Concussion Expert Says Letting Kids Play Football Should Be Considered Child Abuse

[Farr Be It]

Always been big kids. Always been small kids.
Equipment has improved. Attention to things like concussions has improved thankfully.
Long term brain damage from a typical routine football experience of youth football? I think it is intellectually dishonest of the Dr doing this study.

I know. I want to get ahold of this smug do-gooder doctor.......and smack him in the head.

 

[fearsomefour]

I know. I want to get ahold of this smug do-gooder doctor.......and smack him in the head.

Doing good?
Selling something....a fine line sometimes.

 

[RamBall]

May as well make motorcycles, bicycles, automobiles, skateboards and anything else that moves illegal.
I have never played a single down of organized football, but I have suffered atleast half a dozen concussions. I played a lot of park football and only recieved 1 concussion from that as far as I know lol, mainly because with no helmet I tried to protect my head. I'm sure I recieved at least 3 just from car accidents before my 20th birthday, so should it be considered child abuse to let your teenage child drive or ride in a motor vehicle, after all that is the leading cause of death for teens. Should bicycles be banned? I've recieved at least 1 concussion probably more from crashing my BMX bicycle as a young teen, as did many of my friends at the time. Should it be considered child abuse to teach your son to stand up against bullies? I'm sure I've recieved a concussion or 2 from fist fights, that I did not start, but did finish.
Short of wrapping your child in bubble wrap and never letting them leave the house there is no way to prevent all concussions or worse.
Studies can be made to prove whatever point the person doing the study wants it to prove. All 111 brains that were studied came from players that they or their families believed they had CTE, that is like saying that 110 of 111 people that went to the dentist because their tooth hurt had 1 or more cavities.
Teaching young football players to tackle with their shoulder while targeting the body below the neck and above the knees sounds like a better option, or as has been mentioned before get rid of the helmets. Youth leagues have already made great strides in reducing neck injuries through proper training. Has any Dr done a study relating to concussions in rugby? The collisions arent as violent as NFL football, but that probably has something to do with the lack of helmets and pads.

 

[fearsomefour]

May as well make motorcycles, bicycles, automobiles, skateboards and anything else that moves illegal.
I have never played a single down of organized football, but I have suffered atleast half a dozen concussions. I played a lot of park football and only recieved 1 concussion from that as far as I know lol, mainly because with no helmet I tried to protect my head. I'm sure I recieved at least 3 just from car accidents before my 20th birthday, so should it be considered child abuse to let your teenage child drive or ride in a motor vehicle, after all that is the leading cause of death for teens. Should bicycles be banned? I've recieved at least 1 concussion probably more from crashing my BMX bicycle as a young teen, as did many of my friends at the time. Should it be considered child abuse to teach your son to stand up against bullies? I'm sure I've recieved a concussion or 2 from fist fights, that I did not start, but did finish.
Short of wrapping your child in bubble wrap and never letting them leave the house there is no way to prevent all concussions or worse.
Studies can be made to prove whatever point the person doing the study wants it to prove. All 111 brains that were studied came from players that they or their families believed they had CTE, that is like saying that 110 of 111 people that went to the dentist because their tooth hurt had 1 or more cavities.
Teaching young football players to tackle with their shoulder while targeting the body below the neck and above the knees sounds like a better option, or as has been mentioned before get rid of the helmets. Youth leagues have already made great strides in reducing neck injuries through proper training. Has any Dr done a study relating to concussions in rugby? The collisions arent as violent as NFL football, but that probably has something to do with the lack of helmets and pads.

Same things I have been saying.
But, why let reality enter the conversation when there is an opportunity to have an big emotional reaction to something?
Parents freak out about violence at school because it makes headlines. The reality is statistically school is the safest place kids spent swaths of time. The most dangerous? The home. For all sorts of reasons. The most dangerous thing most of us do is drive a car.
My point is this....applying studies done of professional players has as much relavence on the youth game as Arnold Swarznegger's steroid soaked Mr Universe workout routine would have on a 12 year old gym newbie.
Apples and oranges.
Doesn't mean the sport shouldn't learn from it. It should.
This fool talking about child abuse and football....or any sport for that matter. Dirt bikes, BMX, boxing, MMA, wrestling, soccer, distance running....the list goes on. The bigger issue, if he is concerned about parental choices, would appear to be neglect. Letting a kid sit and play video games for hours on end, eat whatever they want into obesity or embracing a culture that encourages a mentality of victimhood. Where does all of that rank in relation to playing tackle football?
Different conversation I suppose.
I think the doctor should publish his findings, relate it to the actual population studied and stop trying to grab headlines.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

My son is in youth football. I have seen some big kids in that league, but I have yet to see a jarring tackle. The limited athleticism restricts it. The loudest hit was by my son and it didn't phase the other kid.

I worry about the dirty stuff that went on though. These leagues need coaches and too often it attracts the wrong kind. The kid that was blindsided players during kick returns was an opposing coaches son. He was readjusting and it had nothing to do with the plays on the field. Another coaches kid was spitting and kicking tackled players and diving in with late hits. Four of the eight teams had a kid like that.

I tried to steer my kid to fall ball. But he loves football, and he is very good at it. I couldn't keep him from it. At least as a DE and OT/OG he is less likely to take a big hit in youth leagues.