Old School Vs New School Injuries..

[ATL_Bball_King]

I just dont remember so many injuries being such a big issue back in the day...If you could walk then you could play is what I use to hear...Now players get surgeries left and right for the smallest injuries... Are they fake?? Is this a way of control?? or are players just more fragile now??

[imdaman99]

I remember when Spree played a playoff game on a broken leg. Now a sprained pinky and Steve Kerr is resting his best players.

[KingLeBronJames]

I blame the zone defense era.

[CavaliersFTW]

https://youtu.be/EFTY-6sk3iA?t=5m9s

Listen to Bob Pettit talk about injuries. Played 2 years with a cast due to breaking his hand. Had hundreds of stitches throughout his career in his face alone, would get like 20 stitches in one quarter and still finish the game, had to be carried out to the court with bad sprains and would still play. As he puts it "In those days you PLAYED, if you were hurt you better really be hurt". A very Cowboy attitude towards injuries back then.

In this era you've got guys being carried OFF the courts with cramps and wheelchaired off with sprains. Def very different attitude about injuries now vs then. However, now athletes probably have much greater chances of recovery. It's better for the athletes. But worse for the fans.

[MP.Trey]

Careers are much longer nowadays due to players resting instead of playing through and aggravating lingering injuries. I think owners/coaches/players just realize you may be doing a service to your team in the short term playing through injuries but you also may be doing a disservice to yourself and your team in the long term.

I do agree it has been taken overboard though by players simply resting for the playoffs, I don't like players resting just because they're tired of playing 4 games in 5 nights, deal with it, that's what you're paid to do but players resting because of a sore foot, elbow, etc. after coming back from semi-major to major injuries is acceptable in my eyes and not an issue.

[andgar923]

To defend today's players, there's more of a financial risk to play hurt. Players are also more educated about the risks involved if they play injured. Im sure in the past players tried to tough it out but weren't aware of the future effects it may have on their career down the road. Today's players are smarter in certain aspects and won't feel pressured by the team.

Speaking of 'team', teams are also more protective of their 'investment'. Their attitude has changed and are also more aware of the risks if they play a player to the ground and diminish injuries.

[buddha]

it'll be any day now that teams start "calling" games during blow outs to not hurt the feelings of the losing team.

[CavaliersFTW]

To defend today's players, there's more of a financial risk to play hurt. Players are also more educated about the risks involved if they play injured. Im sure in the past players tried to tough it out but weren't aware of the future effects it may have on their career down the road. Today's players are smarter in certain aspects and won't feel pressured by the team.

Speaking of 'team', teams are also more protective of their 'investment'. Their attitude has changed and are also more aware of the risks if they play a player to the ground and diminish injuries.
Yes, but the inverse of what you think is the result.

Players back then weren't playing through minor injuries because they didn't realize injuries would/could be so bad. In fact, they feared they'd be WORSE because the variables were far more unknown and the outlook on your livelihood was often worse if you could no longer play. Elgin was told he may never walk without a cane let alone play again after 3/4 of his knee was removed. There was no rehab. It was surgery, than go home. You wanna play again? HA! Guys like Elgin, Jerry Lucas, Wilt Chamberlain, they all had to figure out on their own to rehab themselves, and they all ended up having careers after their injuries through sheer determination/desperation to stay playing.

There was real fear back then about never playing again if you got hurt. And unlike today, you didn't make millions, nor was there even something so simple as insurance. If you got injured CAREER OVER. You're done. If anything they had even greater incentive to be careful than players do today. But they had to play because it was their job and you couldn't just not show up to your job, that was the work-ethic in general back then. You had to earn your meager check. Low wage, high risk. That guarantee'd though, these guys were legitimately obsessed with basketball. They put up with it because they loved the sport. Their situations are just a totally totally different thing than you see today. As Chris Webber calls them, that's the Cowboy generation of the league.