...over a period of nearly ten years. that's like 2 or 3 posts a day. my life is great; jealousy never gets you anywhere.
No, they're not really. The NFL is at its height of popularity with or without fantasy football. Yeah, you can argue that casual fans are getting into the game more because of fantasy football, but I'll argue that casual fans aren't pumping money into the game. They don't go to games, they don't buy merchandise, and they sure as hell don't give the players any money. Besides that, this point is moot with Foster, as he makes near the league minimum, and doesn't complain about it. NFL Sunday ticket was around and doing fine before the height of fantasy football. Redzone was not, so it's hard to say. Honestly, I've never played fantasy football, and I can say for sure that I love football andhave watched nearly every Texans games (even though I have lived out of market for all but two years of their existence). If a 49ers fan has a hard time watching the most exciting game in sports right now, they're more of a t-shirt fan. Maybe they'll start watching again when the team gets its next Monatana, or Rice, or Steve Young. This is true, and is partly due to fantasy football, but mostly due to social media, and the internet in general. Like I said, I don't play fantasy football, and I have all that information, also. Please reread and edit your first sentence. It is a total oxymoron. I can't argue that fantasy football doesn't bring fans together, because it does. Like I said, fantasy football players aren't paying for anything directly. They contribute a *small* percentage of the viewer base for the NFL (and I'm talking non-football, fantasy-only players, that would have never watched the NFL without it). Fantasy points don't pay players in any way. Actual on-field stats do.
I don't think fantasy football owners are a small percentage of the viewer base. When I played fantasy football, I would watch every game I could with one of my players in it. Now, I am back to watching the Texans and with the occasional other game. I expect there are a lot of fantasy owners that watch double what they would without fantasy. That said, bothering a player on twitter about an injury is weak sauce.
They had an injury expert state that you cannot make a full service medical diagnosis based on a twitter mri pic. 8-28 -sunday-was the date on the mri. He jogged after sunday. If serious, there won't be jogging allowed. . .period...he wouldn't have been allowed if a type 2 or 3 tear or whatever
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6913877/arian-foster-houston-texans-tweets-mri-photo-hamstring Houston Texans running back Arian Foster on Wednesday posted a picture of an MRI of his hamstring on Twitter, prompting questions about the severity of his injury and his openness about it. "This is an MRI of my hamstring, The white stuff surrounding the muscle is known in the medical world as anti-awesomeness," he wrote, providing a link to a picture of the MRI image. Dr. Michael Kaplan, ESPN's sports medicine expert, provided his own analysis of Foster's injury Wednesday and said that it is significant, based on the image the running back posted. "The MRI scan tweeted by Foster demonstrates considerable muscle damage with bleeding and swelling," Kaplan said. "Treatment is conservative. Rest, physical therapy with stretching and ultrasound, and anti-inflammatory medicine will be employed. Foster will use a gradual strengthening program when he's ready. A return to the field would not be expected before three to four weeks. Premature exertion risks re-tear and longer convalescence." The NFL said in a statement to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that the league's Twitter policy did not cover Foster's actions and any discipline would be at the team's discretion. "We are aware that Arian tweeted a picture of his MRI," Texans general manager Rick Smith said in a statement. "It is a violation of team policy to disclose medical information via social media and he is aware of that. We will handle the situation internally." Foster defended providing the image to his Twitter followers with a tweet later Wednesday. "If I had a 'significant injury' why post it? I'll be fine, it was jus meant to make fun of the whole situation. Humor is lost nowadays," he wrote. On Sunday, Texans coach Gary Kubiak said he was optimistic that Foster would be ready for the team's regular-season opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Foster sat out Houston's preseason opener, then rushed five times for 47 yards and two touchdowns in the Texans' 27-14 win over New Orleans on Aug. 20. He was hurt on his eighth carry against the 49ers on Saturday. "Looks like we're dealing with the same thing we were dealing with at the start of camp," Kubiak said Sunday. "Hopefully, we can get him back on the rehab train, and get him ready for opening day. He'll be day to day." Kubiak said head athletic trainer Geoff Kaplan offered a "very positive" outlook for Foster's recovery, though Kubiak stopped short of saying Foster would definitely be healed in time for the Sept. 11 opener against Indianapolis. "Until he hops back out there, there's a concern," Kubiak said. "But it sounds like we're heading in the right direction."
Another thing, just imagine...You are Arian for a sec, sunday you go for the MRI and direct examination by specialized Doctors,...whatever happens after the diagnosis on sunday is unknown to us,...BUT monday and tuesday you rejoin the team, no longer show limping at all, and do some jogging with the rest of the team - feeling much better no doubt...then what about wed. you are feeling it with the twitter and decide to post an mri pic as part of having fun,...then from a distance Doctors who saw the pic immediately state this is up to a 4 week problem, and the only recourse to remedy is complete rest, muscle therapy, and inflammation medicine treatment . . . something is not adding up... Either the team stated for the doctors to shutup and ignore the proper diagnosis after the examination and MRI results so that Arian may continue to play a full 16game schedule so the team gets taken to the promise land and Arian gets his 1900 yards rushing -OR- Doctors making a definite statement of diagnosis based on a single pic is out of bounds umm, you decide...
I never make them, to be honest. If you're referring to the quote by quote type. I think it's the first time I've ever done it.
It's the doctor being out of bounds. As I said earlier, there are probably 400 other pictures in the MRI series that a radiologist would look at to come up with a diagnosis. Couple that with the fact that looking at a picture posted to Twitter compromises the quality of the picture on a wholescale basis, ESPN loses all credibility to have that doctor on there talking about that (not to mention the doctor lacking integrity), There is NO WAY you can sit there an make a diagnosis based on a twitpic. Unless, of course, ESPN obtained the MRI somehow. Then, we're talking HIPAA violations on the account of ESPN and Methodist (or wherever they do the MRIs).
I love Arian Foster but what he did was moronic. Fun at that time maybe but now team knows exactly where to target, where to "accidentally step on," where to twist it a little holder while being on the ground in the pile up. I feel Texans maybe now forced to rest him till he becomes fully healed but any idiot can know hamstring injuries linger, especially for a running back in the NFL.
It will be sore, but stepping on that injury site, I'm sure, won't do any more long-term damage than stepping on any other part of a players' body. It's much more detrimental, still, to step on a running backs hands, feet, or ankles, if that's the route you're gonna go.
Agree with this. I watch more than double the amount of football since I play fantasy. If not, I would only watch Texans games or "big" games like the Thu night bash between the Packers/Saints. Now is this injury serious or not (asking as a Texans fan and not as a FF player)?
I quit playing fantasy when I found myself rooting for players I had no business rooting for. (That and non-paying jackasses)
The biggest problem for the Texans in all this is, if they deem Arian healthy and he reinjures himself - even if it's a total fluke and unrelated - the Texans medical staff is going to end up taking a lot of crap and getting second guessed. They can't be happy at all right now.
When Peyton was asked the other day about his injury he said something like: "guys, I don't know what HIPAA stands for, but I believe in it!" you don't tweet your MRI when you play pro sports. i love me some arian, but this is just dumb.
