Youth football; are your kids going to play?

[jkitsune]

I don't post here a ton anymore, but do still like to keep up on the forum and am always attracted to these discussions. I'm a physician, and specialize primarily in psychiatry but with an emphasis on the neurological aspects of these disorders as well. I'm not, by any means, primarily a 'concussion expert,' but it (and this) does fall within my particular subspecialty. Speaking in this role, I would say that concerns about the long-term safety of football, particularly from a 'brain health' perspective, are about more than just proper coaching and technique, and that I am not planning to allow my children to play unless it is absolutely the only sport, over a long period of time, that they are passionate about. As another poster above said, I do not believe 8 year old children can weigh the risks and benefits of the game, but we can. I love football, and I do believe in the many positive things it brings, but I believe there are other ways for your child to develop these.

That being said, I also don't judge parents who make other decisions. This is a super tough one for a lot of families right now. Good luck!

Very well put.

Even the best skilled and trained professionals get into bad impacts with the best coaching in the world.

At younger ages, even though the collisions are at lower speeds, the skills/techniques will also be much worse.

Also, most coaching about proper tackling is about protecting your neck - specifically, your spine. The angle of your impact and how you position your head has tremendous influence on the torque placed on your neck and down your spine, which can lead to catastrophic injuries. Any sudden deceleration of the head (no matter the technique) carries with it the risk not only of a concussion, but have sub-traumatic events which can, we think, accrue over time and lead to CTE or other forms of neurological or psychiatric dysfunction. These sorts of injuries can happen in any sport, certainly, but these sorts of sudden decelerations are much more part and parcel of football than others. Blocking, for instance, is every bit as much a risk as tackling, and happens to most players most every play.

We don't really fully know why CTE happens or exactly how to predict or prevent it, but that isn't the same as saying we don't know any risk factors. For me, it's not a good balance of risk to benefit. Others' mileage may vary, and I respect that.

 

[Boycie]

As my boys near the age of being able to play competitive sports my wife and I have been discussing the possibility of our sons playing football. The oldest is going to be eligible to play pop warner football in a few months when he turns five and he has already expressed interest in playing. He's done soccer, basketball, t-ball, swimming, and we've been to the driving range a few times. We've done all of those without hesitation, but football has me a little worried, though I hate to keep them from pursuing a sport they want to do. I'm leaning toward enrolling him when the time comes but I want to know what other fans of the game think. What do I need to look for? What reservations do you have? What experiences did you have? Am I overthinking the whole thing

I think that with the new Heads Up program football has gotten safer.

There has been a shift for player safety in the NFL and it has really been embraced at the grass roots level. I for one would have loved for my son to play football, but his soccer career wouldn't let him play another sport because he was training with a pro club at 13.

He is no longer at the club and could play football but his high school doesn't have it available.

Safety will always be a concern anytime a person plays a sport where collisions happen frequently. I played hockey my whole life and had my bell rung. My younger kid who plays soccer had a concussion too. It doesn't mean you shouldn't play a sport because of the risk, but that's my opinion as a parent who has raised 2 boys.