arms out ahead of him, looking up in the air for the ball) who got hammered well before the ball arrived. Generally, any time after the ball arrives is fair game, but before is considered unfairly targeting a player who cannot reasonably be expected to defend himself. Likewise, at least in the modern game, receivers who are trying to catch a thrown football are not considered fair game until after they at least touch the ball, meaning that defenders often want to time their hit to the split second after to disrupt the play -- those can be some of the most devastating hits to watch. With regard to the question of endurance, it's a different sort of physical experience. Football is extremely explosive -- it requires a full 100% maximum effort for 10-15 seconds at a time approximately 80 times over the course of three hours. And by maximum effort, I mean trying to push a car uphill as hard as humanly possible, and then getting hit with a 2x4. In NFL games, you can definitely see players on the sideline dripping with sweat and sucking oxygen to re-invigorate themselves. Also, Diane made a comment early on about how it seemed that the protective gear almost seemed to enable worse behavior -- not the only person to make this comment! Especially with the helmets, in regard to spearing. It's also important to note that these are some of the worst hits; helmets don't come off that often, most hits are not as brutal, and even in the cases of these hits, I recognize many of them, and most of the people got up and played on. But I'm not sure all of them did. Anyways, thanks for this fun reaction! (And to anyone reading all the way through this, kudos.)

Final comment on your questions: Yes, American Football DOES feature a lot of what you would call "stopping and starting" but that is not generally because of the violent hits (though there are a lot of stoppages for injury as you might expect from watching this). The main reason those more familiar with rugby and "soccer" tend to think American football is disjointed is because the rules of the game center around the offense receiving 4 timed "downs." In that series of downs, the team will run a set of plays (similar to set pieces in soccer or rugby, though generally more intricate in design and nature). The goal is to move the ball 10 yards from the original line of scrimmage (if you take penalties or negative yards, you still have to get 10 yards from the original starting point). If you manage this in those 4 downs, you receive another 4 downs to do the same. Therefore, with a successful series of plays strung together, a team moves down the field, with the ultimate goal of crossing the goal line for a Touchdown (6 points + 1 with a successful "extra point" kick that is granted for scoring a touchdown OR +2 for the less attempted, more risky "2 point conversion" option where the team gets one untimed down to get past the goal line from the 2 yard line). Basically, most teams, if they score a touchdown, kick the extra point (which is like a 95% conversion rate), but "go for 2" when they have to (if the score dictates). If the team runs out of downs (gets to 4th down without gaining another set of downs) and they are realistically in range to do so, they will usually attempt a "field goal" which is a kick attempted on one of their "downs" (usually 4th down, as you would generally attempt to "convert a first down" or score a touchdown if you had any downs left). While that's a lot of information, I hope it shows somewhat how and why the game seems like it "stops and starts." When you watch long enough, you will recognize that a LOT goes on between "plays" (the set piece like action taken on each "down"), as the game is all about analyzing the opposing team's strategy and formations to predict what they will do and then executing the correct play to counter/exploit their weaknesses...AND having the players of the right skills and abilities on the field to execute the play. In short, American Football is much more "Full contact CHESS" than it is like any other sport. On the fitness question: It depends on the position and players. Most positions in football are FAR more specialized than almost any other sport. Some require near constant running and speed similar to soccer or rugby players, others focus much more on strength and short bursts of explosive violence. The latter are often very large men who play on the Offensive or Defensive "lines" (think front line hand to hand combat) while the others are freed up by these human behemoths to execute faster, quicker more "athletic" displays and are therefore, often called "skill positions" (though anyone who has watched top level lineman play understand their skillsets are equally as impressive...if not as easily recognizable). Finally, there are no limitations on numbers of substitutions in American football and, in fact, multiple players are often substituted in between each play (down) both to keep fresh players on the field and because individual players are specialized for specific roles and individual plays are designed for that. There is a timer between plays that starts when one ends and if the offense does not get substitutions in, the play called (the quarterback in the NFL has a radio in his helmet where the play is called by the coaches) and the ball snapped (play started) within that time limit (40 seconds in the NFL, 25 in amateur football) the team takes a 5 yard penalty and the play clock is restarted. Because of this time between each play, there is a constant shuffling of players in and out of the game, which can be very confusing to new viewers of the game. And there you go, probably way more information than you ever cared to know about American football, but I love your reactions, so...thought I'd try to answer the questions! Also, can you react to Hurling for us? lol

