Should kids play football?
In recent years parents and grandparents are worrying more and more every day about letting their children or grandchildren play football now than in the past. Roughly four times the number of young football players died from head and spine injuries from 1965 to 1974 compared to 2005-2014, according to previous reports from the University of North Carolina. After careful research on the effects of concussions, it is clear that children should just play and enjoy sports because football is a great way to improve concentration, become better conditioned and gain strength, and improves health overall.
There are many benefits of playing with concentration being towards the top of the list. Concentration helps individuals
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In 2013, for example, eight players died from injuries sustained on the field, a rate of .73 deaths per 100,000, while last year five high school and one college player died, a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 (Brain-injury deaths in high school football players rising" 2017). But how often do you hear about this anymore? I’ve not read about this lately because the football equipment is improving more and more daily. The 2005-06 school year, over 34 million boys and over 16,000 girls played the game. Over 1 million students play each year. While the numbers are higher than other sports, the rates are actually lower than sports like ice hockey and gymnastics. Football has more concussion than rugby does.(Brain-injury deaths in high school football players rising" 2017). This may be true but if you don’t let your kids play football at a young age. Then they won’t know about team playing and life lessons. In 2013, for example, eight players died from injuries sustained on the field, a rate of .73 deaths per 100,000, while last year five high school and one college player died, a rate of 0.45 per 100,000(Brain-injury deaths in high school football players rising" 2017). But the equipment has been updated by year by
Are young children putting their health and even their lives at risk if they partake in the sport of football? Some claim that the American sport is far too dangerous and the risk of concussions and injuries far outway the pros of the physical sport, while others insist that technological improvements and new regulations have made the sport safer. Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of history and education at New York University, argues in his paper, “We Must Stop Risking the Health of Young Football Players,” that football is a sport that is too dangerous for the youth. He states his belief that technological improvements in helmets and changes in the rules of the sport have had little effect on reducing injuries and that nothing has worked.
Concussions, a minor traumatic brain injury that may occur when the head hits an object, are a huge problem in football in high schools and lower levels today. Concussions are very common in football, concussions have a huge negative effect on the brain, and parents and schools are worried about their kids safety. Concussion, in football, are a rising problem especially since the NFL is being sued for hundreds of millions because of concussions. High School football is very violent on children and thats why it is losing some participants.
In 2001 there were 150,000 athletes that were injured at the age of nineteen and younger. In 2009 there were 250,000 injured athletes at the age of nineteen and younger. There is a 6.3 per 1,000 incidence a college player will suffer a concussion while a high school athlete has a 11.2 per 1,000. Risk of concussions in football is high and equipment should continue to improve, but rules should stay the same in order for the game to remain
“Football’s Endgame: What would happen if America’s Pastime just...died” is the title that had heads turning when it made its way onto Sports Illustrated. Football is the United State’s favorite sport so an article like this one was sure to shock fans. The article was written to be set ten years from now when the game of football met its death. Giving the ongoing issues surrounding the game in 2016, the author Austin Murphy dated the article September 7,2036. In this article Murphy talks about the factors that led to the end of one of the U.S’s beloved sports. Factors like the AIG not protecting athletes against head injuries in the NFL, Pop Warner settling a death with the family of a former football player who committed suicide at the age of 25 from CTE caused by hits to the head, and the 10% rise in football concussions. A woman whose son had passed away from a motorcycle accident noticed changes in her boy. Playing football for almost a decade he was bound to get hurt, but it was after his death that doctors found he had CTE. CTE is a topic of discussion in this article. Sports Illustrated works to inform everyone about CTE and its effects on the mind. This disease targets the way a person thinks and changes their moods, “He had all these [football-related] problems with his knees and back, but his brain was
[National Federation of State High School Associations] NFHS (high school statistics 14-17/18) participation data shows a little over 1.1 million participants; for a total of roughly 6.6 million participants in youth football from Peewee up through high school Varsity. You could probably adjust this 5 percent in both directions as a deviation because again, while each area may have full padded football, not all data is centralized [2].” Due to its nature, the sport of football has always been a physical sport and participating athletes have always been prone to various injuries; however, the issue of injuries inflicted by the game did not become a social issue until recently. Among the several injuries this sport exposes; the leading affliction and hottest social topic is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In 2002 Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist and chief medical examiner of San Joaquin County, California, as well as a professor in the UC Davis Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, first discovered CTE and defined the same as, “… a progressive degenerative disease that afflicts the brain of people who have suffered repeated concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBI)” [3]. Omalu discovered this new found disease in
Football is America’s favorite sport. It is a fast-paced, hard-hitting game. Every week thousands of men and boys all across the country take part in football and every week these men and boys receive violent hits during the game. Frequently, as a result of these violent hits, the player receives a concussion. However, the long-term effects of concussions on players are not fully understood. New research shows that even a slight concussion in a football game can have lasting effects on a player. As a result of this research, children under the age of fourteen should not play tackle football.
