Would you let your son play football?

Let him play JV Highschool Footbal?

  • Yes

    Votes: 51 27.1%
  • No

    Votes: 137 72.9%

  • Total voters
    188

Jnai

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I realize many of you have kids. But, I'd wager to say that the majority don't.
 
Regardless of whether your kid actually is a good athlete, let's say for the purposes of this poll that your kid is athletically gifted enough to be a good skill position player on his JV or Varsity Highschool football team.
 
Feel free to post opinions below (this is a message board!). I'm just curious to see how you might vote.
 

rsmith7

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Jul 18, 2005
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My son did play HS varsity.
Did not want to play college, and frankly I would have counseled against it.
Bigger, stronger, more violent (than our area HS anyway).
I feel playing at that level increases the possibility of serious/chronic injury.
 

mascho

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This is more of a placeholder for me to beef up later, provided I remember. Here are some previous thoughts of mine on this issue: http://sonsofsamhorn.net/topic/87050-the-future-of-football/page-3#entry5117539 I've basically gone from a soft no to a firmer no. I mean, I love this sport, and I think that's been established, but that laundry list of injuries (to which we can add another torn labrum in the left shoulder that needs surgery) I'm dealing with isn't something I can in good conscience let my son walk into. 
 

Just a bit outside

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I have two boys, 15 and 11, who are good athletes. They are not allowed to play football.  My wife and I decided about 5 years ago we were not going to let them play.  They both played flag football and like it but we decided it was not worth risking their health to play tackle football.  There are plenty of other activities and sports they can take part in that are not as dangerous.  They both play baseball and basketball.
 
On a side note.  My brother had two concussions playing football in 1980 and my parents pulled him and wouldn't let him play again.  He was 13 years old at the time. I guess they saw this coming.
 

Devizier

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No-No-formerly Yes.
 
But I should add a caveat here:
 
 
 

Is your answer to this question different now than it would have been 10 years ago?
 
My son is two. The reality of having a child that you love and care for plays as much as a role in my answer as anything else.
 

Ed Hillel

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Haven't had this conversation yet, but assuming I do have a boy, he will be allowed, at least by high school. I think it's important to let my kid make the choice on his own, and by high school age, I think it's the fair thing to do. He'll be gone in 4 years making his own decisions anyway, so I'm not going to hold him back if it's a passion of his.
 
Now this doesn't mean I hope he prefers baseball, but if he chooses football, he at least gets the opporunity. If he gets a concussion or two, things will have to be reevaluated.
 

leftfieldlegacy

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I encouraged my now 17 year old son to play baseball and hockey when he was 6. I also tried to interest him in lacrosse, but he never really never took to it. So ten years ago my position was the same as it is now - no football. I think football is a great sport but there is still way too much emphasis on full contact drills in practice where I believe much of the cumulative trauma occurs. I understand that concussions are a fact of life in hockey as well, but for the most part hockey practices concentrate on skill development and game strategy. It is unusual to see cheap shots or really forceful checks during a hockey practice. Football practices are much more violent. The recent early unforced retirement of the 4 young NFL players kind of surprised me and seems to be indicative of a shift in how football players view there future. 
 

Leather

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I would allow it, assuming they really wanted to play.  I would never encourage them to play, however, if they didn't make that decision on their own.  I am already encouraging them (they are 2) to play baseball and soccer more than anything else, although we watch football together.   
 
It's a tough question.  The fact that it's a skill position makes a big difference to me, simply because those positions have (from what I understand) a much lower risk of brain-related injuries. If the question was framed that he'd be a lineman, I'd say "No" without hesitation.  I don't feel good about that, but if I'm being honest it's how I feel.
 
EDIT:  Hockey is an interesting question because, as Minnesotans, it's almost a given that they'll play hockey at some point in their lives.  I might have to get them on skates next winter so they can at least have it as a viable option in a few years.
 

twothousandone

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RedOctober3829 said:
Better equipment and properly trained coaches.
My answer 10 years ago would have been no due to improperly trained coaches." Yeah, you played in college, but you're a gym teacher, not Bear Bryant. And Bryant was a sadist" IMO
 

Import78

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I voted no.  I never played, but the people I know who did play almost all have some injury that impacts them now.  It's not just concussions either.  Blown out knee/shoulder/elbow/back whatever.  When I was in high school I would not have been able to evaluate the risk/value of that particular sport with a lifetime of whatever nagging injury.
 