You're spot on with the different physicalities of American Football and Rugby players. Rugby guys (I assume) train like soccer players, preparing to run for hours, tons of strength training as well. American footballers train for raw power, short bursts of speed, and the endurance to make it through the game. As for the hits, helmet to helmet contact has always been a no-go, but pads to helmet was always fine until recently with the new findings about the deep psychological damage repeated concussions leave (RIP Junior Seau). Also, I always get a bit of a rise when someone say Rugby is the most violent sport, as an American it makes me laugh in American Football and Hockey. You see those hits, sure Rugby hits are super hard but it's not every minute the ball is moving...and forget Hockey, that's just murder with ice skates on. Edit: Funny side note: I'm an Philadelphia Eagles fan (American Football) and a ton of those real nasty, boarderline illegal hits were us. We don't play nice and we are also quite infamous for being the most angry, unruly fans in the game. Heck one year, near Christmas, we were losing pretty bad, halftime (Mid-Game 15 intermission) show was Santa who walked out waving to everyone and was immediately destroyed by snowballs (I hate that incident btw).

I love the reference "running full speed into a house" one that we use around here for getting tackled by a larger player is " getting ran over by a coke machine with legs"

When I was playing football in the army I was hit hard and went spinning through the air. The world was spinning around me andI looked up. I was surprised to see the sky turned green. It was then I realized I was upside-down.

“makes you look like pansys” “oh i see why they have the pads now”😂😂

Great video. Well rounded and fun to watch.

I have seen several reactions of Americans commenting on rugby. What they do is start off focusing on hits. This is a good reply to them and it shows what the American mindset is.

Yes. American sports are very hard on the bodies. Thats why NFL stands for Not For Long.

I'll try to address some of your questions the best I can: Cardio fitness: this is one of the least important elements of American football conditioning. The game is played in short, violent, anaerobic bursts. It is not fluid like rugby, Gaelic football, or association football (soccer). That is not to say that gridiron players are unfit. Think of it as the difference between training for a triathlon versus training for the Olympic 100m dash. No one would ever call Usain Bolt unfit, but he certainly doesn't have the cardio endurance of a triathlete or competitive cyclist. He trains for a different purpose. As one who played both gridiron and association football, I can state categorically that both are extremely draining. Positions: these are not precise parallels, but they may be a helpful frame of reference... Linemen - roughly the equivalent of rugby forwards. They are the largest, most powerful players, score the least often by far, and are generally the slowest players on the field. Tight ends and linebackers - roughly equivalent to rugby flankers or Number 8s. They are hybrid athletes who can run well in open space, yet are large and strong enough to handle themselves with the biggest players on the field. Running backs/defensive backs - rugby fullbacks. Very fast and elusive. Wide receivers - similar to rugby wingers. Like backs, they are very speedy and often play on the far offensive perimeter. Quarterback - no real rugby equivalent. By far the most important individual player. The entire attack flows through him. The best comparison I can muster would be a basketball point guard or association football Number 10. Starts/stops: it helps a newcomer who is familiar with association football, to consider a gridiron game to be a series of set pieces. Every play has a strategy, the goal of which is to overload the opposition or bait them into bad decisions. Our word "scrimmage" is a corruption of the rugby term "scrum". Every play is effectively like a scrum, albeit more elaborate and with more permutations of result. Do the helmets obscure vision? - yes, but you get used to it. Players who spend time in open space and rely more upon sharp visual acuity and peripheral vision tend to smaller, less intricate facemasks. These are sometimes called "quarter cages" or "half cages". Linemen or other players who spend most of their time in tight space wear more elaborate face masks, sometimes called "three quarter cages" or "full cages". Football hitting and tackling: every offensive/attacking player, not in possession of the ball is theoretically responsible for blocking a defender, or acting as a decoy to remove a potential defender. There are rules governing blocking, but the collisions can easily be as violent as tackles, if not more so. Tackles: many of the tackles in the video are actually horrible from a standpoint of technique. Ideally, a football tackle and a rugby tackle are similar if not identical. Make contact with the ball carrier, wrap the arms, place the head on the ball side, drive the man to the ground. On certain occasions, defenders are called upon to separate the attacker from the ball (contesting a pass as it is being caught, for example). Otherwise, if you're not wrapping up, a coach who is a stickler for fundamentals will be displeased. Protective gear - you are correct. Helmets and pads actually encourage violence because players fear broken noses, cranial fractures, and wrecked shoulders less than they otherwise would without them. The pads and helmets do nothing for collapsed lungs, broken ribs, lacerated kidneys, wrecked knees, and concussions. There is a small but vocal minority who advocate the abolition of facemasks in order to encourage a return to proper, and safer tackling. Some rugby experts are sometimes hired in order to teach rugby style tackling. Gridiron football is a horrifically violent game, mostly because of the way it is played. High speed collisions occur by design. Players at the university and professional level are enormous, the largest sometimes eclipsing 2 meters tall and 150 kg in weight. The fastest players are easily as quick and explosive as world class Olympic sprinters. Example: gridiron foot speed is typically measured by the 40 yard dash. The fastest players run that distance from a dead start in about 4.2 seconds. Usain Bolt covered the same distance in 4.22 seconds when he ran his world record 100 meters.

