VOTE: Hypothetically, if you had a 5 yr old son, would you EVER allow him to play tackle football?
- Thread starter Franisdaman
- Start date
My first two sons played youth through college (D-I and D-II) with my full support and encouragement. I regret it. Some of you talk about training and technique, but, for example, one of their concussions was on one of those punts that is rolling on the ground harmlessly but the whistle has not blown and a fine officer-to-be from the AFA puts the crown of his helmet in my kids earhole at full speed for no good reason. The other one played d-line and more than a few concussions. It just seems to me that helmet to helmet is inevitable to some extent. I now worry that he has personality issues because of this. Who knows if his issues are connected to football or hockey (which he also played), but it eats me up inside to think I might have contributed to any such issues. I now have a third son and he will not play. From my standpoint, there are enough other sports he can play and get the same benefits without risking his long term mental health. I can make sure he goes to whatever college he wants; if that were not the case, I would focus on other ways to pay for college besides football.
No way, I couldn't do it at this time. I love football and they are trying to make it safer, so who knows if I'll change my mind later.
I played 7th through 11th grade from 94-98. I wouldn’t let my son play under the conditions I did, which were basically going live every day, running Oklahoma drills, the chute, etc.
I coach high school freshman now and at least at my school, things are a lot different. We have high tech helmets that register bigger hits. 3 in a career and the player is done. We do baseline testing before each season and our players have to take the same test before the can see the field again. We’re allowed 2 contact days a week, not counting the game, and technique is really stressed.
Under these circumstances, I think the rewards outweigh the risks.
I coach high school freshman now and at least at my school, things are a lot different. We have high tech helmets that register bigger hits. 3 in a career and the player is done. We do baseline testing before each season and our players have to take the same test before the can see the field again. We’re allowed 2 contact days a week, not counting the game, and technique is really stressed.
Under these circumstances, I think the rewards outweigh the risks.
Both my boys played starting in 3rd grade. They both played 4 years then opted for cross country which I had no problem with. Knowing what I know now I would probably encourage them not to play but would not stop them if they really wanted to but probably middle school at the soonest.
There is no reason a 5 year old should be playing tackle football, ever. Watching 5 year olds play t-ball is brutal enough. Middle school is the earliest anyone should ever be putting pads on.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29310710
laser therapy is like ultrasound treatment for the brain. flush the bad stuff away after injury.
laser therapy is like ultrasound treatment for the brain. flush the bad stuff away after injury.
just to be clear: hypothetically you have a 5 year old kid. Would you allow him to play tackle football any time between age 5 and senior year in high school?
Favre was his own worst enemy. I'm sure he was shot up a lot and lied about injuries to keep his tough man reputation and playing streak alive. His reputation for playing hurt does not make him the poster boy for football safety.
No; as much as I love the game and being a student of it, in addition to the teamwork and camaraderie it instills...no.
Good article about some things Brett Favre is up to:
http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story...an-youth-tackle-football-area-coaches-respond
Good article about some things Brett Favre is up to:
http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story...an-youth-tackle-football-area-coaches-respond
http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/c...ects/piper/projects/RIO/Documents/2012-13.pdf
http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/22-burden-of-proof
https://www.gq.com/story/the-concussion-diaries-high-school-football-cte
There is plenty of evidence they are at least related. The fact that the NFL tried to cover up and suppress research on this is pretty telling as well.
I’ve got 3 boys, 7, 6, 16 months old. None of them will play.
I think football can teach a lot of valuable lessons. I think there are a lot of ways to learn those same lessons.
I played 6 years, great memories as we were one of the top programs in the state back in the 90's.
I now have three kids, two of them boys. One will be entering 7th grade so this question has been on my mind. Up until now he has not played tackle football although most of his friends have. He has played in organized flag though.
He's very athletic but also very intelligent, close to the top. I tell him his number one asset is his brain. I LOVE football and I loved playing it, but deep down I hope he doesn't.
As a parent, I know I have the option to tell him "NO!" but I don't know how fair that is to him as I played. I've thought about not letting him until his freshman year, but it will be up to him then. IDK, I just wish the sport was safe and this conversation wasn't necessary. There's so many good things that come from playing football.
I now have three kids, two of them boys. One will be entering 7th grade so this question has been on my mind. Up until now he has not played tackle football although most of his friends have. He has played in organized flag though.
He's very athletic but also very intelligent, close to the top. I tell him his number one asset is his brain. I LOVE football and I loved playing it, but deep down I hope he doesn't.
As a parent, I know I have the option to tell him "NO!" but I don't know how fair that is to him as I played. I've thought about not letting him until his freshman year, but it will be up to him then. IDK, I just wish the sport was safe and this conversation wasn't necessary. There's so many good things that come from playing football.
I would say no youth tackle, and replace jr high tackle with flag. Start tackle with either 10th grade or just varsity. Hopefully at that point kids will have been conditioned a bit to better protect their previously unprotected or soft helmet protected heads.
