Hadn't kept up with this. Thoughts from young parents ?
- Thread starter thatsbaseball
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It's actually one of the most hypocritical feelings I have...
I 17ing love watching football. I don't care what level or what league. I've been turning on the CFL the last week or two and I think I was one of the few people that watched the FCS over the spring.
That being said, I really don't want my son to play tackle football.
I 17ing love watching football. I don't care what level or what league. I've been turning on the CFL the last week or two and I think I was one of the few people that watched the FCS over the spring.
That being said, I really don't want my son to play tackle football.
Agreed.
Love football but given what we know about CTE now, I don’t want my kid playing.
I coach hs football and if I have a son I won't encourage him to play. His *** sure as 17 ain't playing communist soccer though.
I see both sides of it. If I were to go back to my JV and HS days of hard hitting and playing with wreckless abandon, I wouldn't change a thing. Now in my 30s, my body definitely feels the impact of those days of using it like a kamikaze. Do I necessarily want my boys dealing with what I do? No, but when they are the age I was I won't have an issue with them playing.
My kids won't play tackle football before Jr. High. At that point, I'm not expecting them to play and won't be encouraging it. We do, however, make a big deal out of watching MSU football obviously, so saying I'm not encouraging it is probably not quite true. But I am not particularly worried about it because I don't think it's going to be an issue for us regardless. The schools are pretty big where we are and it's pretty competitive to play sports.
My dad played college football and my mom was firmly on the side of trying to limit how frequently I injured myself.
As a result, organized tackle football was never in the cards for me.
I have no idea how definitive the science is concerning CTE and playing young, but it sure seems pretty logical. The more frequently you slam your brain, the more likely something bad happens later on. Not exactly tough to connect that together.
I can see some people saying this is the pussification of boys and other similar baseless claims. Playing flag football still gets kids to be active, athletic, and competitive.
Back in the 90s. my travel soccer team used to do a header drill where we partnered up and threw a ball over a 25' fence to our partner. The moms put a stop to that after a couple seasons once they all knew about it. They werent stupid- that does no favors for our brains and it needs to be only minimally practiced, really.
As a result, organized tackle football was never in the cards for me.
I have no idea how definitive the science is concerning CTE and playing young, but it sure seems pretty logical. The more frequently you slam your brain, the more likely something bad happens later on. Not exactly tough to connect that together.
I can see some people saying this is the pussification of boys and other similar baseless claims. Playing flag football still gets kids to be active, athletic, and competitive.
Back in the 90s. my travel soccer team used to do a header drill where we partnered up and threw a ball over a 25' fence to our partner. The moms put a stop to that after a couple seasons once they all knew about it. They werent stupid- that does no favors for our brains and it needs to be only minimally practiced, really.
My son started 6th grade pee wee football this year. First game is next week. So far he's loving it and only been hit hard in practice once or twice. As long as he's not taking a lot of hard head shots and enjoying playing I'm going to let him continue.
I'm way past raising kids and don't have a male grandchild but neck injuries always worried me more than head injuries. Of course when we came along we really didn't know a fraction about concussions that we know today.
Numerous thoughts on this, as I have a son playing 4th/5th grade football right now. My general thoughts on the article is that Favre is hypocritical, he made millions of dollars playing football. Does he have a point about CTE? Maybe. But I disagree with the part about they shouldn't play before 14, and here is my logic:
1) The hits are not hard at this current level. Obviously they get progressively harder each year, and obviously it would be factual to say, "The more you play tackle football, the higher your risk is of CTE". Well, duh. But playing before 14 doesn't significantly raise that risk. The highest risk is at the NFL level, then college, high school, etc. Common sense.
2) Playing early gives them the experience that they need to figure out if they want to play later, when the hits DO matter.
3) Coaching matters, you really need to be coaching head's up football.
4) I do like the option of flag football, for parents who don't think their kid is ready. Keeps interest in the game. But it's not the same, the fundamentals and strategy is better in tackle.
5) Does the kid enjoy the physicality? This is a big question to answer. This usually isn't like other sports where there is a "I will try it" factor. Take them out there and let them see it. It's usually a solid yes or no answer to that question.
So, to sum all that up, while it's been a great experience so far, the closer we get to that 14 age level, the more and more the decision to keep playing becomes critical. The decision to start playing at 3rd grade was an easy one in our case. Great exercise, great team sport, made great friends. There's just something cool about the 'us vs. them' on a football field.
As far as the article, most often, I see parents using articles like this to confirm their own decisions NOT to play football. And that's fine. The problem is when they start telling parents who DO play, that they are wrong.
ETA: Great post here from a few years ago. Hopefully UnknownDawg and Zebrahater will weigh in on the Favre article too, they seem to be very knowledgeable.
