Son desperate to play high school football

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most schools don't have JV football anymore. Not enough players. So those 135 pound freshmen are now playing against 240 pound seniors who are looking to be recruited by D1 colleges. Football is not a lot of fun for the smaller, younger boys. It's a very painful game. There are players with significant injuries every, single weekend. And the cumulative effect of all the micro-concussions that occur every game at nearly every position often don't manifest themselves until years later. There's a terrible risk-reward calculus in football. Unless you're some 6'6 behemoth, I don't see how it's worth it for 95 percent of boys.

This isnt accurate in fairfax county at all. Freshman team is no cut. JV and Varsity are large rosters.

[Anonymous]

I just let my kid play tackle starting in 7th grade. We went over all the risks together. They love it. So far, no football injuries. I'm glad they got 2 years of tackle experience before high school and didn't go straight from flag because much of what they learned involved risk mitigation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never should’ve agreed to flag football. It’s a gateway to tackle which is why the nfl is promoting it.

OMG I never put this together. we never let our son play either. And we blew off requests to play flag because I viewed it as a gateway to tackle. But I never put together that the tackle football numbers are decreasing and this is why the NFL is promoting flag. Wow.

Beyond just a gateway to tackle, the entirety of football culture is really rapey.

[Anonymous]

He'll just have to get over it.

My son also wanted to play football because his friends were doing it. I talked to other parents who felt the program at least at our school was as safe as it could be (given its football) and that it was a good culture overall. All said they were happy with the program.

Having said that, I still didn't allow him to play though he did do some post-season weights and two field practices. He doesn't want to play anymore but he was definitely annoyed that we said no freshman year.

You said your son plays another sport year-round. You can remind him that in all likelihood, he'll need to start working out with the HS team pre-season if he's at a competitive school in order to maximize his chances of making the school team. There won't be time for football. My son realized his desire for football was because he wanted to play a school sport and once he actually made the baseball team at our very large competitive school, that football itch went away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is he desperate to play? Is there a specific reason he wants to do football over other spofts? I would ask him a lot of questions and have him do a lot of research on long term risk of concussion before you say yes or no.

Friends doing it. Perceived coolness. He plays flag football and he is really good.

Being good at flag doesn't at all mean he'll be good at tackle. It's going to be quite the wake up call when he takes his first hit, especially when playing with boys who've been playing tackle football for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is he desperate to play? Is there a specific reason he wants to do football over other spofts? I would ask him a lot of questions and have him do a lot of research on long term risk of concussion before you say yes or no.

Friends doing it. Perceived coolness. He plays flag football and he is really good.

Being good at flag doesn't at all mean he'll be good at tackle. It's going to be quite the wake up call when he takes his first hit, especially when playing with boys who've been playing tackle football for years.

Yup.

Lots of kids outside of the UMC/DCUM bubble have been playing since they were in elementary school. Flag is nothing like tackle. The desire to run a crossing route goes way down when you have a 6'2 OLB who's been playing since he was 10 waiting to level you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. He plays another sport competitively year round. I feel confident that him not playing is the right decision and I want him to be okay with that and not hate me forever. He and his dad thinks the benefits outweigh the risks. I do not.

Everything has a price. You'll just have to deal with him hating you forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Watch the Aaron Hernandez doc w him.

Oh please. He’s more likely watching Aaron’s friend Tom Brady. And her son will never be at the level Hernandez was.

High school football is no more dangerous than high school hockey or soccer. There is potential for spinal cord injuries from diving, skiing, cheerleading, and the worst is horseback riding. Kids still play. I would let him play. The rules are stronger now to protect the players. And especially high school, it’s not like the pros.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a problem of your making, OP. You should never have let him pursue this sport when he was younger. If he's such a good athlete, you could have oriented him into another, safer, but equally fun sport.

Sorry, but this needs to be said. Now you actually DO have to educate him on the risks of cumulative concussions. If he's disappointed, too bad for both of you. Fun today should not be prioritized over early-onset dementia.

He's been playing flag for four months to try to scratch the football itch. But your other points are valid, thanks.

In reading a lot of posts about sports most of you must think your kids are real athletes. Professional football, basketball, hockey players are not coming from your suburbs. Recreational players like the kids in the suburbs don’t have the same risks.

The players with cumulative concussions causing CTE have typically played greater than 15 years professionally. They have players that weigh more than 300 lbs tackling. High school is full of skinny bodies that haven’t developed into men yet. Professional teams have the best players in the country. High schools might have one or two talented players and the rest just good players.

The OPs son is just starting playing in high school so the odds of him getting a concussion are no different than soccer in high school only. Very, very low to virtually non existent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a problem of your making, OP. You should never have let him pursue this sport when he was younger. If he's such a good athlete, you could have oriented him into another, safer, but equally fun sport.

Sorry, but this needs to be said. Now you actually DO have to educate him on the risks of cumulative concussions. If he's disappointed, too bad for both of you. Fun today should not be prioritized over early-onset dementia.

He's been playing flag for four months to try to scratch the football itch. But your other points are valid, thanks.