Issue with youth league is that some kids the same age and similar weight are further advanced in coordination, running, hand eye coordination and Hitting! I’ve seen some rocket foot league hits that will make you put your hand over your mouth.. kids of similar age and weight that were just better athletes at that point in life.. Not cool with me for Kids to starting racking up the injuries and a concussion or two before they can even divide & multiply...
I have a son who played tackle football from age 6-14. Prior to that he played in a flag league for real little kids. We noticed that the kids banged heads frequently in the flag league and figured if he was going to play, he may as well have pads. We did do a lot of research and purchased all of our own equipment (helmets and pads) rather than use the crappy stuff issued by the league. Never suffered a concussion. He did play QB, so lots of handing off which meant he didn't take a lot of hits. They passed a lot more in his final 3 years ("a lot more" means 8-16 pass attempts per game, depending on the weather).
He is 15 now and just finished first year of high school. He opted not to play in high school due to size and speed of players and injury risk. He now concentrates on hoops and golf.
He is 15 now and just finished first year of high school. He opted not to play in high school due to size and speed of players and injury risk. He now concentrates on hoops and golf.
Yup as well. Wouldn't let them play soccer though, nor have 'half birthdays' at school with a requirement that parents bring 'treats'. Total socialism. Teachers trying to score some desert out of my wallet. My two boys are brain damaged already. They couldn't sustain any injury. So no worries. I voted yes.
The point about CTE, which is the real issue, is the repetitive, non-symptomatic contact. That is where the damage is really happening. Not in a sustaining a couple of concussions. It's the prolonged exposure to the repetitive head contact. Neither soccer nor lacrosse expose athletes to this type of head contact. In fact, no other mainstream sport does.
I have to disagree with you about repetitive non-symptomatic contact when it comes to soccer. As a referee for nearly 25 years and a youth soccer coach for a travel soccer team in the Chicago burbs, players take a great deal of contact to their head, particularly during practice. Heck up until a few years ago, it was common to have your team line up and practice headers on a regular basis.
A lot of clubs around here don’t practice headers too much and using your head purposely is outlawed until 12U. About the only thing our club does is maybe practice juggling with their head involved, but not very many set plays with the ball flying in from 10+ yards away. They practice it some but not where they line up and take their turn over and over again. Of course it shows in a game on set plays that they don’t practice it a lot.
It says EVER....
At 5, they do have youth flag football leagues but that is essentially having unpaid volunteers babysit a bunch of 5 yr olds for an hour under the guise of a sport............
Both. When parents were around or playing with realy young kids, touch. Other than that, tackle. I was (still am) the scrawny kid that wanted to prove I could play. Had some weird injuries but no concussions that I can remember. Still don't think I would advocate that my kid do the same.
then you would answer "yes" because your 5 year old son would eventually be allowed to play tackle football (when he was in the 8th grade)
After learning a lot about concussions, I believe a concussion can occur whenever the skull stops but the brain keeps moving, or vice-versa. There are many situations in life when that can occur, with contact sports most frequent among them. Football, as played by some, is one of the more frequent causes. The major concern about concussions presently is that they appear likely to be a/the cause of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and that CTE appears to be the cause of severe cognitive decline in individuals.
We have a great deal more to learn about concussions, including how to better diagnose them, is there an age where the brain is more resistant to concussions (many advocate for “x” years of age to be the minimum age to play tackle football, but on what basis?), how they relate to CTE, how they can be most effectively prevented in the context of a given sport, how they (and CTE) can be treated, etc.
One of the most important things I’ve learned regarding football is that there are safer ways to play the sport, and that they can (and should) be taught. I think the same should apply to every other contact sport.
We have a great deal more to learn about concussions, including how to better diagnose them, is there an age where the brain is more resistant to concussions (many advocate for “x” years of age to be the minimum age to play tackle football, but on what basis?), how they relate to CTE, how they can be most effectively prevented in the context of a given sport, how they (and CTE) can be treated, etc.
One of the most important things I’ve learned regarding football is that there are safer ways to play the sport, and that they can (and should) be taught. I think the same should apply to every other contact sport.
I’ve got a 6 year old boy right now. He likes playing “football” in the basement and our front yard with me where we just run back and forth from one end to the other trying to stop each other.
But, I’ll never let him play organized football.
I played 4 years in high school. Had surgeries on both my legs from season ending injuries my last two years, hyperextended my elbow and played through it my freshman year, and started wearing a neck roll because my neck was hurting bad my sophomore year from all the hits I was giving and taking. I even played in a game that a kid died in, although that was because he had a genetic heart defect and wasn’t going to make it to 20, but playing a football game probably caused it to happen that specific day.
None of those injuries are why I won’t let him play. I’m worried about the brain trauma. There is no solution to stopping the brain injuries and there is no solution to improve the brain once you’ve suffered one. He can run track, play basketball, and/or pick up a musical instrument and have just as much fun while staying a lot safer. Both of his parents were Div-I collegiate musicians, so if he’s going to get an activity-based college scholarship because of inherited traits, it will likely be in Band and not any sport.
