Why you should let your young kid play tackle football

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We didn't let my DC play football in HS because of the risk of injuries. We let him play lacrosse and he still has knee injuries years later. He also likely got a concussion from a whack to the head and the coach didn't pull him out. Time will tell.

If we had to do it over again we nix all sports beyond track and baseball. Also any sport that is taking away from study time is not a priority. Years from now your DC education will matter, not the sports.

I think violent high school sports are a risk for nothing but problems later.

This is actually a logical approach.

I disagree with it, and let my children play football.

But at least I understand your approach. I can't understand the people that judge parents of football players but let their kids play lax and hockey, tc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Football is fast becoming the sport that parents that didn’t put their kids into sports in preschool are falling back on as no other parent wants their kid to play.

So nope- still not letting my kid play football. One bad fall and he’s a paraplegic.

This is a weird take.

You're suggesting that MS and HS football teams are filled with kids that didn't play ANY sports in ES? And that they HAVE to play football because they didn't develop any skills in other sports at a young age?

Yes this is what PP is suggesting, but I would guess that most football players in skill positions have all played other sports. I see a lot of crossover with football/baseball and football/lacrosse.

Sure, there is def cross-over.

But to suggest that MS football is filled with kids that never played any sports before is just about the dumbest thing I've heard in a while.

First, it ignores all the kids that play pee-wee football; there are a lot of them.

And to your point, it ignores all the kids that developed skills in other sports that then translate over to football.

Honestly, the only sport that has kids that have never done anything before is usually something that only gets offered at the HS level, like cross country

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid played football in HS all four years without ever having played youth football. He never got a concussion and never got an injury that kept him out of a game at all that I can remember. One kid, the QB, did get a concussion during a game once. I believe he's a lawyer now.

Most concussions are never diagnosed. If he played (not just rode the bench) for four years, he probably got a concussion

I’m a coach, and this is definitely not true in our district. There is a huge amount of training around concussion protocols and testing, and it’s enforced.

Yes. This is correct.

and the other PP above who started their post with 'hogwash' perfectly exemplifies the football haters out there. This isn't the 1980s. Most football coaches emphasize safety over all else.

They are not "washed out" dads strung up on steriods.

This is exactly what I mean when people hide behind the "safety" reason when in fact they just don't like the sport for some reason.

You are full of it. My kids first year in tackle football was insane. It doesn't matter if you train people in concussion protocols. They are ignored. I'm going to say it again. They are ignored.
Football is complex and the coaches never had time to emphasize safety in practices. It was not a good sport to have dads running everything.

[Anonymous]

The thing about full contact sports and kids/young adults is that we do not know much about the physical effects and the long term nature of those things -- and we have had people playing them for a century.

Add to it -- as always -- times change. What took place in the 70s and 80s is very different than it is not. We are better at some things, but get worse at others. Or -- perhaps new things also come along that make things worse.

The big thing about contact sports now is drug use by the participants. And, it is rampant. It is done to build muscle and improve performance. It is not a question of getting high. It is a question of getting bigger, stronger and more competitive. And using drugs to help do it.

A very recent research paper that came out this month in that rag -- The Journal of Epidemlology put the misuse of non-prescribed prescription drugs by high school Seniors at 50% greater if the Seniors participated in a full contact high school sport (football, wrestling, boys lacrosse). The misuse continues well after high school..

Walk into any high school weigh room and the effects are pretty obvious. The incentives to also misuse are in place. Everyone else is doing it so your choice is join in, or don't play.

Frankly what is needed is a real and effective testing program. That's a big order when you consider that there are over a million high school football players in the country, but if a significant percentage of them are illegally using how can you do otherwise?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing about full contact sports and kids/young adults is that we do not know much about the physical effects and the long term nature of those things -- and we have had people playing them for a century.

Add to it -- as always -- times change. What took place in the 70s and 80s is very different than it is not. We are better at some things, but get worse at others. Or -- perhaps new things also come along that make things worse.

The big thing about contact sports now is drug use by the participants. And, it is rampant. It is done to build muscle and improve performance. It is not a question of getting high. It is a question of getting bigger, stronger and more competitive. And using drugs to help do it.

A very recent research paper that came out this month in that rag -- The Journal of Epidemlology put the misuse of non-prescribed prescription drugs by high school Seniors at 50% greater if the Seniors participated in a full contact high school sport (football, wrestling, boys lacrosse). The misuse continues well after high school..

