Why you should let your young kid play tackle football

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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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.

DP. The concerns about football and head injuries isn't coming from "football deniers" or people who hate the sport. It's coming from medical professionals across the country who have been studying this for decades. It's coming from THE PLAYERS THEMSELVES, or their estate administrators of dead former players, who have and continue to sue the NFL, the NCAA, colleges/universities and Pop Warner about this very problem. There are HUNDREDS of lawsuits filed by former players/their estates seeking money for head injuries.

The only one in denial here is you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have a elementary or junior high son who really wants to try tackle football, let him or her. Even, and especially, if they are small. Find a youth program that matches kids by size, not age. That way, they will play only against kids their own size. Tackling at that age isn't intense; the kids just aren't that fast or strong. If you wait until kids are "bigger" or in high school, they will have to play against kids of all sizes and the risk of injury increases immensely, if they ever see a playing time.

If you don't let your kid play tackle football when they are young, they may never get a chance to play at all.

Shiiid, it’s some kids who can hit at the youngest age level.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:My cousin played tackle football in the Vienna area. It think the league was called Pop something. I had honestly never thought about the risk of CTE in kids sports since I didn’t have kids yet. The kids seemed to be having fun, but the injuries were common. My dad coached my brother’s soccer team so I had that comparison point.

The most disturbing part was that the coach regularly took the boys to Hooters after games.

This is really funny, to any of us who have had sons go through the Vienna program. VYI is one of the most impressive programs around when it comes to strict safety protocols. I’m not sure when this was or what team you are referring to, but I never saw a lot of injuries in any of our years. As for Hooters, where is the Hooters in this area? That’s a first. I laughed out loud at that one. If it was true, what’s wrong with the parents for driving them there?

During my son’s last year in 8th grade, he would have loved it if a coach suggested that. Nothing similar ever happened. There were some potluck tailgates after practice organized by parents but that’s about it.

Check out VYI and look at their safety protocols yourself if you live in the area.

The Hooters is on Rte 50 in Fairfax near 123 and it's been there for many years.

Okay. That’s nice to know. The point was that coaches in Vienna are not regularly organizing team events at Hooters. I’m am sure my son and his friends would have been talking about it if they were placed on the team who had the family potlucks while the other teams were going there. Maybe this was one team, many years ago but I have not heard of it.

Oh I remember this team, some of the neighborhood kids were on it. The moms didn’t like it but they didn’t want to move their kids from a winning team over Hooters. I think the coach was a local dentist.

Then why didn’t they skip Hooters? Along with the potluck tailgates, our teams sometimes met up at the Vienna Inn. We couldn’t always attend for various reasons. It was never an issue to not go to a restaurant with the team after a game. It’s common for families to need to get to somewhere else and there’s never a time when the whole team can be there.

All this thread is doing is making me want Hooters wings. I tried them about 30 years ago and they really were good, if they are the same.

You're not helping OP at all. You're just re-enforcing the idea most people have that football has an antiquated culture that includes oggling women and treating them like objects. Cheerleaders and date rape come to mind. OP is trying to convince us that that is simply a stereotype about football, yet here you are saying, taking boys to Hooters after a game is no big deal. They're only in it for the wings. Sure and we only buy sex magazines for the articles. Right.

I didn’t say that at all. I was making a bad joke that I was remembering how good the wings were. I am an almost 50 yo women and I don’t like to watch football, except when my kids play because they love it. I’m far from your stereotype. As a mom who has been through the youth and HS football scene, I was saying the parents didn’t need to take the kids if they didn’t want to go. It doesn’t matter if the team is meeting there. That’s on the parents. No one goes to every team get together and they could have skipped Hooters. That was my point. My entire family attended the team social events. We certainly would not have gone to Hooters. It wouldn’t have been appropriate and it wouldn’t have even been close since most games were in Vienna.

We've been involved in a lot of different sports and never, ever has anyone suggested the team meet at a Hooters. Are you kidding me?

You are replying to me. I haven’t heard of this IRL, only on here as a DCUM rumor and it’s always been someone they knew that told them. Never their own kid’s team. I’m highly skeptical this ever happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Do some research- CTE is not just a problem with football. It’s pervasive in soccer, hockey, basketball, (lacrosse - TBD). Do you really not let your kids play any of those sports?

My son got a concussion playing basketball.

Yes, it's possible. But not as likely as when playing football. This is obvious.

DP. Agree w the inherent danger of football, but I've also seen concussions in lacrosse and wrestling.

[Anonymous]

I would only consider letting my kid play youth football if the games were near a Hooters, those wings are great!

[Anonymous]

Giving OP the benefit of the doubt, I think OP may be referencing the separate thread about HS freshmen playing tackle football for the first time ever. If it's the plan to start playing tackle in HS, then yes, it's probably better to have some experience in it first, especially if these kids are going to be seeing playing time in a game situation where freshmen opponents can be over 6 ft and over 200 lbs. My son has played tackle football for several years and is a tall HS freshmen, but I'm still pretty nervous about him playing this year due to size/speed difference in HS. (No, I didn't forbid it; I'll see how this season goes.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Giving OP the benefit of the doubt, I think OP may be referencing the separate thread about HS freshmen playing tackle football for the first time ever. If it's the plan to start playing tackle in HS, then yes, it's probably better to have some experience in it first, especially if these kids are going to be seeing playing time in a game situation where freshmen opponents can be over 6 ft and over 200 lbs. My son has played tackle football for several years and is a tall HS freshmen, but I'm still pretty nervous about him playing this year due to size/speed difference in HS. (No, I didn't forbid it; I'll see how this season goes.)

I’m one of the PPs. Thanks for bringing us back to an actual conversation. I agree with everything you said and feel the same way. My freshman is 170 lbs and I’m nervous. He has experience so he will be okay but some of the other kids are so big, even at the freshman level. Then I see a lot at practice that look so small. I’m not sure I would let mine play HS if he was on the tiny side. Youth was all by weight so this will be a very different experience with w everyone together.

[Anonymous]

No thanks. I like my kid’s brain intact.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

In preschool? That is idiotic.

[Anonymous]

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.

My 15 year-old has played 5 sports competitively throughout the years and still likes football.

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

All sports take away from study time in theory, don't they, assuming that your child would actually be studying if not playing the sport?