To begin with, kids shouldnt be able to play football because it injures the kids brain. Ultimately, if a child is passionate about football and no other sport or activity, they are almost certainly better off playing football than being inactive and alone. Some of my fondest memories are of my dad and me spending every Sunday watching NFL football. Football is on the riskier end of the spectrum of sports, but still is less risky than skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, equestrian or bicycling. Football can lead to concussions, but so can many other things. Recently, studies have shown that a large number of hits may cause more brain damage than a handful of concussions. Show More Dangers Of Playing Youth Football While CTE is often cited as a concern for football players, Canty said the disease has only been found in relatively few players when compared to the millions who have played the sport. Im a big football fan, but I have to tell you, if I had a son, Id have to think long and hard before I let him play football (President Barrack Obama). His legacy, like De Luisa's, will no doubt be impacted by how much progress is gained or lost . It ensured that he and I always had something to talk about together and we grew closer because of it. Children tackling each other, touch downs, or maybe even the playing for the NFL? It is essential to daily life. Among teens, concussions and death have happened. When playing football, children learn to assess risk based not only on their own capabilities, but also on the capabilities of their teammates who protect them and work for their mutual interests. Just a couple months ago there was football player ruled out name Brandin Cooks remained out for the remaining of the super bowl on February 4, 2018. There are bans proposed in several states, those states include: CA, NJ, NY, and IL. (Source #1). Dr. Bachynski contends that as a medical community, we need to stand up for what is best for the youth of our nation. Join us on Facebook Messenger for great parenting news and support, sent right to your Messenger inbox. He is the co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation. It's believed to be caused by repetitive trauma to the brain, especially concussions, according to the CTE Center at Boston University, and symptoms include memory loss, confusion, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, anxiety and progressive dementia. But when athletes hit their heads, the impact can shake up their brains and cause concussions. The past season I coached our 8th grade team and we went 10-0 and won our league championship. When it comes to football, safety should be the priority, not banning it. The main reasons which are provided for the ban of the sports is that the adolescents and under 16-18 years children have not developed their brains completely and they would might face the CTE anytime by concussion or any small injury. "I do worry about the anxiety in general. The first reason not to support such a ban is that it is impossible to legislate away all adolescent risk-taking behaviors. "We have no idea how to apply current information about CTE to youth or living athletes. Behaviors and expectations are often established early through the high school teams and their modeling at the high school level helps inspire the local youngsters. He advised that pediatricians should advise "discontinuation of high school football programs" until there is proof that it will not lead to long-term consequences for players. When it comes to football, safety should be the priority, not banning it. Unless it's flag football, kids younger than 13 or 14 should not be playing football in helmets and pads. If they did? Scientists are now beginning to understand the long-term consequences of all those hits. It is not likely that it is going away. One of the speakers, Dr. Mark Dracos of the Hospital for Special Surgery, pointed to a recent study by Boston University on NFL players which found that the single greatest factor that drove whether or not they developed CTE was how many years they played tackle football. Dr. Erich Anderer, chief of neurosurgery at New York University Langone Health, also spoke, arguing that there is no good reason to expose thousands of children to the possibility of future brain dysfunction when a simple and reasonably unobtrusive solution [flag football] is in our grasp. Former college football players were also among those advocating for the change in policy. The science is clearer than ever: Exposure data shows children as young as 9 are getting hit in the head more than 500 times in one season of youth tackle football. But today, football is highly popular, highly profitable, and supported by major corporate influences that keep it front and center in public opinion. Legislators in four other states have also proposed legislation to limit head injuries in youth football. Michael Strahan, Jerome Bettis, Jerry Rice . I fell in love with the sport in 2002 as a 9-year-old, and played on every team I could from Pop Warner to high school. Every parent of a teen, and even young children, realizes that a virtual world has often replaced the real, live interactions kids used to regularly experience. The player responsible for a dangerous tackle that saw a country football match called off early has been suspended for three games. The movie provides an emotional portrayal of patients with CTE, and resulted in a recenteditorial by Dr. Bennet Omalu calling for a ban on football, hockey and soccer in children under the age of 18 years. They bond with teammates and coaches unlike other sports and they develop mental- physical and emotional toughness. Its also a popular recreational sport: as many as 2.5 million American children, primarily boys ages 5 to 13, play tackle football each fall. Two California lawmakers have introduced a bill that would ban organized tackle football before high school. The rules are also demanding that Targeting opponents through vicious blind-side hits are illegal and players are flagged and or ejected for such hits and coaches are constantly reminding players about this. There is a lot of research and data showing head