football

[SteveP]

The American kind.

With all the info coming out about CTE and it's devastating effect on former players.
Would you let your kid play football ( at any level ).


It truly is a bloodsport.

[Saab2000]

No. I would not. I desperately wanted to play when I was younger and my father wouldn't let me because of his fear of spinal injuries. While that a legitimate concern, the fear of head injuries was not even a consideration at that time. Turns out it was a much bigger issue and I'm glad I didn't play.

I think if the NFL doesn't figure this out it's done. Ratings are down and younger parents will eventually push their kids into other activities.

Even I care less about NFL football this year than I ever have. I did, however, attend one Packer game already this year so I am a hypocrite.

I love the game and the sport but I hate the injuries. I don't like when the players I want to watch are carted off for the season. Sam Shields of the Packers is out for several weeks with yet another concussion. He should retire even though he is a good player. This is unfortunate.

[rwsaunders]

Only one of my sons is of the proper size to even consider playing football and I steered him towards the beautiful game...the other football. He's enjoyed the both the tactical and the physical sides of the sport without taking a beating as he would on the football field. What sealed the deal for me was when his brother was a freshman in HS, we decided to stick around after soccer practice and watch his HS's opening football game. First game of the season mind you, prior to anybody taking a snap and I counted 15 kids on the sidelines who were either on crutches or had an arm in a sling.

[alexstar]

Nope. No way. Head injuries are not something you can just "walk off".

[Brandon White]

Nope. Although, my son plays futsal (soccer on a hard-court, heavy ball). The coach's 7 year old son had two concussions from falling on his head twice this year. Accidents happen with any sport. I played football all through HS and saw too many friends have concussions or injury side-effects that would stick around for a very long time.

[vertical_doug]

Only one of my sons is of the proper size to even consider playing football and I steered him towards the beautiful game...the other football. He's enjoyed the both the tactical and the physical sides of the sport without taking a beating as he would on the football field. What sealed the deal for me was when his brother was a freshman in HS, we decided to stick around after soccer practice and watch his HS's opening football game. First game of the season mind you, prior to anybody taking a snap and I counted 15 kids on the sidelines who were either on crutches or had an arm in a sling.

I'm sorry but this just reflects a poor coach who doesn't value his players health. You always have a player or two who break an arm, a wrist, ankle, and now with turf a knee. But that many injuries is a reflection on a coach and not the game.

I think anyone should be able to play through high school without issues. At the collegiate and finally at the pro level, the equation changes

At the pro level, Roger G has sucked the fun out of the game. All that is left is money and violence.

[Len J]

Sure... with proper and capable coaching.

I had more concussions outside of football growing up than I ever had playing football. My 2 boys, one played soccer, the other football in HS. The soccer player had more concussions than the one who played football. Ancedotal, I know, but not irrelevant to the discussion.

Correlation is not causation. There is a lot to learn before it's conclusive. The more they learn, the more likely they will figure out how to minimize the impacts (assuming there is correlation).

Overreaction, based on what we know now. IMO.

Len

[dogrange]

My 10 year old son is playing flag at the moment. He likes it and says he wants to go into tackle. I'm torn because I like football, and it is the only sport he is actually any good at (and thus enjoys it the most, or maybe it's the other way around?). Mom says no tackle, so I guess the decision is made . . .

[roseyscot]

No football, no ice hockey for my kids. And they don't seem interested, so far, in soccer either. I guess they'll keep riding bikes and running instead.

[davids]

Nope.

A colleague's 12 year old was just concussed in a practice. He spent a week in a quiet dim room without screens to help him heal. He was reporting increased sensitivity to sound and light after the injury.

This is scary, potentially life-altering stuff. I still see the effects of my wife's concussion over three years out.

It's not worth it.

[ElvisMerckx]

Hell no. The drugs and disabling injuries start in the earliest levels these days. The only benefit I see from the entire sport is short lines on Sundays at the home improvement store.

[robin3mj]

No way.

Would you let your kid box? It's getting to be kind of a similar question.

[monadnocky]

No.

And knowing what we know about CTE and the league's knowledge of what was going on, I also think that the NFL is an organization run by amoral criminals, with that loathsome ass-monkey Goodell at its head.

It's not all about concussions, by the way. Don't believe that for a minute, it's what the NFL wants you to believe by citing decreased concussions over time. It's impact. We know that.

