06-19-2006, 12:45 PM
Quote:That's a development that is partly due to medics attending to the player from the place of the foul to the side of the field. Also, Ice-Spray works wonders.
It's just a very unusual thing from this perspective. The guy could probably hobble off the field faster than the medical staff can get to him, lift him onto the cart, and click the strap. If I see a stretcher brought onto the field during an American football game, the first thought in my mind is whether the guy will be paralyzed for life, and the second thought is whether he will ever be able to play the game again. Usually, it is only a case where the guy got knocked unconscious and they are just being cautious, but you will almost never see a player come back into the game at any point after being carried off.
As far as the instant replay goes, I don't really see any way you could include it in a sport where the action is so continuous. You can't stop the play to determine whether or not a foul just happened. You have to rely on the officials on the field to see what really happens, and of course that is very hard to do. It would be possible (although surely controversial), during the review of the officiating of each game, to apply or revoke warnings and suspensions for the following game based on differences between what the officials saw and what actually happened. It seems in some cases you are holding the official accountable for blowing the call, and the player gets off free.