Scientist have conducted extensive studies over time to prove and disprove both sides of the coin. The Mayo Clinic found that the risk of high school football players developing degenerative neurological diseases later in life is no greater than if they had been in the band, glee or choir. Riley also states that the data suggests that a normal adolescent life puts them at risk for brain injury all the time. Boot has provided that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health surveyed 3,439 men who played in the NFL for at least five seasons between 1958 and 1988, and found that they actually live longer than the general population. This information shows that the studies inconclusive and that the concerns may be exaggerated; however, you can’t ignore the increasing number of new
Awareness about the severity of concussions, particularly on young brains, has increased, but researchers are still seeing a rise in high school concussions. According to the National Academy of Sciences, out of 10,000 high school football games and practices there are approximately eleven concussions reported; two times more than college football. But researchers strongly believe the number for high school football concussions would be significantly higher if there were more reported concussions and less unreported. Safety guidelines for concussions in the NFL and NCAA have increased, but there is still an insufficient amount of safety in high school sports. Many high schools in the United States should have stricter guidelines to better
“Maybe I´m stupid or whatever, but to me if I got a concussion, if I could see straight and carry a football, then I´m not telling anybody”, Ricky Williams, NFL Football player. The argument about whether kids should play football or not is an important topic to argue. People need to understand that the concussions and other injuries are more serious with young kids. The problem is that many people think that it could be stopped by not allowing kids to play at all. Although parents can reduce risk of injury by not allowing their kids to play football, parents should let their children play football because it lets kids follow their dreams, it helps kids become more mature and independant, and if kids use proper technique they can reduce injuries.
Every sport has its tricks and ways of doing things the right way. You can assure anyone that the sport their child is playing is safe, because there is always a stronger, bigger, faster player than them. Personally, I believe football is a demanding sport that requires a lot of strength, and stamina. If you read the article “Hard Knocks” by Alan Schwarz, it gives a brief story about a young football player. “The autopsy showed that his brain was in the early stage of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, more commonly known as C.T.E.” Many football players die from this condition.
Football, just another method to throw life away. Football is an extremely unsafe sport, yet it is glorified by several in the United States. A plethora of football players are impacted negatively by injuries that may occur just by playing an "innocent" little game of tackle football. It is necessary to consider all the dreadful outcomes that may happen before taking the chance to play. Young individuals shouldn't play tackle football due to the trauma it can cause to the brain, the injuries or occurrences that can lead to a harder life or even death, and it leaves the players to be less sharp in their old age. It is often thought that football is a harmless game for kids to enjoy. Nevertheless, the amount of health issues and injuries that can be caused by football is unbelievable and not worth the risk.
Concussions today are among the most severe injuries in sports, especially in the game of football. Concussions can almost happen at any place or at anytime just depending on the situation you are in. 5-10 % of all athletes will experience a concussion during their time of play in whatever sport they are participating in. ‘’A typical high school football player receives about 650 hits to the head per season, according to researchers at Purdue University and the University of Michigan. The impacts of those hits are the equivalent of what a seat-belted passenger experiences in car accidents ranging from 15-to-35 mph, according to University of Nebraska professor Timothy Gay, author of “The Physics of Football.”Needless to say, that is a lot of contact that most likely could leave the athlete vulnerable to brain injury’’(Baumbatch) Football is the leading sport in concussions, therefore players should be especially aware of the dangers of concussions. The re...
Football isn’t even the most dangerous contact sport that you could play. Other high school sports have recorded just as much, or even more concussions than football. In an article on WebMD.com Robert Preidt writes that, “Between 2010 and 2015, the concussion rate was higher in girls' soccer than in boys' football, the findings showed. During the 2014-2015 school year, concussions were more common in girls' soccer than in any other sport in the study.” Despite being viewed as one of the most dangerous sports, football does not even have the largest rate of concussions or the most serious concussions. In fact, in another study on Fox Sports.com, soccer was seen to be responsible for more of the serious concussions. Concussion numbers can be dropped with attentiveness and responsibility as kids play the game of football. Most concussions in youth football are a result of the player being irresponsible or intentionally violent while they play. But, new rules are in place that diminish this style of play. The amount of concussions can be reduced, and organizations are working on making football a safer game to play. In an article on the New York Times Marvin Washington, a former NFL player, says, “I know this is contrary to public opinion, but the game of football is safer than it has ever been, and is evolving into an even safer game.” The safety of football players at all
It 's been outrageous , how many kids get injured per year playing youth sports for school and organizations. The youth who play sports receive plenty medical attention throughout the year due to injuries cause from actions made occuring in games. Health plays a big part in sports because if your are are not healthy many things can go wrong with the body including dehydration, heart problems , and muscle spasm. Playing a sport can be very hard to juggle with school and also getting talked down by coaches and parents. Dehydration is a high possibility because of outside sports that happen in the spring/summer and playing and practicing in humid conditions that you are not well prepared for can be bad and there will be consequences. Parents and
Staying active is very important when it comes to sports. Sports make us smarter. When you’re smarter at the game, it leads to respect from teammates and that’s the part where leadership comes into play. Leadership is caused by a word known as “Focused.” Confidence is what boosts your skills and overall intelligence of sports. Just simply playing football is fun and we love to do it. That’s the best thing about it; anyone can play and like it whether it is a fan of the game, a player, a young child or anyone else that watches football. It will always be around. “Is it ok to watch football?” This is a question that will always raise eyebrows in some way or another. But this is not the focal question. The focal question is why does it even exist? We will never know, but one thing for certain is that it will always be around and always have our love.