Even if it was definitively proved that he was 5 times more likely than you were to suffer from Alzheimer’s or another neurological disease in later life?
I would be saying to him, here is the risk you run so you must go into it with full knowledge of the possible health consequences of your decision.
I can see litigation forcing changes in the end.
Litigation will of course change things. Until another study disproves the theory. And that will happen.
Are you equally sure that boxing will be proved not to increase the risk of these neurological conditions or any other sports that involve 1000s of blows to the head over a prolonged period? All will be proved to be perfectly safe?
What I meant, is that where litigation dictates, then counter studies will be elicited to prove the original outcomes incorrect.
I’m not arguing the point as you make it.
In most of our lifetimes smoking bans, seatbelt laws and compulsory motorbike hemets etc have become the norm. Workplaces are safer, people use sunscreen and in many other ways, life has become safer, sometimes at the expense of excitement and adventure. It’s an evolutionary thing, we eradicated our predators, increased our hygiene, reduced danger wherever we could in order to protect our species. This is just one minute step in a long and inevitable process. Hopefully, a compromise will be found that protects our young people without destroying the sport.
There is unfortunately, no compromise. Its either outlawing heading the ball or continuing with the sport as it stands.
Society will risk assess itself to ridiculousness. We are afraid of litigation, judgement and consequence. Whilst I agree with the premise of safety etc, the price to pay is about living. Life without fun is a dystopian nightmare.
I can’t say I ever found heading a football much fun, but I have derived pleasure from watching others do it. It’s a bit of a moral nightmare to be honest.
Loved heading the ball, being a mere 5’7" and beating 6 footers in the air was my fave, then given em shit by beaten by a midget, just brilliant.
This explains a lot.
Those old leather bastards, with the prominent lacing, weren’t much fun on a cold, wet, winter’s day. Bad enough when you meant to head them but much worse when one was kicked onto your exposed thigh or straight into your face 
Yep headed them loads thats why I’m only 5’7"
Yep small man syndrome xxx
Imagine living in the world as it exists in 2026 and using the word “dystopian” to describe efforts to reduce the incidence of degenerative brain diseases.
I know half the posts in here seem to demonstrate perfectly why the brain needs protecting.
But no one did. Read again.
My comment was related to a general idea of life without fun being a dystopian nightmare. Related to our inabilty/unwillingness to take risks.
I have engaged in this debate regarding heading the ball, and feel that this is a change I dont want to see in football.
You haven’t engaged, but chose to take a sentence to denigrate, way out of context. I wonder why @Prolix ?
Including yours Matty? Or are you among the super intelligent?
And the other half show why some brains are beyond protection 
I wonder if there were people saying the game had gone when offside was introduced in 1863.
Yeah, CoG thought the rule makers back then were fuckwits
Maybe. But changes that enhanced the game were probably welcome.