Walk into any high school weigh room and the effects are pretty obvious. The incentives to also misuse are in place. Everyone else is doing it so your choice is join in, or don't play.

Frankly what is needed is a real and effective testing program. That's a big order when you consider that there are over a million high school football players in the country, but if a significant percentage of them are illegally using how can you do otherwise?

And by a significant percentage I mean 25-35%. That's a quarter million kids taking illegal kids so that they can play high school football. Stop that -- or stop the sport.

[Anonymous]

Football is a participation sport, keeps large groups of kids with nothing better to do busy. If you don't play a skill position, which is almost everyone, you're just a body on the field to allow the skill position players to have fun.

Watch a football practice. Most of the time half the kids will be standing around with nothing to do. Either standing in line or watching others playing.

Football was more relevant when there weren't better options and is still an option for kids who don't have anything else going on (again, unless you play a skill position). With all the different sports options and club sports to suit the needs of players of all different skill levels, most kids can find a different sport where they aren't an afterthought to the skill players and aren't sacrificing their bodies so the skill players can have a game.

Also, anyone can learn football pretty quickly. Little to no advantage to starting young compared to just showing up for Freshman football in HS. If you really want to play cause you enjoy it, just play flag till HS (unless you play a skill position).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid played football in HS all four years without ever having played youth football. He never got a concussion and never got an injury that kept him out of a game at all that I can remember. One kid, the QB, did get a concussion during a game once. I believe he's a lawyer now.

Most concussions are never diagnosed. If he played (not just rode the bench) for four years, he probably got a concussion

I’m a coach, and this is definitely not true in our district. There is a huge amount of training around concussion protocols and testing, and it’s enforced.

Yes. This is correct.

and the other PP above who started their post with 'hogwash' perfectly exemplifies the football haters out there. This isn't the 1980s. Most football coaches emphasize safety over all else.

They are not "washed out" dads strung up on steriods.

This is exactly what I mean when people hide behind the "safety" reason when in fact they just don't like the sport for some reason.

You are full of it. My kids first year in tackle football was insane. It doesn't matter if you train people in concussion protocols. They are ignored. I'm going to say it again. They are ignored.
Football is complex and the coaches never had time to emphasize safety in practices. It was not a good sport to have dads running everything.

Please share the league and team you played for.

For example, in our league, I've seen a coach remove one of his own players for not using proper tacking technique

[Anonymous]

Nope. There are a list of sports DS is not allowed to play for safety reasons. While I realize that even a sport like tennis can cause injuries, the likelihood of a life changing physical disability is near zero compared to sports like football. He’s never complained, and always found multiple sports and activities to keep him busy and happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. There are a list of sports DS is not allowed to play for safety reasons. While I realize that even a sport like tennis can cause injuries, the likelihood of a life changing physical disability is near zero compared to sports like football. He’s never complained, and always found multiple sports and activities to keep him busy and happy.

NP on the same page as you for my DD. Whats the list? I got

Football
Hockey
Lacrosse
Field Hockey
Any sort of fighting (like boxing)

Maybe
Soccer
Skiing (fine recreationally, as a sport not sure)

Allowable
Track/Field
tennis
basketball
golf
Swim team
Volleyball
cross country

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope. There are a list of sports DS is not allowed to play for safety reasons. While I realize that even a sport like tennis can cause injuries, the likelihood of a life changing physical disability is near zero compared to sports like football. He’s never complained, and always found multiple sports and activities to keep him busy and happy.

NP on the same page as you for my DD. Whats the list? I got

Football
Hockey
Lacrosse
Field Hockey
Any sort of fighting (like boxing)

Maybe
Soccer
Skiing (fine recreationally, as a sport not sure)

Allowable
Track/Field
tennis
basketball
golf
Swim team
Volleyball
cross country

Why would you not let your daughter try LAX or field hockey? FYI, son injured twice this year in basketball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope. There are a list of sports DS is not allowed to play for safety reasons. While I realize that even a sport like tennis can cause injuries, the likelihood of a life changing physical disability is near zero compared to sports like football. He’s never complained, and always found multiple sports and activities to keep him busy and happy.

NP on the same page as you for my DD. Whats the list? I got

Football
Hockey
Lacrosse
Field Hockey
Any sort of fighting (like boxing)

Maybe
Soccer
Skiing (fine recreationally, as a sport not sure)

Allowable
Track/Field
tennis
basketball
golf
Swim team
Volleyball
cross country

Why would you not let your daughter try LAX or field hockey? FYI, son injured twice this year in basketball.

