WINNIPEG, Manitoba — On a bone-chilling day this month, as the hometown Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League practiced for a playoff game against the Edmonton Eskimos, something was noticeably missing: the unmistakable crack of plastic hitting plastic.
In September, the league barred players from deliberately slamming into one another during regular-season practices, and while they still wear helmets, they no longer wear shoulder pads and other protective gear.
By most standards, the league’s decision, aimed at reducing injuries like concussions, was a bold one. To date, the Ivy League is the only college conference to end full-contact football practices in the regular season.