little boys, big hits . . . the dangers of youth football


kendrick said:
There are a lot of things in this post I don't agree with.

A generation of so-called "wusses" doesn't have anything to do with the affects long and short term affects of football players sustaining blows to the head. Neither does age, weight, strength or speed.

Offensive and defensive linemen -- no matter what age or how big they are -- take more hits to the head than any other group of players on the field just as a result of how the game has been played for 100 years.

There is really nothing coaches or leagues can do to prevent football players from taking blows to the head during games or practices.

Playing football doesn't teach you how to be a man or to be a better person. No sport does. That sounds like some coach speak rubbish.

Football is dangerous because it's football. There can be safe guards put in place, rules changed and new equipment that promises safety. The sport, by its very nature, is dangerous and always will be.
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You said the right thing. Football is a collision sport. It always has been and will be. I come from a football playing family and I enjoyed every moment I played the game a.d I would do it all over again. My son plays soccer and baseball right now.Next year he will be in flag football. When he turns 9 he will be signed up for contact football. But if I feel he or any of the kids are not being coached right I will say something for their safety. I would like for him to play football but if he doesnt like it then I wont force it on him. But still think football is great for teaching lessons.
 
I personally don't think young people should be involved in collision sports until they are at least 13 or 14.

Playing tackle football at 8 and 9, when a kid isn't close to maturing physically or mentally, is tough. Bodies that young shouldn't be subject to that type of physicality.

Now that we know what we know about head injuries should be all the more reason parents need to think long and hard about signing up their kids for youth football.

There is a Canadian hockey league that has outlawed checking due to physical safety concerns. Maybe that's the road football is headed. We don't know.
 



kendrick said:
I personally don't think young people should be involved in collision sports until they are at least 13 or 14.

Playing tackle football at 8 and 9, when a kid isn't close to maturing physically or mentally, is tough. Bodies that young shouldn't be subject to that type of physicality.

Now that we know what we know about head injuries should be all the more reason parents need to think long and hard about signing up their kids for youth football

There is a Canadian hockey league that has outlawed checking due to physical safety concerns. Maybe that's the road football is headed. We don't know.
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My experience in coaching little league and high school is that 13 or 14 is too late... Aint no weight or age restrictions at the school level only grade. I have coached sum 14 year olds who were men already. Im not worried about them. Its the guys who or not as developed as them that im worried about. To me kids need to begin learning how to be physical by age 10 or 11... We hear all these stories about guys who dont play football till they sr year and we take it too far. Those guyd either have world class speed or they hit a growth spurt and they are just monsters.
 
With all the talk about Junior Seau and the impact of head injuries, I am reminded of this thread . . .
 
I know lots of people who didn't play football on any level and they are as much man as the next guy. That bullshit about playing football makes you a man is bullcrap. I've known some who played football all their lives and grew up not to be worth a damn. Football is a sport...it can be used to HELP build character but it's not a NECESSITY to achieve that end.
 
I think the only thing that can be done is to increase the dimensions of the field. Players at every position are bigger, faster and stronger, but the field has remained the same size. Widening the field would help, I think.

I wouldn't mind seeing a comparative study between players from the NFL and those from the Canadian Football League.

As far as youth football, I grew up playing it and played through high school and into college and I'd do it again. For you parents, I understand your concern though. If I had a child I'd do everything I could to expose him to as many other sports as possible - baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, etc. But if he wanted to play football, I wouldn't stop him
 
BobbyBlueBlamm said:
I think the only thing that can be done is to increase the dimensions of the field. Players at every position are bigger, faster and stronger, but the field has remained the same size. Widening the field would help, I think.

I wouldn't mind seeing a comparative study between players from the NFL and those from the Canadian Football League.

As far as youth football, I grew up playing it and played through high school and into college and I'd do it again. For you parents, I understand your concern though. If I had a child I'd do everything I could to expose him to as many other sports as possible - baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, etc. But if he wanted to play football, I wouldn't stop him
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There is really nothing one can do. The field can be widened. The rules can be changed by Roger Goodell. The helmets can be made differently. However, at the end of the day as long as the athletes on the field continue to collide with each other, there will be injuries, players will get concussions and some will suffer neurological issues.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/article/985088--canadian-football-tackles-concussions-head-on
 
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