The interesting decision I’ll have is if my daughter wants to be a cheerleader. That has higher rates of bad injuries per participant than football.
Football in 20-40 years will likely become a game primarily played by poorer kids hoping for a scholarship and crazy Texans. Too many of the suburban parents will switch to my style of thinking about the game unless it is significantly overhauled from a brain safety standpoint.
But, I’ll never let him play organized football.
I played 4 years in high school. Had surgeries on both my legs from season ending injuries my last two years, hyperextended my elbow and played through it my freshman year, and started wearing a neck roll because my neck was hurting bad my sophomore year from all the hits I was giving and taking. I even played in a game that a kid died in, although that was because he had a genetic heart defect and wasn’t going to make it to 20, but playing a football game probably caused it to happen that specific day.
None of those injuries are why I won’t let him play. I’m worried about the brain trauma. There is no solution to stopping the brain injuries and there is no solution to improve the brain once you’ve suffered one. He can run track, play basketball, and/or pick up a musical instrument and have just as much fun while staying a lot safer. Both of his parents were Div-I collegiate musicians, so if he’s going to get an activity-based college scholarship because of inherited traits, it will likely be in Band and not any sport.
The interesting decision I’ll have is if my daughter wants to be a cheerleader. That has higher rates of bad injuries per participant than football.
Football in 20-40 years will likely become a game primarily played by poorer kids hoping for a scholarship and crazy Texans. Too many of the suburban parents will switch to my style of thinking about the game unless it is significantly overhauled from a brain safety standpoint.
One, have your boy try soccer .
Two, I think the difference for cheerleading is competitive cheerleading (club) and most school cheerleading. The competitive cheerleading, in my opinion, is crazy. Kids tell me there are gyms around here that put garbages all over so they can puke easier after the routines...for elementary kids. Kids I teach now have 4 hour practices after school and are now allowed to do other school sports unless it doesn't conflict with their practices. We learned that a high school game does not come before a cheer practice... I have a daugheter and she will never do that stuff. My point is that there are other reasons to do something other than cheerleading or maybe just look into the school options.
Three, completely agree with your last paragraph on where the game is headed unless someone can convince suburban families the game will be safer.
its interesting that here on HR, we are at 43%. In a nationwide poll, the number was 48%.
Poll: Nearly half of parents would discourage football due to concussions
by Mark Murray / Feb.02.2018 / 3:38 AM ET / Updated Feb.02.2018 / 5:02 AM ET
VICIS Zero1 helmet is displayed in New York. The helmet that performed best in NFL testing this year is being used by 50 players spread across only half of the NFL teams.Mark Lennihan / AP file
WASHINGTON — Just days before the Super Bowl, 48 percent of Americans say they’d encourage a child who wanted to play football to play a different sport due to concerns about concussions — up 8 points since the same question was asked four years ago, according to the latest national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
That includes 46 percent of parents with a child in the household (up 9 points since 2014), 53 percent of mothers (up 13 points) and 39 percent of fathers (up 6 points).
Overall, 49 percent of Americans disagree, saying they wouldn’t encourage a child to play another sport due to concerns about concussions.
In addition, the NBC/WSJ poll found that 33 percent of Americans believe the National Football League has taken meaningful action to reduce and prevent concussions — down from 41 percent in 2014. (Twenty-eight percent said the NFL had not taken meaningful action, up 8 points since 2014.)
The NBC/WSJ poll was conducted Jan. 13-17 with 900 adults — including nearly half reached by cellphone — and has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.3 percentage points.
Poll: Nearly half of parents would discourage football due to concussions
by Mark Murray / Feb.02.2018 / 3:38 AM ET / Updated Feb.02.2018 / 5:02 AM ET
VICIS Zero1 helmet is displayed in New York. The helmet that performed best in NFL testing this year is being used by 50 players spread across only half of the NFL teams.Mark Lennihan / AP file
WASHINGTON — Just days before the Super Bowl, 48 percent of Americans say they’d encourage a child who wanted to play football to play a different sport due to concerns about concussions — up 8 points since the same question was asked four years ago, according to the latest national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
That includes 46 percent of parents with a child in the household (up 9 points since 2014), 53 percent of mothers (up 13 points) and 39 percent of fathers (up 6 points).
Overall, 49 percent of Americans disagree, saying they wouldn’t encourage a child to play another sport due to concerns about concussions.
In addition, the NBC/WSJ poll found that 33 percent of Americans believe the National Football League has taken meaningful action to reduce and prevent concussions — down from 41 percent in 2014. (Twenty-eight percent said the NFL had not taken meaningful action, up 8 points since 2014.)
The NBC/WSJ poll was conducted Jan. 13-17 with 900 adults — including nearly half reached by cellphone — and has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.3 percentage points.