Hector Salamanca

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I'm only 21 with no kids, so this post should be taken with a grain (or tablespoon) of salt. I understand completely why someone wouldn't allow their son to play football, but the game meant so much to me and helped me more than anything else develop into the person I am today over the 8+ years I played. Because of this, if my son wanted to play football (as drleather said, encouraging him would be something different), I don't think I could tell him no.
 

Import78

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RedOctober3829 said:
You can have nagging injuries from playing any number of sports, though.
 
You absolutely can, I have a few myself.  Former football players (at least the ones I know) have way more than former players of any other sport.  I don't know many former hockey players.
 

Marciano490

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Mark Schofield said:
This is more of a placeholder for me to beef up later, provided I remember. Here are some previous thoughts of mine on this issue: http://sonsofsamhorn.net/topic/87050-the-future-of-football/page-3#entry5117539 I've basically gone from a soft no to a firmer no. I mean, I love this sport, and I think that's been established, but that laundry list of injuries (to which we can add another torn labrum in the left shoulder that needs surgery) I'm dealing with isn't something I can in good conscience let my son walk into. 
 
 
Import78 said:
I voted no.  I never played, but the people I know who did play almost all have some injury that impacts them now.  It's not just concussions either.  Blown out knee/shoulder/elbow/back whatever.  When I was in high school I would not have been able to evaluate the risk/value of that particular sport with a lifetime of whatever nagging injury.
 
This is important - it's not just the concussions that affect quality of life later on, it's the bad backs and hips and knees and shoulders.  Wasn't it Kurt Warner who said he quit becuase he could barely lift his kids up to play with them anymore?  Too many shots start to degenerate bone and ligaments, you can really make a mess of the second half of your life.
 
That said, stress kills, crossing the street kills, soccer players get concussions, tennis players and golfers tear things. 
 
When I lived in Allston, I used to drive to the Newton South track to do roadwork on weekends.  There was a dad always out there with his young kid practicing field goals with a nerf ball.  That's probably the way to do it. 
 

dixielandbandana

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https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/lebron-james-says-he-wont-let-sons-play-football-102409612512.html

I trained under the doctor cited in this article, who is boarded in sports and emergency medicine. He was pretty involved in high school football in Iowa City before moving to Chicago. I think he makes a really good point that football isn't the only sport with risk potential, and that parents and coaches should both be educated on safety. I think new technology will continue to help make the game safer, and unless it takes a serious turn, I'd probably let a son (or daughter!) play.
 

dirtynine

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I played in high school. It sucked, especially practices, but it did make me a better, tougher person. The adversity football presents to growing boys is valuable. And rare injuries aside, it's not clear that 4 years of high school ball are going to inflict long-term mental problems the way a football career might.

Can you grow playing a safer sport? Yes. Long distance running might have done something similar for me at that age.

That said, a lot of the value in high school football is in the camaraderie and its flip side - the mental adversity that can come from locker room relationships. Football teaches you how to handle people who intend to push you around - both on the field and off. And that's not something that's easily found in other sports, or easy to make safe.

I think I would allow it, with close monitoring and given a coaching staff I trusted.

Of course, I have daughters.
 

SoxinSeattle

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I played pee wee through high school and can remember at least 5 concussions. Out cold twice. I'm convinced it has something to do with my mild depression. That said I've rung my bell several times mountain biking, skiing and snowboarding as well. I also blew out my shoulder senior year.
I have a two year old now and will do anything possible to keep him from playing. Too bad cause I loved it and he's gonna be a tank.
 

RIFan

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Voted Yes- Yes- and no change
 
I voted that way partially to not be a hypocrite.  My 13 YO plays hockey at the Bantam (1st yr checking) level.  There is a  level of violence in that sport that is compounded by his small stature and the overall speed of the sport.  I honestly don't see that football would be dramatically worse for him.  I would add that I would envision he would be a WR or DB and not a lineman, RB or LB banging heads on every play.  My viewpoint would be different if I saw him in those rolls.
 
