Helmets can’t guarantee safety
Is playing tackle football worth risking damage to youngsters’ brains?
It’s August and the little guys with big dreams have already reported for drills, but it isn’t too late to ask: Why are young children playing tackle football?
Earlier this week, a Concussion Summit was held at Virginia Tech for about 100 youth, rec and high school football coaches to hear the latest information gathered on concussions, helmets and ways to protect players. During the last few years, information has begun to emerge about just how dangerous it is to take hard knocks to the noggin even if consciousness is not lost. NFL players whose bells are rung are required now to sit out not only the next play, but the game and the next one unless an independent neurologist clears them. Colleges and high schools, too, have adopted protective rules and are getting better at spotting problems.
August 3, 2012 - 6:18 AM
Just make sure they all get trophies please.
I’m a football fan, but I think the sport is doomed over the long run. You can improve the protocols for identifying and dealing with concussions. You can attempt to improve the equipment and even the rules of the game. Though, ultimately, physics can’t be defeated. High impact collisions which jar the brain can’t be eliminated from football. Eventually, children and their parents will conclude it’s not worth it and will pursue other sports.
This is ridiclious PC crap. I have three young boys ages 5. 5 and 9. They all play Lacrosse and if they want to play football I will encourage it. Football and all sports help build character. The hitting is part of the sport. I played football from a young age through high school and have a lot of friends that did also to no ill effect. My sons do age approiate scuba diving and ride mini bikes. I would much rather take the slight risk of severe injury then have my boys be couch potato video game playing nerds. Oh yea I’m cave diving certified and own a big BMW motorcycle. Life has risk!
It’s just a matter of time before all contact, football, lax, heading soccer ball, etc. is eliminated from youth sports. Not playing tackle football until the age of 13 isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it may encourage more kids to play, if they’re not getting the snot knocked out of them when they’re 8 or 10. No kid made a high school, college, or pro football team by playing tackle football at 10.
The data is what the data is. Data isn’t PC or otherwise, and while different people may have higher risk tolerance, everyone deserves the information to make an informed decision.
It’s possible to be active without getting your head smacked repeatedly.
On the other hand my high school coach did say he would rather have kids enter high school without playing little league football as they have not been taught proper technique
#5 What data would that be (that is)?
“Thanks to seven players with last year’s Auburn Eagles rec league, researchers found the hardest blows came during practice drills. Each player took about 100 collegiate-sized hits to the head during the season. Though none suffered a concussion, there is precious little known of what the cumulative impact of repeated head blows does to the developing brain.”
Several (many, showing my age) a different RTEB advocated eliminating boxing. No one paid any attention.
If the kids were getting 100 collegiate type hits then the coaches arent teaching proper technique. I have coached youth football for years & this never happen with my kids. Soccer has tons of concussions but I dont see the Editorial board advocating kids not start until high school. If you have followed this editorial page for the last few years they are always taking uneducated digs at football. A week of so ago they commented on the Penn State football scandal & threw out something along the lines of Virginia Tech’s football program being out of control without any evidence whatsoever of what they were talking about.
Maybe they should stick to what they do best. Pumping up Obama & dragging down Romney.
Hey, man, we’re not nearly as tough on football as George Will!