That explains a lot!!!

Hockey is not only played on ice andas far as I'm aware helmets are still not worn in rugby, football or grass hockey!

@FrayedBear In American Football helmets were adopted in the 1890s'... They may not have been particularly effective back then but in 1917 they came out with the first suspension helmets...
[en.wikipedia.org]

@Lizard_of_Ahaz lol - as the whole world knows football is played with a round ball.

@FrayedBear Tell you what why don't you get a team of your best players together and let them try to get across the field with an equal number of American college football players... A few might make it but most will only be staring at the ceiling of a hospital room for a very long time....

@Lizard_of_Ahaz Particularly if your American players are wearing body armour and helmets. It reminds me of the time Ali agreed to fight the Japanese karate expert under rules that didn't allow him to hit the man laying on the mat. The Japanese kicked the shit out of Ali who was hospitalised and lucky to live let alone walk again. I'm surprised that he didn't just kick his knee caps out.

@FrayedBear There is a damned good reason for wearing all that body armour the game is rough. Soccer is a game for wimps the only real rough stuff is after the games when the fans riot... How can you call a game football when the fans are tougher than the players?...

@Lizard_of_Ahaz

@Lizard_of_Ahaz so speaks the man who has probably never played either rugby or .

@FrayedBear I played soccer a few times but it was about as dangerous as volleyball or basketball (the way I played it). I did play Football but I liked grudge matches more than formal games. People who played on opposing teams were afraid of me.

@FrayedBear You do realize that MMA started in the USA right?... Though the idea dates back to ancient Greece...

@Lizard_of_Ahaz Aha, always loved playing a bully. It started when I was 11 years old & my form master was the all England reserve full back.
One game period he came to field in his classroom clothes of Harris Tweed Jacket, knife edge creased slacks and shirt & tie. Taking the ball he started at the other end of the field challeging all 30 boys from the 2 sides to bring him down.
29 boys splattered on the ground & he was left with me between him and the try line.
I simply avoided his fist in the face and tackled him down as he went past. You cannot run without legs.

What I didn't know (like Ali) was that he was wearing metal shod shoes which he used against my skull. Nowadays he woud be jailed for it.

Now that I no longer have hair (the result of having balls) the indentation from where he kicked can still be clearly seen 60 years on.
With hindsight I realise that I should have simply swept his legs from under him with a wrestling throw.
How about you?

@Lizard_of_Ahaz MMA in name only. Early pre Queensbury & gloved boxing pugilistic fighting was the same andworse than MMA. Neither is equal to the mayhem of the Roman Colosseum.

@FrayedBear I once put more than 20 construction workers and their boss out "sick" after playing a game of football against them. My back up was comprised of not very strong players for the most part but when you start clothes hanging the offense and taking three men out of play after they lost three quarter backs their moral goes completely to shit and you can run right over them. I used to play a very dirty game... Oh and they didn't manage to even bruise me which really scared the shit out of them. They had been giving security a lot of shit until that game and started following the rules afterwards. It was at Northrop in Pico Rivera CA .

@Lizard_of_Ahaz obviously didnt have a referee.

@FrayedBear Or rules either...

@FrayedBear Field hockey is played on grassed fields (softer) with no boards around the playing surface. As well none of those sports reach the speeds ice hockey players reach by wearing sharpen blades on their feet. just sayin'

@bookofmorons a player can be more easily killed or paralysed in the field games.