I thought it was adorable when she asked “was that a female player?” No lol nooooooo it was not

Your facial reactions are hilarious 🤣

So I played in a pretty competitive high school team as a linebacker. I was 6’2 and about 245lbs at the time with less than 10% body fat. And I could do the 40 yard dash in 5 seconds, averaged 3.5 sacks a game and that was not good enough to go to a D1 school for football. So to answer your question. No you cannot be out of shape and be in the nfl. Most of those 300lb lineman are faster than your fastest rugby players. They’re freaks of nature.

'Your games go on for a really long time' Blame the advertisers and commercials.

"Just rub a little dirt on it kid, and get back in the game" "There ain't no crying in football!" Everything you need to know.

I played American Football in High school. Even with the padding those hits hurt a lot. The shock is absorbed into the pads and it adds even more pain and stress to the body. Trust me, the padding might make us look like wimps but we definitely are not wimps.

"Does the game stop after a big tackle?" ... only if the player is napping after the hit, other wise, nope, clock is still winding get up get to the line and go again.

Diane, American Football Players are much bigger, stronger, and faster which makes their collisions that much scarier! That’s why they MUST wear helmets and have additional padding!

Hello Diane. If you ever visit our great country, I highly recommend you do so during the Autumn. And while over here, please pay a visit to a typical American sports bar on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Good luck and God bless.

In America we have a special saying: "If it doesn't kill you, we won't watch it"

When you said "Is that a female player?" I died laughing!😂😂

When the players run into and/or knock down an opponent without the ball, it’s called a block. You block someone in order to keep them away from your ball carrier. Recent changes do not allow hits to the head of a “defenseless” player - such as a receiver attempting to catch the ball or a quarterback looking to pass the ball. Another recent rule change (Targeting) doesn’t allow tacklers to initiate contact with the top of the helmet or to initiate a helmet to helmet collision on a “defenseless” player. The stopping and starting of the AF game is due to the game’s concept of distinct “downs”. A team’s offense has 4 downs in which to advance the line of scrimmage 10 or more yards. Advancing beyond 10 yards, grants the team a new set of downs. It gives them them a “First Down”. Same thing. You maintain control of the ball as long as you keep making first downs before you run out of them. Most of the time, teams will punt the ball downfield on 4th down., rather than turnover control of the ball where they have stalled. Collisions in football, the hitting, occurs on every play. Having played football for several years (8th grade thru 4 years of college) I can tell you that nothing really prepares your body for the hitting. You can run, practice & lift weights, but nothing compares to actual hitting in getting you ready for a season. Every player & former player here has memories of feeling like they had been in a series of major automobile accidents for the first 2 to 3 weeks of every season. These first practices are held during Summer Camp (Football Camp) when you get 2 or 3 practices in per day. Everyone is sore & “stove up” for the first few weeks. Then you get use to it. Size matters in football - the bigger & heavier you are the harder you can hit. And the easier it is to take hits. With that said, speed is always an advantage. Speed increases the force when hitting… or allows you to avoid being hit or tackled. Vince Lombardi (Legendary Football Coach) famously said… “ Football is NOT a contact sport. Dancing is s contact sport. Football is a Hitting sport.) It’s a beautiful game. Strategy is important. So is Preparation. Conditioning, speed, strength, size, coordination, aggressiveness, hard work, mental toughness, physical toughness, courage, & the will to win are all key factors & virtues. Last things. Love your channel. Just found it. And AF is played on a “field” rather than a “pitch”. I think that the differences in language among English speaking nations are extremely interesting. Idea for an episode. I know the long struggles between Kings & Churches shaped a lot of things in Irish history & culture. Tell us about how Irish folks think of Scots-Irish, many of whom settled in Appalachia & later in the midWest & Western States. I’m guessing that they were Celtic people, too. They didn’t seem to like being ruled by the English. They came here long before the later waves of Irish Catholic immigrants. My DNA report said that I’m 38% Irish. I’m assuming that means Celtic as I do t know of any Irish ancestors. Both sides of my family have been in the US farther than any family records go. The rest of my DNA is English except 1% Subsaharan African & 4% North African. I assume the North African (Berber) ancestry is from Slavers or Pirates. Not many Berbers have immigrated to the US. Who knows? Anyway that you would like to address Irish history as it relates to the US would be fine. Thanks!