[monadnocky]

Only one of my sons is of the proper size to even consider playing football and I steered him towards the beautiful game...the other football. He's enjoyed the both the tactical and the physical sides of the sport without taking a beating as he would on the football field. What sealed the deal for me was when his brother was a freshman in HS, we decided to stick around after soccer practice and watch his HS's opening football game. First game of the season mind you, prior to anybody taking a snap and I counted 15 kids on the sidelines who were either on crutches or had an arm in a sling.

And I'll pipe in here: Injured kids should never be on the sidelines of a game or practice, ever. I am adamant in my recommendations of teens who have suffered a mild traumatic brain injury due to sports-related stuff that they cannot be anywhere near a field of play for some time, due to impaired judgment, slow reaction time, decreased cognitive processing speed, and so forth. All too often well-intentioned coaches or administrators let the kid on the sidelines to "help" his or her team, and then due to the above factors, kid gets hit by a ball or gets caught up in a play (a tackle) going out of bounds, resulting in a second mTBI. All the iMPACT assessments in the world don't mean squat when stuff like this happens.

The first mTBI was bad enough, but the results of a second while recovering from the initial injury are devastating.

I assessed one girl (soccer) who suffered a concussion, was let on to the sidelines to cheer on her team a week after the injury, get hit by a ball, was then allowed AGAIN back onto the field shortly after this, and then got hit in the head by another girl's head as the latter tried to keep a ball in play.

[dually]

I have had this discussion with my girlfriend about her son. No to both hockey, football or motocross. Physical injuries and potential TBI (matter of when, not if) were the heavy weight of our concern. It's cool he prefers soccer and baseball instead.

I am a walking example of what multiple TBIs can do to a person; I have had by bell wrung, knocked out and hospitalized on 7 memorable occasions in the last 12-15 years. Two of them came within a 6 months time. The lasting effect of these concussions has a serious impact on my emotional capacity, memory and thought process.

[Saab2000]

I assessed one girl (soccer) who suffered a concussion, was let on to the sidelines to cheer on her team a week after the injury, get hit by a ball, was then allowed AGAIN back onto the field shortly after this, and then got hit in the head by another girl's head as the latter tried to keep a ball in play.

Question and I don't know the answer so excuse my ignorance.

Are most soccer related head injuries due to heading the ball or due to on field collisions? Some of the collisions we see in international games are devastating. I've always wonder about headers because the collision with the ball seems elastic but it may be very injurious.

[vertical_doug]

My 10 year old son is playing flag at the moment. He likes it and says he wants to go into tackle. I'm torn because I like football, and it is the only sport he is actually any good at (and thus enjoys it the most, or maybe it's the other way around?). Mom says no tackle, so I guess the decision is made . . .

In my opinion, your wife is wrong to make a unilateral decision for the boy. Your son is not a mini-version of you and your wife, and as he grows, he is going to have his own interests. 10,11,12 is too young to play tackle in my opinion, but when he is 13 or 14 and physically capable of playing, I'd let him if he wants to.

You can never totally take the risk out of life. My daughter's classmate had a freak collusion playing soccer with the goalie, ruptured his liver and died. Everyone was in complete shock and saddened, but does it mean they should all stop playing soccer? We might get hit and killed on our next ride, should we stop riding?

I guess we all have a different level of risk tolerance.

[monadnocky]

Question and I don't know the answer so excuse my ignorance.

Are most soccer related head injuries due to heading the ball or due to on field collisions? Some of the collisions we see in international games are devastating. I've always wonder about headers because the collision with the ball seems elastic but it may be very injurious.

From what I've seen (and that's not very much, admittedly) and heard, most of the head injuries for girls are from heading, especially in [younger] girl's soccer (most girls leagues don't allow heading anymore for this reason). Boys seem to be more collision-related.

[rwsaunders]

Question and I don't know the answer so excuse my ignorance.

Are most soccer related head injuries due to heading the ball or due to on field collisions? Some of the collisions we see in international games are devastating. I've always wonder about headers because the collision with the ball seems elastic but it may be very injurious.

I've witnessed more leg injuries than head injuries over the course of my soccer coaching career. The head injuries were mostly due to collisions (head to head, shoulders, elbows, etc.) as opposed to heading the ball.

[Britishbane]

and younger parents will eventually push their kids into other activities.

This fits me. My sons will not be playing football.