Just to illustrate how things have changed, I played football for 2 years in High School.  Prior to playing football I suffered a few concussions, none of which occurred while playing a sport.  I developed a seizure disorder as well as other issues that required me to be under the care of a neurologist for almost 6 years.  There were some hellish times within those years compounded by the normal turmoil puberty and the teen years cause as well as getting the medication right.  2 years into the treatment, I asked for permission from the doctor to play football.  He saw no problem with that. I can't imagine there being any chance either the doctor or my parents would ever allow that today I had my "bell rung" a couple of times and it is quite possible that playing football extended the time before my regular EEG's returned to normal and I no longer needed medication or regular neurologist visits.  I am sure I never said a word to anyone when those happened.  I certainly don't live in fear of CTE, but the research and growing knowledge base is something I pay attention to. 
 
I let my son play contact sports despite what I went through.  It's not an easy choice and it is something I have spoken about with him repeatedly.  I'm as confident as I can be with a 13 YO that he will act accordingly and be honest with his coaches, us, and most importantly himself if he does not feel right after contact.  I think there are risks but there are also benefits to being part of a team doing something you love. 
 

EvilEmpire

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My oldest son has played Pop Warner and will be playing freshman/JV ball next season. I played Pop Warner through HS varsity myself. I understand there are risks, but there are with most sports and I don't think they are very high through the high school level. Not high enough to outweigh the benefits, which for me at least, were considerable. The teamwork and camaraderie born of hard work and shared misery just seemed more heightened in football than other sports for me, and I learned a lot doing it. I'm not sure if my son loves it the same way I did. I think he might enjoy catching in baseball more. I'm not sure. I know that if he ever wants to stop playing football that I won't try to change his mind.
 

8slim

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My son plays Mite hockey.  After watching some Pop Warner football it doesn't look like his risk for injury would be any worse with football compared to hockey.
 
If he really wanted to play I'd let him, but as DrL said, I won't encourage it.
 
My wife was a varsity cheerleading coach for years, her girls suffered a TON of injuries, including concussions.  Most sports can be dangerous.
 

RhaegarTharen

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No kids yet, but I saw plenty of injuries on a soccer field or basketball court during my time in HS that makes me think singling football out is slightly myopic.  
 
For me the biggest factors on answering Yes/Yes/No Change were a) the question said HS - I agree anything beyond that is where more serious/long-term injuries become a more significant factor, and b) I feel like (perhaps incorrectly) HS football in the northeast is not quite as "serious" as it is elsewhere.  I could just be naive (my HS didnt have a football program, so I can't use first hand experience to compare) but I think I might feel differently about letting any future kids play if we were living in Texas or somewhere 
 
Then again, until I have kids this is all really just baseless speculation. 
 

EL Jeffe

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My son is 8 and plays soccer, which I fully support. Outside of playing catch and a little bit of recess football, he hasn't shown any interest in taking up football. I definitely do not want him playing tackle football, but I'm not sure that I would forbid him.
 

simplyeric

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I wouldn't 'forbid' but I'm definitely not pushing any future son into peewee football. By the same token, I firmly against any intense ballet or gymnastics for my daughter. I think the physical toll is too high (this comes only from knowing others who were very into football, ballet, gymnastics, or rugby).

If he or she went out and was a 'natural' somehow, then so be it. Sure...my kid will be Tom Brady! Right.
I'm totally going to coach my daughter to be a knuckleball reliever. The only better option is golf, but I can't afford that.
 

Doug Beerabelli

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My son is almost 10, and I'm in "no" mode right now. He has friends in others sports he plays that also played football, and a couple suffered concussions. You can only get ones bell rung so many times, and I want to limit that possibility.

I fully acknowledge and understand other sports and activities can lead to concussions. My guy occasionally plays goalie in soccer, and he plays baseball - sports where head contact is foreseeable. He also plays basketball, which seems less risky, but a couple kids collided in recess playing hoops and one got a...concussion! I'm more concerned about the repetitive contact that is guaranteed to happen in football, both in practice and games. Especially if one plays line. If I read up on this right, the younger kids are at risk as much from the brain rattling around in the skull, so helmet technology really can't do too much to reduce that. The idea that the brain still has to grow into the skull as they age.

