“Would I Let My Child Play Football?” Football is the game of the people; it has surpassed baseball to become “America’s pastime”. Anyone who has a family member or friend is the sport should be proud to say they know someone who plays football, and even though pride is what fuels the love of the game, many people are not aware of the consequences that come with playing football. Therefore, if I had a child, and I was asked, “would you let your child play football?”, I would answer I would not let my child play football. I take my reasoning from a quote in Scott Fujita’s article of the same name “Would I Let My Son Play Football?” which says “But I hated what football was doing to so many people around me, and I hated what it was probably doing to me (Fujita, 2).” Fujita explains how he loves certain aspects of the game, but he does not love how people behave “for the love of the game.” He feels football is changing him. He does not state whether it is physically, emotionally, mentally, or all three, but we can assume he most likely means both. This is significant because, if a professional football player is stating that he sees how his fans behave, and he sees how he is changing, …show more content…
This is a good example of my reasoning against letting my child play football: the injuries. I have seen and read how dangerous football injuries, or any sport injuries for that matter, can cause significant damage to a person. I would not like to see my child go through any of those
Football is one of the most popular sports in the United States, and it’s viewed as the most exciting and intriguing American sport. Many football players have highly affected the lives of their fans; they are looked upon as role models and they are admired and worshiped by many. Football’s biggest event, the Super Bowl, brings in many viewers each year. Football attracts many people of all age groups and its widely played in high schools, colleges, and professionally. It seems like any normal sport—but is it safe?
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.
This paper attempts to rationalize youth football as a sport by discussing the pros and cons in order to argue that youth should be allowed to play the game of football if they so choose. To do so, this paper will explore the ethical arguments and considerations of parents, young athletes, medical professionals and social media.
Football is possibly too dangerous of a game for young boys and girls to be playing. I am not talking about all forms of football, but more specifically tackle football. Yes, football may possibly be one of America’s loved sport because of the brutality that it consists of; although I believe that there should be an age where kids should start playing such a horrific game. At the age of ten young boys, and girls, should be worrying about who they are going to be playing with outside at recess. Kids should not have to be worried about their friends having to miss school because of a concussion, or worse him or herself.
In the article “Should Kids Play Football” from the Scholastic Scope on February 2015, writer Jennifer Shotz discusses both issues of the benefits and dangers of playing American football. For example, Jennifer Shots mentioned that tens of thousands of young football players get concussions every year. She states that most players return to the game after they are healed but some never return because their concussion was too severe to their health. On the other hand, the writer also discusses how football isn't the only sport that encounters concussions. The rules of football are always changing and each new rule provides a safer way to play the game. For example, the writer notes that Pop Warner has reduced the amount of practice time dedicated
The National Football League (NFL) has been a staple on Sunday’s in America homes for quiet sometime. It provides excitement and generates billion’s of dollars, but what I told you that this league may lose viewers or even not exist in a few years. The NFL is a great brand, but what is potentially going up against may have you scratching your head as a parent to let your child even take a snap early in his football career if not taken care of.
The event’s purpose was to shine a light on a very controversial topic: football. Even though baseball is America’s pastime, football is now the most popular sport among Americans. The NFL has been in the spotlight on several occasions, most frequently being the recent discoveries of the connection between football and brain injuries. The event’s purpose was to also call into question the audience’s ethics and morality. Why is it that we continue to support a sport that is harmful in more ways than one? Is it the love of the sport? The event does an amazing job at answering this question as well as many others, but most importantly it made us think.
“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.
One of the biggest controversial topics going on today is should children still be aloud to play football, knowing what we know about serious injuries? The article that I chose ( “Don’t Let Kids play football”) is about the consequences that could occur playing such a contact sport. The debate is that some people believe that football teaches important life lessons and others believe that it can cause serious life changing injuries.
Football is a game of adversity and emotion. People who have not played a sport or follow one closely don’t understand the emotion behind game. They think that football is just a game, but for those who are involved with the team don’t think so. All those horrendous hours of countless preparation are for something players and coaches love. About a few years ago, a football player at the collegiate level was told that he wouldn’t be able to play another down of football again due to his banged up h...
In stadiums, parks and fields all across America, many youth participate in a journey through defeat, heartbreak, hard work, and success. Practicing for hours, rain or shine, to be able to snag that game winning touchdown in the back of the endzone. Although football comes with many risks and dangers, I strongly believe that kids and teens should be allowed to play football because it promotes leadership, teamwork, and requires significant amounts of exercise and cardiovascular activity, and other contact sports are just as dangerous.
Football, one of the most popular sports in the U.S., is also the most dangerous; it holds an astounding half a million injuries nationally due to the sheer violence and brute strength used against another player in the sport, and, although it is believed that these injuries can be prevented, there is nothing stopping another player from recklessly hurting another except their will-power, this is why football should be banned from high schools.
The athlete and really the sport overall I chose to focus on throughout the course of this paper is the football player and the mindset in which he operates, while in what seems to become his natural environment and other factors which may alter that mindset in a positive or negative way. Having experience as a football player from my youth until present day helps to really analyze the mindset and thinking of this specific athlete and express through experiences my thoughts and feelings concerning my research found. Paul Bear Bryant a very well-known and respected coach for many years in the college football world once said, “When you make a mistake, there are only three things you should ever do about it: admit it, learn from it, and don’t repeat it.” This quote is an excellent example of football psychology and the type of thinking a football player must have, which is also helpful to have off the field. Mistakes are going to happen, learn from them and get better. Football is all about training the mind, which alters the behavior on the field.
“Is it ok to watch football?” by Ian Crouch states that even though so many people love to watch it on a daily basis, they do not open their eyes fully to see the ultimate consequences for the players and their health (Crouch 1). As football players are playing a contact sport they are hurting many areas of the body including the most important part, the brain. In the article Jackson, a former football player continues on about injuries that he had throughout his career and how he continued to play through it because he loved the sport so much. Everyone has their own view on football, but the most important opinions are those from families of the players in the NFL ...