1) The hits are not hard at this current level. Obviously they get progressively harder each year, and obviously it would be factual to say, "The more you play tackle football, the higher your risk is of CTE". Well, duh. But playing before 14 doesn't significantly raise that risk. The highest risk is at the NFL level, then college, high school, etc. Common sense.
2) Playing early gives them the experience that they need to figure out if they want to play later, when the hits DO matter.
3) Coaching matters, you really need to be coaching head's up football.
4) I do like the option of flag football, for parents who don't think their kid is ready. Keeps interest in the game. But it's not the same, the fundamentals and strategy is better in tackle.
5) Does the kid enjoy the physicality? This is a big question to answer. This usually isn't like other sports where there is a "I will try it" factor. Take them out there and let them see it. It's usually a solid yes or no answer to that question.
So, to sum all that up, while it's been a great experience so far, the closer we get to that 14 age level, the more and more the decision to keep playing becomes critical. The decision to start playing at 3rd grade was an easy one in our case. Great exercise, great team sport, made great friends. There's just something cool about the 'us vs. them' on a football field.
As far as the article, most often, I see parents using articles like this to confirm their own decisions NOT to play football. And that's fine. The problem is when they start telling parents who DO play, that they are wrong.
ETA: Great post here from a few years ago. Hopefully UnknownDawg and Zebrahater will weigh in on the Favre article too, they seem to be very knowledgeable.
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I started in the 7th grade when you were lauded for war paint on the top of your helmet that had zero pads except for the ear pads.
My son started in flag football then moved over to play year of Pop Warner in pads and played in school up through the 8th grade when the had an unbelievably bad ACL tear. Doc said he could keep playing but he would probably have to have at least one more rebuild before he was a senior in high school. He was on his way to being taller than I was so I advised him to stop even with the coaches wanting him back. He does not have any of the joint problems I did even in 20's so I'm happy for him.
We all wanted him to play baseball but there was zero baseball in our area of Austin. The closest was in Cedar Park and Round Rock or way south. That's the only thing we missed about Starkville in that we had plenty of baseball regardless of ability.
If I was in charge of another I would have to agree with Favre about flag.
My son started in flag football then moved over to play year of Pop Warner in pads and played in school up through the 8th grade when the had an unbelievably bad ACL tear. Doc said he could keep playing but he would probably have to have at least one more rebuild before he was a senior in high school. He was on his way to being taller than I was so I advised him to stop even with the coaches wanting him back. He does not have any of the joint problems I did even in 20's so I'm happy for him.
We all wanted him to play baseball but there was zero baseball in our area of Austin. The closest was in Cedar Park and Round Rock or way south. That's the only thing we missed about Starkville in that we had plenty of baseball regardless of ability.
If I was in charge of another I would have to agree with Favre about flag.
When I played the inside of our helmets resembled a construction hard hat more than today's football helmets but we used them like battering rams just the same.
My son played 5th grade football last year and is playing 6th grade football for his school this year. I didnt have any reservations letting him play. If you watch games at that age, there aren't many if any Ronnie Lott/Troy Polamalu type hits being administered. It's mostly pushing and shoving and a whole lot of arm tackling. With that said, I would understand any parent who did not feel comfortable letting their kid play.
I would be interested if any of these studies have broken down the cases by position groups to see if one group is more prone to CTE than another.
I would be interested if any of these studies have broken down the cases by position groups to see if one group is more prone to CTE than another.
I can agree about the tackling at this age. From watching practice it looks like a bunch of giraffes just learning to walk out there. The only really hard hits I see are in things like the Oklahoma drills. That's where my son got drilled and the first thing that hit the ground was the back of his head. His coaches and I both stress hit with your head up. Told him if I ever see him lower his head to give a hit he's quitting the team right then and there no questions asked.
I shudder to think about how bad my life would be had I not played football as a kid.
I grew up big and nerdy, and kids are mean. I couldn't dribble a basketball without kicking it. Soccer sucks and I was too slow. I still have never swung a baseball bat with my eyes open.
But football, I could flat knock another kid down. And I was quick off the ball. Without football, I doubt I would have any self esteem. I would probably be a drugged out waste working at McDonalds or some ****.
I grew up big and nerdy, and kids are mean. I couldn't dribble a basketball without kicking it. Soccer sucks and I was too slow. I still have never swung a baseball bat with my eyes open.
But football, I could flat knock another kid down. And I was quick off the ball. Without football, I doubt I would have any self esteem. I would probably be a drugged out waste working at McDonalds or some ****.
My youngest wants to play pop warner. I have no problem with it as long as they aren't doing the dumb **** you see on twitter. I've seen numerous videos where they line up some poor kid for execution just so they get a viral video from it. They will basically have the best kid on the team blow up a 42 lb white kids wearing chris sabo glasses in some sort of "drill".
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I was in a happy mood after seeing horshack's gif and then you pull this. What the 17 do you think I am downvoting here? I havent downvoted a thing in this thread.