He's been asking me to play lately. Some of the football coaches have coached him on other sports, may be trying to put some thoughts into his head. I played a little, 7-9th grade, and didn't play a lot and was more interested in basketball, so I quit. I'm sticking with no for the near future (he will be in fifth grade next year). I'll consider it once he hits high school. I'm not worried that he'll be behind in the sport - it's a risk I'm ok with. If he has skills to play at that age, the coaches likely will find a place for him to play. We have plenty of footballs at home and will throw it every once in awhile. And punt and kick.

I'm erring on side of caution. And frankly, I don't fully trust the coaches on our area at his age group to watch out for his well being.
 

CantKeepmedown

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My son is 9.  He played last year (in the 2nd/3rd) grade league.  He liked it well enough, but it was a pretty intense commitment.  3 practices a week (90 minutes long) and games on Saturday or Sunday.  He was the only kid in his group of friends that played.  The others all played soccer.
 
This year, he chose to play soccer (with no argument from his mother or I).  One practice a week and games on the weekend.  He seemed to enjoy it much more and was with his friends.  I don't know if he'll choose to go back to football or not (I assume losing a year or two would put him pretty far behind others in his age, but maybe not), but I won't be crushed if he wants to stick with soccer as his fall sport.  
 

Was (Not Wasdin)

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Yes on my youngest.  He has played in 7th and 8th grade, and will be playing freshman football in the fall.  
 
A few kids in our town are moving to football from other sports.  We dont have a Pop Warner or other youth program in town, so everything starts in the middle school (a program initially started and funded, by the way, by one Pete Carroll).  I really like the coaches, and my son has really enjoyed playing for a team not coached by me or by someone else's dad. We have been very clear that any injuries will be carefully evaluated and we will err on the side of caution, and at the end of each season we will sit down and discuss whether or not he will play the next year (as we did after 7th and 8th grade).  So far it has been a really good experience for him.  
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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I've always assumed that my son (now 3.5) would play soccer.  I was a very active soccer player growing up and still play once or twice a week.  We play in the yard a fair amount and I'm basically counting on him wanting to emulate the old man.  He's also likely to top out in the 5'8 to 5'9 range, with a willowy build, so its not like he has much of a future on the gridiron anyway.
 
Maybe that makes me a shitty dad, forcing my own sports preferences on him from a young age.  But, rightly or wrongly, it has allowed me to largely ignore the football question.  In the abstract, I think my answer would be no but I've never really considered it that deeply.
 
My wife is also completely opposed to him playing football, so I've got that going for me as well.
 

canvass ali

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I have two boys, ages 15 and 17, and answered No, No and No change.  The older one is a track and field guy, an excellent athlete with no interest in football.  His younger brother would love to play but doesn't have the ability.  So the question was never on the table but for the record, the answer would have been no.  Ten years ago the answer would have been no based on time management--the schedule for practices and games cut too much into supper and homework time.  With all the head injury info added to the mix, the decision is that much easier.
 
Funny thing is, the older, athletic one knows more about Karl Marx than he does about Tom Brady.  When the Butler interception happened, the younger one and I were dancing and going nuts in a man-hug.  The older one jumped in, laughing and screaming with us and yelling "I don't know what's happening!  I don't know what's happening!".  It might be my favorite sports moment ever for all sorts of crazy reasons.
 

reggiecleveland

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I played basketball and have a myriad of ailments connected to my time on the court. In the era I played is you rested an injury you were a pussy. That included a few concussions. Football is higher risk, but they way coaches handle player safety is more important. High school football here is pretty well run. There is a doctor at every game, and players follw concussion prtotcol. Coaches bitch about it because kid miss games every time the get knocked on the head. But most coaches are very conscientious. In the right situation, with the right coaches, I would let my kid play.
 

EvilEmpire

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Just to add something I forgot earlier. There are so many more distractions now than when I was a kid: video games, lots more TV, social media, etc, that I'm really happy to support my kids in any athletic activity they want to pursue at all. I'm more worried about couch potatoes than injuries.

edit: I'd draw a line at BASE jumping though.
 

