How do parents justify letting their kids play football?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People with any sense have always known it was stupid to play football. My mom knew this back in the 70s.

+100

My older brother was beyond pissed my parents wouldn't him play football in the early 80s.

Soccer was a sissy sport for boys he was told--but at 6'3 could kick most people's ass that said that. He ended up full-ride, all-American and a pro-career--ad a CTE-free brain.

Concussions are prevelant in soccer. Soccer is a great sport and a sissy sport.

I don't believe he ever had one. He was Gatorade National player, pro, etc. ...and a striker for most of his career which tends to take the brunt of the abuse.

My sister and I both played all the way in college. She tore her ACL before there was arthroscopic surgery (nasty recovery). The worse I had was strained ligaments in my ankle from a bad twist--it's still my wobbly one--but no pain.

Then again, back then we weren't really 'identifying' injuries so much either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People with any sense have always known it was stupid to play football. My mom knew this back in the 70s.

+100

My older brother was beyond pissed my parents wouldn't him play football in the early 80s.

Soccer was a sissy sport for boys he was told--but at 6'3 could kick most people's ass that said that. He ended up full-ride, all-American and a pro-career--ad a CTE-free brain.

Concussions are prevelant in soccer. Soccer is a great sport and a sissy sport.

I don't believe he ever had one. He was Gatorade National player, pro, etc. ...and a striker for most of his career which tends to take the brunt of the abuse.

My sister and I both played all the way in college. She tore her ACL before there was arthroscopic surgery (nasty recovery). The worse I had was strained ligaments in my ankle from a bad twist--it's still my wobbly one--but no pain.

Then again, back then we weren't really 'identifying' injuries so much either.

[Anonymous]

Curious---how come NONE of the all-time great soccer players have displayed any brain injuries???

Cruyff was still a genius at 69. Look at Pele. Look at all of the top former FIFA players now coaching and sharp as hell in their late 50s/60s.

You don't hear or read about bad soccer injuries. In fact, most go on to lead very full and productive lives.

I am not saying there is zero danger in soccer. There is danger in most sports.

I just think it's getting irrationally overblown by the helicopter parents.

If you learn to head PROPERLY---you bring your head to meet the ball, you hold your neck taut, you hit it in the correct place===you do NOT get the brain injury. I think we will have MORE head injuries by handicapping our kids and never teaching them proper form from the get-go.

I come from a very long line of soccer players, including professional players and nobody has had any issues.

If one of my kids gets a concussion, then yes after one I will reassess. If anyone lets their kid play after 2==they are idiots. BUT---the repeated head hits, injuries and tackles by 300lb players is VERY, VERY, VERY different risk than the 150lb soccer players that don't throw each other to the ground and pile on top.

[Anonymous]

I've only witnessed on concussion so far in my 3 kids 5-10 years playing, (and my own 20 years of play) AND that was not a header or a head collision....it was INDOOR futsal on a hard gym floor---kid fell over and hit his head on the ground....

this could happen in basketball as well, or figure skating, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If one of my kids gets a concussion, then yes after one I will reassess. If anyone lets their kid play after 2==they are idiots.

My son got his first concussion in 3rd grade, sports related.
His second in middle school, not sports related.
Both were fairly easy recoveries, a couple days missed school, a week of light duty, back to completely normal afterwards.
He's in high school, and he plays soccer.

Maybe I'm an idiot, but when I talk among my friends I know so many kids who have gotten concussions just from life. If the right thing to do is bench your kid after two concussions, that's a lot of kids who can't do anything anymore.

It's not easy. I have no idea if I'm making the right choice letting him play. I actually think he's safer doing his sports than the crazy horseplay that teen boys get up to. And his non-sports concussion was from simply not being fully aware of his surroundings, that happens to people all the time throughout their lives. There's really no way to protect against that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If one of my kids gets a concussion, then yes after one I will reassess. If anyone lets their kid play after 2==they are idiots.