People have had their careers ended from their legs and ankles bending and snapping the wrong way. Like literally snapping backwards

The pads do provide a level of protection, however it's more valid to say that the pads allow for players to go full force into their hits that rugby players wouldn't risk

Ms. Jennings, the point of playing defense is to intimidate the offensive player. It didn't matter if it was a lineman, a receiver, a running back etc. You made them start looking for your number. You broke their concentration. They weren't playing football anymore, they were playing "where's #51".

if you watch it with live audio you can hear some of these hits (the plastic of the pads / helmets colliding) with a camera a mile in the sky

All I can say about American football is WELCOME TO THE THUNDERDOME

Diane: 6:48 "you see.....Jesus!" Me: Yeah, after hits like that, you'd probably see Jesus.

Oh my bads you brought it up further on in the video 😁 great reaction looking forward to more

Like full speed running into a house... and sometimes, the house tracks you down and runs into you!

Also, you can't tackle people without the ball, but you can "block" them, meaning move them away from where the ball carrier or passer wants to be or go. It ends up looking a lot like tackling, but it's more like scrum pushing than tackling.

“ pansies” “Jeezus” “that legal?” Love this video

Dear Diane, I just saw your noticed it is from 2 years ago. Hopefully someone answered your questions already. Just in case, rugby is by far the safer sport. Why? A play in American Football is usually 6 seconds or less. Then the teams get nearly 15 to 30 seconds of rest. They are ready to go hard for another 6 seconds again. Additionally, American Football has players for offense and different players for defense. This allows half the team to get a few minutes of rest before going back on to the field. I have played both sports. I will try to explain from personal experience. In both sports I was foolish enough to jump as high as I could to catch the ball coming towards me. Rugby had the opposing player grabbing my legs and pulling me down while twisting my body to have the ball on his side. American Football the opposing player literally ran through my legs causing to look like a helicopter before it blows up. I was spinning around while being flipped over. The hit in rugby turns into a scrum to secure control of the ball while teammates set up their wing. The players hope to get the ball but are prepared to play defense. American Football I had the wind knocked out of me. I still had the ball, I did not turn it over, but I did come out of the game for a couple of plays to catch my breath. Then I was back in the game. Rugby looks more violent, but isn't. Rugby players start at 100% but as the game goes on they are down to 80% halfway through the 1st have, and close to 60% by halftime. The lack of padding, the bloody noses, and bruises just helps it look more terrifying. American Football has less blood seen through the game. The pads and uniforms cover up nearly the whole body. If you feel tired you can come out of the game, and a substitute will go in till you are ready again. As for the hits to the head, they are illegal, but it depends on the situation. As players get close, it is natural to lower your head to absorb the hit. Launching yourself into a player's head is illegal and can get you suspended for the remainder of the game. But initial hitting into the chest, and then rising up into the head is legal. You attempted to make contact into a legal area, where you go afterwards is a continuous action. Many of those hits you saw on the video were legal 20+ years ago. Try watching game from the 70s when closlining was legal. In the 60s the Kansas City Chiefs had a player break opposing players helmet by striking just above the face mask. Oh, and the face mask was a single bar, not like they have today.

