Final Conclusion

https://www.si.com/2013/10/22/nfl-concussions-head-trauma-special-report

Why should football be banned and not other contact sports? Football is by far the most dangerous. In the NCAA, football has the highest concussion rate overall, according to a study by the American Journal of Sports Medicine. This study also found that player-to-player contact was the leading cause of concussions, as opposed to contact with the ground, ball, or equipment. Player-to-player contact is an integral part of football, unlike other sports such as soccer. Another study, conducted by MedStar Sports Medicine, focused on high school athletes and concluded that football accounted for more than half of all concussions and had the highest incident rate.

All sports have a risk of injuries, but most of these injuries can heal over time, such as broken bones, torn ligaments, or sprained ankles. Concussions will heal, but multiple ones take their toll. While we can’t eliminate the risk of injuries entirely, shouldn’t we eliminate a sport that can permanently change lives for the worse? Going back to Omalu’s New YorkTimes editorial, how is football any different from drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes? Cigarettes harm the lungs. Alcohol harms the liver. Football harms the brain. Is it not adults' job to help prevent kids from engaging in harmful activities?  

www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/10/ncaa_and_concussions_a_talk_wi.html

According to the CDC, “A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that can have serious effects on a young, developing brain. These may include changes in how the child or teen thinks, feels, and acts, as well as their ability to learn and remember.” Shouldn’t we protect our kids from a sport with a high risk of brain injury? While I strongly believe we cannot take away all risk from kids, I do think we should eliminate the ones that could ruin a child for life.

Would kids be able to settle for flag football until they reach 14, or even 18? Should we deny even high school aged kids the ability to play tackle football? High school/college football is a culture in and of itself. Would stopping football in high school eventually affect the NFL? When kids get to high school, most have chosen one or two sports to focus on and hone those skills, with little room to try out other activities. Some argue that if football isn’t available for teens and preteens, no one will play the sport (as a career) later in life.

Over the course of researching and writing these three blogs, I’ve become knowledgeable about the dangers of football, the adversities of concussions and their effects, and the reasons people continue to let their kids play football. I do not believe children under the age of 14 should play contact football and will take this stance in my argument essay.

Pros and Cons of Youth Football

youthfootballonline.com/youth-football-53-defense-balance-with-flexibility/

       I decided to begin by researching the pros and cons of Youth Football. I gained much insight from reading both sides.

       Articles against kids playing football warn heavily about the risks of kids playing football. Jonathan Zimmerman, a teacher at New York University, points out football has a high impact rate, especially to the head, which is serious for kids’ fragile bodies. Kids' necks aren't fully developed, so they can't brace for a hit the way an adult can. And their brain cases haven't finished hardening, which makes their skulls more vulnerable to impact. Frequent head impacts can cause brain disease and other neurological issues. In high school, kids are more likely to get a concussion with each passing season. Men’s Health states that all head collisions have consequences, not just concussions. These are called “subconcussive” hits, and although they don’t knock anyone out, they can be more hazardous than concussions. Subconcussive hits can permanently alter the brain’s structural integrity. The more hits a person experiences, the longer it takes to recover each time. It doesn’t take long for the brain to get overwhelmed, which can eventually result in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Manifesting CTE has several symptoms relating to mental health, including major depression, anxiety, loss of intelligence, loss of memory, dementia, and suicidal thoughts, which can sometimes go as far as actually committing suicide. Football is so dangerous that an editorial for the New York Times likened it to alcohol, smoking, and driving; among other age-restricted activities. The editorial declared that we must not let kids play football until they are fully grown adults, capable of consent and able to fully weigh all of the dangers and benefits. The recent surge against football caused a drop in youth football participation and even NFL viewership. Kids are choosing other sports over football.

  

youth1.com/football/1288397141-3-most-important-coaching-traits

        Despite all these risks, advocates for kids playing football say the advantages of outweigh the risks. They acknowledge the dangers but say helmets and safety gear is now more advanced than ever, and it’s improving at a rapid pace.  Football is just as risky as any other sport, and youth football is carefully controlled to decrease these perils. Laws have been passed to limit full contact during practices, and kids are taught to tackle properly. Kids who are trained to tackle properly are more confident and less fearful, which reduces endangerment on the field. Kids who don’t know how to tackle correctly pose a greater threat to all involved. 

          Flag football is often mentioned as an alternative to tackle football, but tackle football has greater intensity and is more of a challenge. Flag football depends mostly on speed, whereas tackle football utilizes multiple muscle groups to complete complex movements necessary for the game. Tackle football develops motor skills and establishes discipline at a young age. Not only do kids learn physical toughness, but mental toughness as well. Tackle football also promotes teamwork and camaraderie because every player is as important as the next, and all are counted on for a successful game.

          In addition to all these factors, football is a multimillion dollar sport with the backing of hundreds of companies, colleges and of course, the NFL itself. Football is embedded in American society and culture, and loved by millions of Americans. Parents must choose between love of the sport and dangers of the game.

Works Cited: 

 Zimmerman, Jonathan. "We Must Stop Risking the Health of Young Football Players." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2018. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/VWETBE693994308/OVIC?u=west59484&sid=OVIC&xid=1299a871. Accessed 22 Oct. 2018. Originally published as "Football: Unsafe at any level," Los Angeles Times, 13 Sept. 2014.

Should Kids be Allowed to Play Tackle Football?

www.menshealth.com/health/a21346159/should-kids-play-football/

Is tackle football too dangerous for children? As the link between tackle football and permanent brain damage becomes increasingly stronger, we must ask ourselves, should we allow our kids to play football? Should schools even offer football? Is football more hazardous than other contact sports, such as ice hockey, lacrosse, or soccer? Do the benefits of contact sports on childhood development offset the potential risks?

In a country where millions of young boys and young men choose football as their sport, where high school and college football teams are a big business, and where the richest sports enterprise is the NFL, saying we should eliminate youth football is like David taking on Goliath. It’s almost un-American to think boys should stop playing football.

Yet, in recent years, light has been shed on the dangers of football. Injuries are commonplace, with many of them relating to ankle, knee, and the spine. However, the most critical-and the most ignored-are brain injuries, like concussions. In 2002, Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist and neuropathologist, discovered Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in Mike Webster’s brain. Mike Webster played center in NFL football for 16 years, and after retiring, suffered from amnesia, depressions and dementia. This was the first time CTE, then known as “punch-drunk syndrome” had been found in a football player and not a boxer. CTE is the result of frequent head knocks, so steps were taken to protect players’ brains. This included upgrading helmets, limiting full contact during practices, and even going as far as eliminating tackles entirely during practices.

Omalu’s findings raised another question. Is it ok for children to be playing tackle football? Experts and parents are divided. Kids’ growing and developing bodies and brains can experience multiple injuries in contact sports, especially concussions. According to one source, a kid in an organized youth football league can take on anywhere between 240-585 hits on the head over the course of one season. Numerous concussions will accumulate over time into long term health effects, which can affect one deep into adulthood. Advocates against children playing football say kids should not be allowed to play tackle football because of all the health risks, while critics of such a ban say the benefits of football outweigh all the risks.

www.menshealth.com/health/a21346159/should-kids-play-football/

I’m not a huge fan of football, and though I enjoy watching it occasionally, I do not believe we should let children play football now knowing about the high risks. Brain injuries are nothing to scoff at. I understand that teamwork and physical activity are beneficial, even necessary for kids to experience, but kids should choose alternatives to football for sports activity.   

Over the course of these blogs and my research for the argument essay, I will explore this topic. I hope to find out answers to many of the questions listed at the top, and to learn more about the effects of concussions on children.