My son got his first concussion in 3rd grade, sports related.
His second in middle school, not sports related.
Both were fairly easy recoveries, a couple days missed school, a week of light duty, back to completely normal afterwards.
He's in high school, and he plays soccer.

Maybe I'm an idiot, but when I talk among my friends I know so many kids who have gotten concussions just from life. If the right thing to do is bench your kid after two concussions, that's a lot of kids who can't do anything anymore.

It's not easy. I have no idea if I'm making the right choice letting him play. I actually think he's safer doing his sports than the crazy horseplay that teen boys get up to. And his non-sports concussion was from simply not being fully aware of his surroundings, that happens to people all the time throughout their lives. There's really no way to protect against that.

I think the severity is what matters. Your child appears to have had very 'minor' concussions which is different than some kids that have months of after-effects after a more severe concussion. For mild concussion, yea, I would feel okay sending them back out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious---how come NONE of the all-time great soccer players have displayed any brain injuries???

Cruyff was still a genius at 69. Look at Pele. Look at all of the top former FIFA players now coaching and sharp as hell in their late 50s/60s.

You don't hear or read about bad soccer injuries. In fact, most go on to lead very full and productive lives.

I am not saying there is zero danger in soccer. There is danger in most sports.

I just think it's getting irrationally overblown by the helicopter parents.

If you learn to head PROPERLY---you bring your head to meet the ball, you hold your neck taut, you hit it in the correct place===you do NOT get the brain injury. I think we will have MORE head injuries by handicapping our kids and never teaching them proper form from the get-go.

I come from a very long line of soccer players, including professional players and nobody has had any issues.

If one of my kids gets a concussion, then yes after one I will reassess. If anyone lets their kid play after 2==they are idiots. BUT---the repeated head hits, injuries and tackles by 300lb players is VERY, VERY, VERY different risk than the 150lb soccer players that don't throw each other to the ground and pile on top.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/14/health/brain-damage-dementia-cte-soccer-football-study/index.html

The first I remember hearing about was Jeff Astle, an English footballer - FA Cup and World Cup caliber. The above is a small study but it does put this issue in play for soccer players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've only witnessed on concussion so far in my 3 kids 5-10 years playing, (and my own 20 years of play) AND that was not a header or a head collision....it was INDOOR futsal on a hard gym floor---kid fell over and hit his head on the ground....

this could happen in basketball as well, or figure skating, etc.

Well golly, you could fall down on the sidewalk but the question is regarding probability. The probability in football is so high that it makes sense to not engage in such behavior. I mean you could get cancer from all kinds of different things, some of which we don't even know about but that isn't justification to keep smoking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've only witnessed on concussion so far in my 3 kids 5-10 years playing, (and my own 20 years of play) AND that was not a header or a head collision....it was INDOOR futsal on a hard gym floor---kid fell over and hit his head on the ground....

this could happen in basketball as well, or figure skating, etc.

Well golly, you could fall down on the sidewalk but the question is regarding probability. The probability in football is so high that it makes sense to not engage in such behavior. I mean you could get cancer from all kinds of different things, some of which we don't even know about but that isn't justification to keep smoking.

Dude, I am with you. I am the one arguing soccer isn't as risky as people are out to make it. FUTSAL is indoor soccer 5v5 with a small ball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If one of my kids gets a concussion, then yes after one I will reassess. If anyone lets their kid play after 2==they are idiots.

My son got his first concussion in 3rd grade, sports related.
His second in middle school, not sports related.
Both were fairly easy recoveries, a couple days missed school, a week of light duty, back to completely normal afterwards.
He's in high school, and he plays soccer.

Maybe I'm an idiot, but when I talk among my friends I know so many kids who have gotten concussions just from life. If the right thing to do is bench your kid after two concussions, that's a lot of kids who can't do anything anymore.

It's not easy. I have no idea if I'm making the right choice letting him play. I actually think he's safer doing his sports than the crazy horseplay that teen boys get up to. And his non-sports concussion was from simply not being fully aware of his surroundings, that happens to people all the time throughout their lives. There's really no way to protect against that.

