7 Responses to My Hypothesis – NotoriousFate

1. davidbdale says:

   January 28, 2022 at 2:53 PM

   I’ve done a little bit of thinking on this topic, NF, which is why I used “Eliminating helmets from NFL games would reduce concussions” as my model Hypothesis. In about one minute on Google Scholar, I found this confirmation of the logic of that hypothesis:
   https://dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/14977
   If you’re logged into your Rowan Library account, you can follow that link to this Abstract:
   Sports equipment has evolved over time to both enhance performance and reduce the injury risk. Protective equipment is particularly important in contact sports where injuries are frequent. In American and Canadian football, helmets and shoulder pads are two pieces of protective equipment that are strictly implemented to absorb hits of massive force to reduce the risk of head and upper body injuries respectively. While the risk of injury is reduced, the athlete’s calculated perspective of risk might be altered. This change in risk equilibrium has the potential unintended consequence of the individual foregoing caution and playing in a faster and more aggressive style. This altered behavior not only increases the individual’s own injury risk, but also puts other athletes who are on the receiving end of contact at greater risk. This displacement of risk is particularly dangerous when an athlete is hit in an area that is unprotected and vulnerable, or in an area where the equipment is not as effective as perceived.

   Equipment can be improved, but when athletes “feel safer,” they may take more risks, resulting in more—not fewer—injuries.

   Perhaps when you begin to explore this topic, you’ll be surprised to find some equally surprising results. We can hope so. Your current hypothesis, that better gear would reduce injuries, does not need to be proved. Everybody already believes it.

   A popular article I read while browsing google for “history of football equipment” observed that futuristic fabrics might make running back so slippery they would be impossible to tackle to the ground. My immediate reaction was, “If I had to tackle an untackleable runner, I’d throw my self at his knees. What do you think? Would that REDUCE or INCREASE lower-body injuries to running backs?

   Like all feedback, this is meant to begin a conversation, NF.
   I am eager to hear your reply.

   Reply
   • notoriousfate says:

     January 31, 2022 at 9:44 PM

     I hadn’t seen your Model Hypothesis or else I would’ve chosen a completely different topic. That being said, the opposite end of my argument is something I never considered because more equipment seemed like an obvious winner in the argument because that is what the equipment is designed to do. The running-back example highlights the key elements of the counter argument and I realized that it would be more dangerous. However, additional rules can be implemented along with the additional equipment in order to prevent things like this happening. Even if a player wants to be more aggressive, more safety rules can prevent them from taking dangerous action because no one wants to be thrown out of the game or suspended. That being said, I would like to change my Hypothesis, and will likely edit it and change it to a different argument. However, I am having slight trouble coming up with a topic to argue about. Do you have any suggestions on brainstorming? If not, I will try out a few different ideas out until I find one that I like.

     Reply
2. davidbdale says:

   January 31, 2022 at 12:50 PM

   No Reply, NF?
   I’m disappointed. I gave you class time to respond.

   Reply
3. notoriousfate says:

   January 31, 2022 at 10:03 PM

   I apologize for not submitting this earlier, but I was trying to work on the class notes and replying to the other agenda that you asked us to. It was a little overwhelming at first to be honest. however, with time and the “How to” video on class notes, I will be able to manage the classwork easier. Thank you for understanding.

   Reply
   • davidbdale says:

     February 1, 2022 at 12:57 PM

     Don’t be so easily discouraged, NF. No matter how good your ideas are, I will always push back.

     But, consider this, please. If a statue is unstable it can be pushed DOWN, or it can be pushed softly from several sides to discover where the foundation needs to be shimmed. Think of my pushback as a nudge to test how stable your argument is.

     You’ve suggested rules changes to improve player safety, or at least to reduce a certain type of injury. Let’s say it’s concussions you wish to reduce. Has anybody carefully studied exactly what sorts of game play activity cause the most concussions? That would be step one before haphazardly drafting new regulations.

     Study that for awhile. Be open to surprise. You may find something that hasn’t occurred to anyone. Your thoughts?

     Reply
4. davidbdale says:

   February 2, 2022 at 8:22 AM

   I’m uncertain about my final step. Does it seem clear?

   Reply
5. davidbdale says:

   February 8, 2022 at 10:12 AM

   NF, your post is still in Feedback Please, but I no longer know what you want from me here. You suggested you might want to change your Hypothesis completely. I suggested that you should bear down a little harder and pursue the one you started with since it interests you.

   It may seem early in the semester to be forcing a decision here, but the White Paper follows very shortly, and the first Definition Argument shortly after that. Without a clearly established research plan, you may be wasting a lot of effort on a thesis that doesn’t interest you.

   Your name is not on the Mandatory Conference chart yet. That is unacceptable. Get yourself an appointment and come to that meeting (on Zoom) with a workable Hypothesis that interests you. Once you do that, I’ll be very helpful in supporting your research.

   Reply

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