Not so concerned about injuries per se but head injuries, and those balls fly pretty fast at head height.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:) Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive hits
CTE is not about single concussions. It’s the result of repeated concussions — and even head impacts that are not quite as severe — which can result in lasting structural changes in the brain. “The pain you feel [after a hit] is not necessarily an indicator of the damage that does to your head,” Philip Bayly

AND

A 2015 study found that former NFL players who began football before age 12 fared worse on cognitive assessments than those who started later in their teens. And this held true even controlling for number of years played.

It suggests (though not conclusively) that playing football at ages younger than 12 is more dangerous for long-term cognitive decline than starting at an older age

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/2/16956440/super-bowl-2020-concussion-symptoms-cte-football-nfl-brain-damage-youth

It’s just not worth it.

I see kids who play football <12 on other sports teams. There is a difference and it’s noticeable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:) Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive hits
CTE is not about single concussions. It’s the result of repeated concussions — and even head impacts that are not quite as severe — which can result in lasting structural changes in the brain. “The pain you feel [after a hit] is not necessarily an indicator of the damage that does to your head,” Philip Bayly

AND

A 2015 study found that former NFL players who began football before age 12 fared worse on cognitive assessments than those who started later in their teens. And this held true even controlling for number of years played.

It suggests (though not conclusively) that playing football at ages younger than 12 is more dangerous for long-term cognitive decline than starting at an older age

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/2/16956440/super-bowl-2020-concussion-symptoms-cte-football-nfl-brain-damage-youth

It’s just not worth it.

I see kids who play football <12 on other sports teams. There is a difference and it’s noticeable.

Are there studies on kids who just play a couple years of very low level football? DS has been asking to play since birth, basically. He’s in 6th grade now. I’m tempted to give him one season when the teams are still by weight. He has always played flag football but he asks about tackle nonstop. If it’s really dangerous then of course it doesn’t matter if he wants to do it. But I haven’t seen as much research on kids who just play for a while. DS is not going to be good enough to play college or NFL (or maybe even high school for that matter).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:) Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive hits
CTE is not about single concussions. It’s the result of repeated concussions — and even head impacts that are not quite as severe — which can result in lasting structural changes in the brain. “The pain you feel [after a hit] is not necessarily an indicator of the damage that does to your head,” Philip Bayly

AND

A 2015 study found that former NFL players who began football before age 12 fared worse on cognitive assessments than those who started later in their teens. And this held true even controlling for number of years played.

It suggests (though not conclusively) that playing football at ages younger than 12 is more dangerous for long-term cognitive decline than starting at an older age

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/2/16956440/super-bowl-2020-concussion-symptoms-cte-football-nfl-brain-damage-youth

It’s just not worth it.

I see kids who play football <12 on other sports teams. There is a difference and it’s noticeable.

Wait, you're suggesting that you already see the effects of head trauma on the kids (under 12) playing tackle football when you observe them play other sports?

You're nuts.

Or, you're the MOST AMAZING SCIENTIST EVER! Because when JAMA observed youth tackle football participants over the course of 4 years, they couldn't see any. But its truly amazing that you were able to see when you watch those kids play Centerfield. Just amazing

jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2787601

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:) Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive hits
CTE is not about single concussions. It’s the result of repeated concussions — and even head impacts that are not quite as severe — which can result in lasting structural changes in the brain. “The pain you feel [after a hit] is not necessarily an indicator of the damage that does to your head,” Philip Bayly

AND

A 2015 study found that former NFL players who began football before age 12 fared worse on cognitive assessments than those who started later in their teens. And this held true even controlling for number of years played.

It suggests (though not conclusively) that playing football at ages younger than 12 is more dangerous for long-term cognitive decline than starting at an older age

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/2/16956440/super-bowl-2020-concussion-symptoms-cte-football-nfl-brain-damage-youth

It’s just not worth it.

I see kids who play football <12 on other sports teams. There is a difference and it’s noticeable.

Are there studies on kids who just play a couple years of very low level football? DS has been asking to play since birth, basically. He’s in 6th grade now. I’m tempted to give him one season when the teams are still by weight. He has always played flag football but he asks about tackle nonstop. If it’s really dangerous then of course it doesn’t matter if he wants to do it. But I haven’t seen as much research on kids who just play for a while. DS is not going to be good enough to play college or NFL (or maybe even high school for that matter).

No. Let him play.