Like a few have mentioned; waiting until 7th is probably a bad idea for most kids bc of the lack of “pad knowledge”. I was scared for the same reasons as many other parents and waited until my son was 10 to play. Logic was he was oldest in 10u league and would have a size advantage against 1/2 the boys. When he started playing those 9 year olds were eating his lunch bc they knew how to hit/block already. By the time he was finished with 12u he finally had enough reps to level the field. Some of those 12 year olds are men these days. I can’t imagine the struggle if he had waited to Jr High.
Football is not like it was when I was in Jr High; it’s faster and harder (in public schools) and your kid will need the early reps to compete unless he is unusually gifted. That said, I have told my son; one concussion and you are done. That was the deal from the beginning.
Football is not like it was when I was in Jr High; it’s faster and harder (in public schools) and your kid will need the early reps to compete unless he is unusually gifted. That said, I have told my son; one concussion and you are done. That was the deal from the beginning.
I am 69 years old and have coached HS Football 16 seasons. Also I have coached JUCO Football 5 years on field and additional admin assistant. I have coached NFL combines and clinics for Martin Bayless and LeRoi Glover for the NFLPA. I have been hired auxiliary helper for the NFL also. I encourage any kid to play soccer because it is THE GLOBAL GAME which includes the remaining communist countries. Not every kid can play American Football therefore a great form of exercise and sport, your communist game, is great for the physical fitness of the out of shape youth in America. I bet a majority of the COACHING PROFESSION would agree with me a fellow professional?
I played from pee wee thru high school. Honestly, under age 14 is probably the safest age to play. Kids just dont hit hard enough pre puberty to cause any significant trauma. Im sure its even better now with modern helmets. I remember the 1st significant collisions I encountered beginning in 9th grade (14 yrs old). Prior to that, it was just a bunch of children who would struggle to crack an egg under their pads.
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Similar to this but not as fancy? I remember a hit when I was a sophomore where I broke the chinstrap, helmet turned straight down and the face mask hit me just below my lower lip and cut it enough that I could grab my lip, pull it up and you could see a bit of my mouth through the cut. It didn't hurt that night and luckily it was Friday night of two a days and I had the weekend to recover because it hurt like a ***** the next day.
No stitches. Mom glued steri strips to hold it togther and I was ready to go Monday. I was a lot tougher in those days.
my sense is coaches are much more informed about the potential consequences, and the rule changes have helped limit some of the damage. When I played in HS we hit each other with our helmets as hard as we could on a pretty regular basis, and I think I had a headache in probably 80% of games and full pad practices. The things I did to my neck, shoulders and back at the time have been with me ever since. I have girls so I don't have to deal with it, but I'd want to know the coach's knowledge and attitude before I'd give the okay.
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Helmets have definitely improved, it I’m not sure any of them can prevent the rapid deceleration of the brain inside the skull.
Count me in as glad to have a daughter and not having to make the decision.
Count me in as glad to have a daughter and not having to make the decision.
I’ll follow up my initial comment about not wanting my son to play with I would likely let him if it was something he clearly had a passion for, like what you did.
I suspect he will probably end up a lot like I did in high school. I topped out at about 6 foot and 170 pounds in high school. I was pretty fast and not fairly well built for my weight but it was clear I was becoming one of the smaller ones by about my junior year. I had a pretty good concussion my sophomore year in a football game and I also started getting recruited a little bit for baseball in my sophomore year, so I figured it was time to hang up football.
I have a daughter, too. And #2 in sports injuries to the head are cheerleaders falling. Either hitting someone else or hitting the ground. Anyone have some bubble wrap??
Why not basketball? Cross country? Track? It doesn’t have to be the sport that monopolizes high school athletes, is played outside during winter, and has club teams that travel every 17ing weekend and interfere with other school sports teams schedules. 17. Soccer.
I was knocked unconscious with a back injury when I accidently speared a runner with my helmet. It scares the crap out of me when I think of how close I came to being paralyzed. My son played as a kicker his senior year only, and luckily didn't get hurt at all.
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Have to agree here. When it comes to the biggest violator of year-round playing, give-me-your-money-for-extra-training, and daddy-ball.....soccer absolutely takes the cake. It's the biggest money-making racket in youth sports. Takes advantage of gullible parents who want their kids to play some sport, but are scared to do the others, for whatever reasons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF8CeQC54M0 I do not want to come across as disrespectful to anyone on the board but want to assert that we need kids playing any kind of ball for its benefits. Some schools are super elite in high school football and very exclusive for playing time. The two schools shown in this communication have talent so high that it is a brutal dogfight to get up to third string? What about great athletes at a school who can compete, soccer is a great option. I understand that talent in rural areas is thinner because of numbers but would like to emphasize that comparing Los Angeles criteria to some rural areas for high school ball can't net the same results?
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