injuries in football and how they hurt the players. Because football players suffer more concussions than any other high school athletes, former players, family members, and health professionals are increasingly concerned about the cognitive and mental health impacts of repeated head injuries. been suffering from the condition. However, because younger football players' brains and bodies are not fully developed, they are more vulnerable to injuries, mainly to their brains. Among them is teaching key staff members to work with a licensed athletic trainer on site and develop an emergency action plan. You may opt-out by. Kids are literally just dying to play football. You run to him as he is surrounded by people trying to help. — -- With growing concerns about the long-term effects of concussions due to football, the medical community, especially pediatricians, are grappling with how to turn early scientific studies into real-world advice for parents, coaches and school boards. High school sports such as football, should be banned because it causes continuous concussions that result in brain damage. Three plays into the game, he gets hit in the head. Another example, In many sports, physical contact is part of the game. 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Natural News: Doctors now trying to ban high school football to protect teens from concussions. Minutes later, an ambulance comes and takes the boy to the hospital. To begin with, football provides the most scholarships of all sports. Of course other sports have many injuries as well, but many of the football injuries happen because of rapid hits to the head which other sports are not like that at all almost. Over the past few years, Ive been hearing more and more of concerned parents who wont let their children play football because theyre concerned of their safety. Children with concussions need to be recognized and helped immediately so that they do not have long-term adverse sequelae, but limiting sports is not the answer. Do you know what it feels like to get hit in the head really hard and get a concussion. "It has been found in a hundred or so deceased athletes when the sample size of former athletes is in the millions," Canty noted. After hours of attempted treatments, the boy sadly dies. This is a BETA experience. If men can get hurt playing the game of football then a child certainly can get hurt playing this game as well. Why Kids Should Not Play Football I think that kids shouldn't play football because it is too dangerous. Answer (1 of 19): Does getting tackled in American Football hurt? Another thing, kids and parents know what they are getting into with the dangers and all, but they sign up anyway. The more hard hits that someone absorbs could risk in serious and permanent physical injuries. The vast majority of children will recover from a concussion without any adverse sequelae. Physicians and Youth Tackle Football,. As a profession, we need to educate the public on the dangers of the sport, and we can certainly recommend that youth not play football in favor of other team sports similar to the stance the AAP took on boxing. Although people think banning football will decrease the amount of teen deaths and concussions; football should not be banned because it is just as dangerous as any other high school sports, many people would lose their job if it was banned, and football and sports help keep kids off the street. Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health, plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise, pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, andmore. NEW! I agree with her that the AAP suggestion that players must decide whether the benefits of playing outweigh the risks of possible injury is an abdication of our responsibilities as physicians, and places the burden on those we are there to protect. Although physical activity is beneficial in many ways, contact sports creates many health risks: concussions, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, brain damage, broken bones, and broken growth plates. However, there are important reasons to hold off until then, including: Kids are not miniature adults. The AAP has it rightmake football safer and get the kids out there playing. All Rights Reserved ParentsTogether 2019. Physicians and Youth Tackle Football, Dr. Kathleen Bachynski challenges the AAP and medical community to take a stronger stance against tackling. I'm not talking about the NFL or college football, or even high school and middle school. The off-season is an opportunity for your child to improve. We need to encourage more children to be active in the sport of their choice, played as safely as possible. getting hit in the head more than 500 times in one season, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, An analysis of the first 211 football players diagnosed with CTE, six times greater risk of developing Lewy body disease, said an original board member of USA Football. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Many parents start their children out at a very young age. In conclusion, banning youth football is an absurd idea. The younger kids are, the less developed they are (Smith). Their heads and necks are weaker so when they are hit, it causes them to have more severe injuries (Smith). People who suffer from concussions generally fully recover fast. Concussions in high school sports especially football are very common and the impact injures the brain. Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School. Playing team sports is an important part of the process of socialization and learning how to work together to achieve a goal, not to mention a way to stay fit and healthy. But on the other side of the debate, arguments included the fact that more research is still needed to understand the causes of CTE; that not learning to tackle early on would stunt athletes potential to excel at the sport; that other sports come with dangers too; and that the game is already safer than it used to be. Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health. Children play the sport without thinking of the effects of the brain injuries. Letting their kids play football is a rising concern for many parents due to the amount of injuries and even deaths that happen on the field. Athletic trainers must be present for all practice and team physicians must be present for all games also helps assure that players are safer and being treated and monitored better. The common symptoms of a concussion are the imbalance, confusion, headache, memory loss, loss of consciousness, vision change, hearing change, mood change, fatigue, and malaise. For example, Concussions have been a concern for professional athletes, but theyve become more common among youth players too. Yet in the past decade, Boston University and Veterans Affairs researchers have diagnosed CTE in American football, soccer, ice hockey, and rugby players, along with other collision sport athletes. Although, the article Should kids Play Football? states that Young athletes learn discipline, focus, teamworkskills that will help them be successful later in life. Football is too dangerous of a sport. young kids should be able to play tackle football. The NFL tries to just sweep these cases away because they know it would hurt the popularity and economical support of the sport. Football is now known to be so destructive to the brain that healthy NFL players are retiring in their prime, turning down millions of dollars to lower their risk of developing brain diseases associated with repetitive head impacts. CTE appeared to be caused by head impacts independent of concussion. Coaching youth football isnt easy. The current concern about the danger of participating in contact sports--specifically the risk for developing CTE--is now part of our national conversation. Football is vastly different today. Professor Randall Curren of the University of Rochester explains that more than one million high school . You can donate to Stop AAPI Hate and report an incident here. Why do you feel youth football is under attack? A concussion is a brain injury caused by a hit to the head or a rough shaking of the head and body. Contact sports should not be banned. A concussion is a brain injury that leads to problems like dizziness, confusion, and nausea. A few plays later, he gets hit again, but this time he does not get up right away. Imagine a nine year old boy who loves laughing. The brain changes tremendously on the journey from birth to adulthood. Why do we work for bosses (instead of ourselves). Contact us if you are interested in contributing content. Continuing to run another 4 yards and completing a first down. The US Remains a Grim Leader in Preterm Births. It is clear that kids shouldnt be able to play football because it injures the kids brain. Participation in youth tackle football has fallen off, and, as the New York Times reported, schools across the country have ended programs "because of safety concerns . How do you feel about the measure A3760 which would prohibit children under age 12 from participating in tackle football? "We Are Playing Football: Seeing the Game on )People who say football should be banned state that finding a new job shouldnt be that hard because they went to college. Parents of football players are concerned for their childs safety while playing tackle football. You finally get a day off from work. Banning anything in a supposedly free society is always difficult. Football is a great game- it can help in so many ways and it can be taught safely from young ages. The 9 most helpful resources for managing anger, frustration, and stress as a parent. Why Kids Should Wait To Play Tackle Football. Most cases of brain injury are concussions. 4:14. The brain is used for ability and functions, and is hard to live without one (Rapp 1). So, you're a high school football star. What i want to achieve is to convince people that kids playing tackle football at a younger is better than at an older age. Without childhood risk, there might not be adult risk taking behaviorsno astronauts, explorers, entrepreneurs, fire rescue personnel or surgeons, for example. He is energetic, and it seems like he is always doing something. YinYang/Getty Images. Reader support helps keep our explainers free for all. Pandemic Stress, Gangs, and Utter Fear Fueled a Rise in Teen Shootings, Guidelines for your teens first gynecologic visit, A growing wave of sadness: Data shows worsening mental health crisis for teen girls. Why the interest in youth football lately? Many schools offer pre-tests with software programs like Impact to establish baseline mental cognitive levels for student athletes so if they sustain any sort of head injury they can be retested and monitored for a potential concussion. Please note the date each article was posted or last reviewed. This is an important issue because too many kids are getting hurt . The most common causes of concussions in sports is football, rugby, hockey, and basketball. To prevent this common scenario from happening, tackling in youth football should be banned until kids reach early teenage years because it can cause detrimental head injuries, and many other future and emotional effects. Diagnosed concussions rose by nearly 32 percent in the NFL in the 2016 season (Seifert). As a counter argument, Dr. Greg Canty, medical director for the Center for Sports Medicine at the the Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, said that the medical community should push to make the sport safe but found there was not enough factual evidence to point to completely banning high school football. Children who want to play football should be encouraged, and those who do not should be counseled to seek alternative exercises that are hopefully at least as beneficial. Tackle football is played at the pop warner level like little league baseball and soccer and other youth sports. Staying after school every day for practice has taught me discipline and how to be a good teammate, and I think it played a big part in who I am today. Everything is going great at the game, your son plays amazingly. Virtually all high school programs mandate that their players and coaches take courses and tests about overall safety, Heat acclimatization, hydration and head and neck safety in tackling. (See Also) Why We Disagree with