Oh come on. I've no personal skin in this fight but do you REALLY believe this? I cannot believe it if you do.

[Anonymous]

Brain damage was diagnosed in 87 percent of donated brains of 202 football players, including all but one of 111 brains of National Football League athletes.

This new study, published today in the journal JAMA, is the latest linking dangerous head injuries to football, though the authors note that the true risk may be lower than the results suggest.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is the term for brain damage that occurs after repeated blunt impact, like head tackles in football. Previous research has shown that CTE is linked to — among other things — memory loss, depression, and dementia, and in recent years it has become a point of controversy within football.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/25/16025146/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy-football-cognition-health

If you don't believe the study you need to believe the brain damage doesn't lie. Yesterday proved that point right in everyone's face.

It's a coverup. All football should be banned immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious---how come NONE of the all-time great soccer players have displayed any brain injuries???

Cruyff was still a genius at 69. Look at Pele. Look at all of the top former FIFA players now coaching and sharp as hell in their late 50s/60s.

You don't hear or read about bad soccer injuries. In fact, most go on to lead very full and productive lives.

I am not saying there is zero danger in soccer. There is danger in most sports.

I just think it's getting irrationally overblown by the helicopter parents.

If you learn to head PROPERLY---you bring your head to meet the ball, you hold your neck taut, you hit it in the correct place===you do NOT get the brain injury. I think we will have MORE head injuries by handicapping our kids and never teaching them proper form from the get-go.

I come from a very long line of soccer players, including professional players and nobody has had any issues.

If one of my kids gets a concussion, then yes after one I will reassess. If anyone lets their kid play after 2==they are idiots. BUT---the repeated head hits, injuries and tackles by 300lb players is VERY, VERY, VERY different risk than the 150lb soccer players that don't throw each other to the ground and pile on top.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/14/health/brain-damage-dementia-cte-soccer-football-study/index.html

The first I remember hearing about was Jeff Astle, an English footballer - FA Cup and World Cup caliber. The above is a small study but it does put this issue in play for soccer players.

The players were in their 60s. The average age of onset of Alzheimers is 63. Statistically, these 11-players are representative of normal % that would be expected to develop it. This is much different than the Aaron Hernandez and NFL players in their 20s-30s committing suicide and violence with advanced CTE.

The sheer number of hits and blows and forceful tackles is very unique to American Football.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was told today that only soft parents forbid football. Ok, I'm fine with being called soft and I certainly did not want to get into a debate with another parent, but I can't even understand how anyone with any education lets their kid play? How can it possibly be worth the risks?

I agree with you and I think that parent is the outlier... he was talking like that to prove a point. Growing up, I knew so many people who played football and now I know very few parents who allow their kids to play more than flag.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have responded that my kid is too smart and his brain has too much potential to risk damaging it with football. Only parents of stupid kids let their kids play football with all we now know about brain injuries

+1
Ask any neurologist their opinion about kids playing football. Then let me know if you will allow your child to play.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brain damage was diagnosed in 87 percent of donated brains of 202 football players, including all but one of 111 brains of National Football League athletes.

This new study, published today in the journal JAMA, is the latest linking dangerous head injuries to football, though the authors note that the true risk may be lower than the results suggest.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is the term for brain damage that occurs after repeated blunt impact, like head tackles in football. Previous research has shown that CTE is linked to — among other things — memory loss, depression, and dementia, and in recent years it has become a point of controversy within football.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/25/16025146/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy-football-cognition-health

If you don't believe the study you need to believe the brain damage doesn't lie. Yesterday proved that point right in everyone's face.

It's a coverup. All football should be banned immediately.

Don't forget that concussions alone are not responsible for CTE - concussions AND subconcussive blunt impact to the head cause CTE. That's where I think soccer is less risky - the subconcussive hits are fewer and further between in soccer. In football they are an every day reality.