In reading a lot of posts about sports most of you must think your kids are real athletes. Professional football, basketball, hockey players are not coming from your suburbs. Recreational players like the kids in the suburbs don’t have the same risks.

The players with cumulative concussions causing CTE have typically played greater than 15 years professionally. They have players that weigh more than 300 lbs tackling. High school is full of skinny bodies that haven’t developed into men yet. Professional teams have the best players in the country. High schools might have one or two talented players and the rest just good players.

The OPs son is just starting playing in high school so the odds of him getting a concussion are no different than soccer in high school only. Very, very low to virtually non existent.

OP. Not sure what makes you say that: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy-young-athletes

Most of the donors played sports only at the amateur level, including more than 70% of those with CTE. Three-quarters of those with CTE played American football. The rest participated in ice hockey, soccer, wrestling, or rugby. The football players with CTE tended to have had longer playing careers than those without the disease.

Also, my kid is a competitive athlete. I wish he weren't, but he is.

[Anonymous]

If your son never played tackle before then I wouldn't worry about injury. There's a big chance he'll be a bench warmer and mostly doing scout team reps.

Let him play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your son never played tackle before then I wouldn't worry about injury. There's a big chance he'll be a bench warmer and mostly doing scout team reps.

Let him play.

Depends on the high school. Our high school team is so bad and desperate for players that each year about 1/3 of the starters never played tackle or any kind of football previously.

Our starting QB played maybe some recreational touch football, but the coach did everything they could to convince a 6’5” 210 pound kid to play (and is the ace pitcher for baseball).

We actually had two kids get recruited to Columbia and Cornell who had never played organized football before 10th grade…but they are both huge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never should’ve agreed to flag football. It’s a gateway to tackle which is why the nfl is promoting it.

😭. You are right. I told him I would let him play as a compromise to not playing tackle. It's a recent thing. Any advice for me moving forward?

Yes, let him play. Kids get hurt in every sport. You can't keep them in a bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a problem of your making, OP. You should never have let him pursue this sport when he was younger. If he's such a good athlete, you could have oriented him into another, safer, but equally fun sport.

Sorry, but this needs to be said. Now you actually DO have to educate him on the risks of cumulative concussions. If he's disappointed, too bad for both of you. Fun today should not be prioritized over early-onset dementia.

He's been playing flag for four months to try to scratch the football itch. But your other points are valid, thanks.

In reading a lot of posts about sports most of you must think your kids are real athletes. Professional football, basketball, hockey players are not coming from your suburbs. Recreational players like the kids in the suburbs don’t have the same risks.

The players with cumulative concussions causing CTE have typically played greater than 15 years professionally. They have players that weigh more than 300 lbs tackling. High school is full of skinny bodies that haven’t developed into men yet. Professional teams have the best players in the country. High schools might have one or two talented players and the rest just good players.

The OPs son is just starting playing in high school so the odds of him getting a concussion are no different than soccer in high school only. Very, very low to virtually non existent.

OP. Not sure what makes you say that: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy-young-athletes

Most of the donors played sports only at the amateur level, including more than 70% of those with CTE. Three-quarters of those with CTE played American football. The rest participated in ice hockey, soccer, wrestling, or rugby. The football players with CTE tended to have had longer playing careers than those without the disease.

Also, my kid is a competitive athlete. I wish he weren't, but he is.

The research that said the players most at risk played at least 15 years. And changes in rules and headgear have made it safer. They have helmets that record each hit during a game, and are designed to protect the head. It’s not the 1970s anymore.

AI explanation - Several football helmets are equipped with technology to record and analyze head impacts, primarily using sensors that measure G-force, location, and severity of hits. These helmets are often paired with data analysis software to provide insights into player head impact exposure.

As for your kid, I’m sure they are an excellent athlete but when did this term “competitive athlete” become a thing? Does that mean he competes on a team? Do the best teen athletes have to pay the most to travel and play other teams?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a problem of your making, OP. You should never have let him pursue this sport when he was younger. If he's such a good athlete, you could have oriented him into another, safer, but equally fun sport.

Sorry, but this needs to be said. Now you actually DO have to educate him on the risks of cumulative concussions. If he's disappointed, too bad for both of you. Fun today should not be prioritized over early-onset dementia.

He's been playing flag for four months to try to scratch the football itch. But your other points are valid, thanks.

In reading a lot of posts about sports most of you must think your kids are real athletes. Professional football, basketball, hockey players are not coming from your suburbs. Recreational players like the kids in the suburbs don’t have the same risks.

The players with cumulative concussions causing CTE have typically played greater than 15 years professionally. They have players that weigh more than 300 lbs tackling. High school is full of skinny bodies that haven’t developed into men yet. Professional teams have the best players in the country. High schools might have one or two talented players and the rest just good players.

The OPs son is just starting playing in high school so the odds of him getting a concussion are no different than soccer in high school only. Very, very low to virtually non existent.

I wish this were true because I'm a reluctant football mom, but sometimes our kids line up against big, urban high schools where most of their players are well over 200 lbs, and I'm so nervous I can't watch. One team in particular appears to have several large Samoans who look like they are closer to 300 lbs.