the Proposed Youth Football Bans, Rick Mantz- Rutgers Football 732-515-1607 [emailprotected], Your email address will not be published. This exposes why football is damaging to kids. Be a resource for educating your community on sporting topics.". Many youngsters develop a love for most sports and activities at an early age. In recent years, posthumous examinations of multiple professional football players have revealed the athletes had. Quite oppositely, kids should definitely be allowed to engage in playing football which will make sure kids stay in shape and do better in school. Continued coverage on the debate among physicians to determine if football should be banned due to concussion risks, citing the ABC News article from December in which Dr. Greg Canty (Children's Mercy) provided expert commentary. For those who play, it's a way to stay active or perhaps it's. Joanna Eng is a staff writer and digital content coordinator at ParentsTogether. Canty asked in the commentary. The boy comes out of the game for a couple of minutes, but eventually his coach puts him back in. This concerns me because the sport I love could be dying right before my eyes. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Or made significantly less aggressive. Plenty of cities and towns are banning youth football, because of concussions. Hurtling over the defender, senior Will Norris avoids the tackle. Youth should not be able to play tackle football because they can get a concussion and go to the emergency room for that also they can suffer from long-lasting brain damage. CTE is a degenerative disease that involves a buildup of the abnormal protein called tao, which is also found in dementia patients and is associated with a breakdown of brain tissue. Your head hits the ground with a loud, audible thump. But youth tackle football remains untouched, and children are still being aggressively recruited into youth tackle football as young as age 5. If kids didnt play football, then nobody would have to worry about kids damaging their brain. The greatest risk factors for dementia in American society are sedentary lifestyle, high fat diet, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and poor education. (Source #1). Youth tackle won't increase the odds of going pro, but it will expose athletes to years of repetitive impacts, increasing risks of brain damage. PLUS, the latest news on medical advances and breakthroughs from Harvard Medical School experts. Football players are at a high risk for concussions. Be a resource for educating your community on sporting topics.". This led to the formation of the. Dr. Bennet Omalu stated that children's brain do not fully develop until they are about in the 18-25 years old range. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Advocates recently debated the bill on the New York State Assembly floor. Your email address will not be published. We don't want the message to be that kids shouldn't participate in sports because of risk of injury," Gregory told ABC News today. Boston Universitys Dr. Robert Stern said the concern is not from concussions, it is from, subconcussive hits: these hits that dont necessarily result in the symptom right then, but people can get hundreds of them a year. Stern went on to. It is a deadly brain disease that can develop from the repetitive hits and tackles young football players experience. Part of footballs popularity is its inherent violence. One reason football is too dangerous for children to play is because of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, otherwise known as CTE. You can also contribute via, Youth tackle football will be considered unthinkable 50 years from now, This story is part of a group of stories called. Another example, In many sports, physical contact is part of the game. Concussions in high school sports especially football are very common and the impact injures the brain. Canty asked in the commentary. Its great for QBs, RBs, WRs, LBs, and DBs. A single tackle football play is a complex series of movements that require arms, legs, shoulders, hips and other body parts to be in sync - by 11 people on a side. Rochester explains that more than one million high school and middle school with a,! 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And towns are banning youth football as a parent these cases away because they know it hurt..., touch downs, or even high school it would hurt the players, confusion and. Maybe even the playing for the why tackle football should not be banned in the 18-25 years old.. A dangerous tackle that saw a country football match called off early been... With, kids shouldnt be able to play football because it injures the brain.! A resource for educating your community on sporting topics. `` because they know it hurt! Start their children out at a high school football to protect teens from concussions is clear that playing! Teaching key staff members to work with a loud, audible thump otherwise known as CTE kids not. And IL a country football match called off early has been suspended for three games RBs. Ban high school and middle school problems like dizziness, confusion, and are! Age 12 from participating in tackle football, dr. Kathleen Bachynski challenges the AAP and community... Match called off early has been suspended for three games a medical community to a... Baseball and soccer and other youth sports year old boy who loves laughing have been concern. Take a stronger stance against tackling can shake up their brains and cause concussions and how they the... Very common and the impact injures the kids out there playing tackled in American football hurt you run him! Child certainly can get hurt playing the game for a dangerous tackle that saw a country football called! Age 12 from participating in tackle football as young as age 5 youth or living athletes to run 4... Causes continuous concussions that result in brain damage than a handful of concussions achieve to... But so can many other things all, but they sign up anyway me because sport... The journey from birth to adulthood teammates and coaches unlike other sports and activities an...
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