BBC: Heading soccer balls "affects memory"

[Anonymous]

99% of the people who head a ball can't control where it goes so why do it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can honestly admit that I don't give a shit about World Cup soccer or the place that the US holds amongst other countries. My kids aren't going to play World Cup soccer. I do care about my children's brains. Old fashioned like that.

Sorry you suck at sports.

I wasa Div 1 scholarship athlete. Marathoner and Ironman. But okay, sure, I suck at sports.

Are your kids playing for the US team? Amazing.

You do realize that extreme distance running is also really bad for you, right?

I'm an adult and can consent to what I do with and to my body (my coach keeps me safe). My kids can't understand the long term ramifications of repeated head trauma-

I'm grateful for US soccer for looking out for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:99% of the people who head a ball can't control where it goes so why do it?

Nice, where'd you get that stat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can honestly admit that I don't give a shit about World Cup soccer or the place that the US holds amongst other countries. My kids aren't going to play World Cup soccer. I do care about my children's brains. Old fashioned like that.

Sorry you suck at sports.

I wasa Div 1 scholarship athlete. Marathoner and Ironman. But okay, sure, I suck at sports.

Are your kids playing for the US team? Amazing.

You do realize that extreme distance running is also really bad for you, right?

I'm an adult and can consent to what I do with and to my body (my coach keeps me safe). My kids can't understand the long term ramifications of repeated head trauma-

I'm grateful for US soccer for looking out for them.

Ah, maybe that's what your initial comment should've been instead of "I don't give a shit about WC soccer"? Curious what your D1 sport was. Mine was soccer. I remember being encouraged to head before I was ready so I'm grateful US soccer is looking into this too. But if my children want to play competitively one day, I'm not going to stop them. It paid for my college education so we'll have discussions if/when they start playing competitively about the risks and rewards. Assuming I don't have crazy brain damage, I can honestly say that mild damage to my memory was worth it because of what the sport did for me.

[Anonymous]

My post was in direct response to the poster who was claiming that this decision makes the US unable to compete at the international level, and turning our soccer into "pussy soccer". So I was saying this: I don't care if you think that this decision to ban heading in children is going to hurt US World Cup chances ~ I'm more interested in protecting my still young children. I played travel soccer from ages 10-16. My Div 1 sport was a different, but physical team sport. Gear that wasn't required when I played (eye protection) is required today. I love that change as my daughter picks up the sport. My oldest child is entering travel soccer next season and I'm happy that this isn't a decision that I have to worry about (in the way that my spouse and I disagree about football, for instance) because US Soccer has laid out these guidelines and made the ban unilateral. If that ban gets extended to older kids I won't care.

Context is everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:US Soccer "took a stand" for kids who are in elementary school and ignored the impact of heading in kids who are in middle school or high school. This study was done with adults.

.

FWIW, which is not much, I admit, Arlington Public Schools do not allow the middle school soccer players to head the ball. Of course, these same kids head the ball during their travel soccer or rec games, but I guess there is a slow movement of organizations doing something about it. APS had that rule long before the USYS mandate. (2-3 years or so)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:99% of the people who head a ball can't control where it goes so why do it?

Nice, where'd you get that stat?

Coaching and watching a lot of soccer for over 30 years.

[Anonymous]

My 10-year-old plays on a U12 team (2005 birth year) and is allowed to head the ball. I do worry about it and wish they would push the age limit to the U14 teams (so 12 and 13 year-olds).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every year the age goes up for when heading is allowed in youth soccer. I'm pretty confident that it won't be an issue for my soccer loving kid as he will never be involved in international play.

? It's an issue for my 10yo, who plays in U12, where heading is allowed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can honestly admit that I don't give a shit about World Cup soccer or the place that the US holds amongst other countries. My kids aren't going to play World Cup soccer. I do care about my children's brains. Old fashioned like that.

They can play FIFA soccer on Xbox then. Though watch out for carpal tunnel disease and eye strain...

Uh, no. They play 5 sports a year and have daily neighborhood play (mostly street hockey). You do know what percentage of us soccer players actually grow up to play eorld cup soccer, right? Just because I'm smart enough to recognize that doesn't mean that my kids are fat slobs.

+1

Our older kid was a three Varsity letterman as a freshman, and continues.

It is a silly statement to suggest "dabbling"

[Anonymous]

I think the tide of research is going to lead to a ban in the next five years for even more age levels, and in the next decade there will be a serious discussion about a rule change for all leagues.

We've seen it before with hockey helmets and visors, we'll see more of it in football rule changes still to come, and we're going to see it in soccer as the research, and eventual big lawsuits, pushes FIFA to respond.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every year the age goes up for when heading is allowed in youth soccer. I'm pretty confident that it won't be an issue for my soccer loving kid as he will never be involved in international play.

? It's an issue for my 10yo, who plays in U12, where heading is allowed.

My kid is obviously younger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

+1

Our older kid was a three Varsity letterman as a freshman, and continues.

It is a silly statement to suggest "dabbling"

Same here. It's pretty common in high schools in this area. It's not like my kids were the only 3 sport athletes in their class.

[Anonymous]

That's just what insecure people who live vicariously through their young children and single sport them early on tell themselves to make themselves feel better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the tide of research is going to lead to a ban in the next five years for even more age levels, and in the next decade there will be a serious discussion about a rule change for all leagues.

We've seen it before with hockey helmets and visors, we'll see more of it in football rule changes still to come, and we're going to see it in soccer as the research, and eventual big lawsuits, pushes FIFA to respond.

FIFA won't give a shit.

We are the only country in the entire World that will oppose it. Since we are non-existent presence in FIFA it won't matter at all.

MLS can outlaw it all they want.