Yes in American Football or the NFL, you can hit the head/upper body because it is the easiest way to bring down the opponent. And in when playing football your team mates will defend who ever has the ball by tackling other players on the opposite team, while the opposite team is trying to tackle or stop the player who has the football. I hope this made sense!

“Are people generally okay?” No. No, they are not.

Up until about 5 years ago head to head hits were legal. I was actually taught in junior high school to use my helmet as a weapon

Helmet to helmet hits are no longer legal as of like 2015, but hitting people without the ball is just called blocking it helps the ball carrier get further down the field.

Padding does very little to prevent injury. The helmet helps somewhat with not getting dinged too hard in the head but can also be used as a weapon (although illegal). The knee pads help when landing on a knee so the players aren't playing with skinned up knees all the time. The shoulder pads might help prevent a shoulder separation. Other than that, we've had players killed, paralyzed for life, hearts stop from being hit too hard, players with internal injuries, concussions, and all kinds of horrific leg breaking and other injuries. Statistically Rugby and American football have roughly a similar number of injuries.

Isn’t American football the greatest thing ever! Brings a tear to my eye!

In non-pandemic years, there’s usually a college football game, usually Notre Dame, in Ireland. You may want to check it out. There are different styles of play. Some teams huddle between plays while others go faster in a “no huddle” style. But there is always at least a brief pause for the referee to place the ball.

The answer to "Are people generally ok" is sadly, no. People get very badly hurt playing this game pretty much constantly. One of the strongest deciding factors for team success is health. That's why football teams are so large, it is expected that players will be badly hurt and unable to play, so you need replacements.

The uninitiated always think the pads make the game look soft... Then they watch the game unfold. Never fails to see their change of heart 😁

It isn't so much "stop and start" as much as it is "scrape the unconscious body off the grass and move on"

Fun Fact Teddy Roosevelt was involved in safety reforms in the early days of football

Rugby is no where near the violence of American football

If you ever played- especially defense... the best part is a nice, clean hit. I used to love takling as a safety

Are people generally okay? No! Concussions are a huge problem and serious brain damage is a concern/risk of every player.

"Football is war" Yep. You are a warrior and your body is a weapon.

There are new rules with head contact because of concussions. Either way they say when you get hit it’s like being in a car accident every time. This is why the padding is used. Most of the time you don’t see an injury.

My son was small for his age. When he was 8 he started saying he wanted to play football. I tried to talk him into baseball but he loved football. I told him that if he promised me that even if they ripped his arm off he wouldn't cry and embarrass me I'd let him play. He promised. I got him signed up and we got his gear. I helped him suit up and put on the pads and helmet. When he had it all on I popped him up side the helmet at half speed and said "Are you ready!" and he snarled "Yeah!" I then hauled off and hit him full speed, he hit the couch and bounced off and into the floor. When he got up I asked him if he was ready and he went "Yeah!" And we started snarling together like wild dogs. My wife was like, "Oh my God!" It was on, he was a little beast. One of my proudest moments was hearing a coach screaming at his offensive line "Can't you stop that LITTLE kid?"

"the pads exacerbate the violence rather than protect" She's been watching the NFL for literally one minute and already understands it better than the safety commissions.

Those aren’t pads Diane, they’re wearable weapons.

I’m a wide receiver in American football and if someone is running with the ball by you your supposed to hit the player trying to tackle so he can’t . And we have helmets so that is why we can hit above the head

7:04 "I can see why this is a young person's game. You wouldn't take those hits for too long." Tom Brady who's over 40: *Hold my 7 Super Bowl wins*

Fun Fact: Padding came into play in the late 1910's or early 1920's because it got so bad that in a single game 3 players died. So they revised the rules and made it mandatory to wear protection.

They are not supposed to lead with their head in any hits it’s supposed to be an automatic penalty. It usually leads to a concussion that takes a player out for at least 15 days on concussion protocol. Problem is having a referee to actually catch every player leading with the hit. Leading with any other body part (shoulders) is fine.