The Big Red Kahuna

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My 10 yr old and 8 yr kid boys both play currently. We debated it for awhile, but there were a few factors that moved it into the "yes" category... First and foremost, the coaches in our town take concussion (and other injury) issues really seriously. If a boy is in a "medium not hard" collision, he is pulled aside for the next play or two while a coach watches him/talks to him. They take as much precaution as possible. Second, the kids at this age (even the best ones) don't move that fast and really hard collisions are very rare. That isn't to say they don't happen, but they are pretty rare until a few years down road.

At which point, I'm hoping they will focus on basketball and/or lacrosse, and we can mutually agree to stop playing football.

I will say, even at this age, it is by far the most confident-building of the team sports, and just by going through preseason practices (which is 2-3 hours, five days a week for a month), they learn a ton of discipline and about being part of a real team effort...
 

jasail

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I voted yes. Not a resounding yes, like some friends and friends parents who demanded their kids play football. My yes is a much more cautious yes and truly dependent on circumstances. 
 
I played a couple years of JV football at a small peanuts program. Practice and games were not terribly violent, and there were minimal health/injury issues (at both the JV and V level). The experience was more about team building and accountability than it was about drilling each other in the head. I sustained far worse injuries horsing around and helmet boxing with my friends in high school than I did playing football. Moreover, my nagging injuries are almost entirely a result of playing hoops for 10 plus years and the sustained stress running, jumping and falling on a hard court put on my hips, knees and ankles.
 
I'd have no problem letting my kid play in a program similar to my HS program. Now at a bigger HS program, I may feel differently because the dynamics shift when the competition is stronger and faster and the play is more intense. However, I'd probably let him give it a shot and be cautious about it. If injuries occurred, head trauma or otherwise, I'd encourage him to do something else, but ultimately I'd leave the decision up to him. Full disclosure though, considering genetics, I'm not too sure my son will ever play at any bigger HS program; so that will not likely be a decision I have to make.
 
This is similar to what my parents did. They didn't like me playing but they let me give it a shot. I played my first two years of high school then decided I was never going to be a real contributor to the varsity team and I'd rather spend the late summer on boats or working than drowning is sweat during double sessions. They obviously supported my decision and I felt good about it too because it was my decision. I would have resented if they had not let me play or pushed me to quit and it probably would have made we want to play more. 
 
All that said, I don't have kids quite yet. I'm honest enough with myself that in 10 years I may feel much differently as this hypothetical is far closer to become a reality and I have a relationship with the child who I will be allowing/assisting/making this decision for.
 

GeorgeCostanza

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Was (Not Wasdin) said:
Yes on my youngest.  He has played in 7th and 8th grade, and will be playing freshman football in the fall.  
 
A few kids in our town are moving to football from other sports.  We dont have a Pop Warner or other youth program in town, so everything starts in the middle school (a program initially started and funded, by the way, by one Pete Carroll).  I really like the coaches, and my son has really enjoyed playing for a team not coached by me or by someone else's dad. We have been very clear that any injuries will be carefully evaluated and we will err on the side of caution, and at the end of each season we will sit down and discuss whether or not he will play the next year (as we did after 7th and 8th grade).  So far it has been a really good experience for him.
This is an extraordinary reasonable way to handle it and I commend you for it. Other than tossing the ball around outside with me, my boys (11 and 9) haven't shown any interest in playing. I am so thankful for that because I don't think I would be as reasonable as you. I'm about the furthest thing from a helicopter dad as there is. Climb the trees as high as you want, take the really difficult hiking trails, go jumping off the rocks into the quarry. But I think the combination of the injury risk and the physical aggression toward other human beings, makes me not want them to play football.
 

SumnerH

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My parents would never have let me play football, and I'm cut from that cloth. Part of it is the concussions, part of it it's that the positive takeaways don't trump the shitty bro culture philosophy that seemed rampant among football players in my school, and part of it is that I never witnessed a great football program; the best athletes played other sports and football was for dopier people who couldn't make the good sports teams. That's obviously somewhat unfair but indelibly colors my perception.
 

Byrdbrain

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I voted yes to both but I would have said no if you asked about younger levels of play.
I don't see the advantage to playing Pop Warner aged football as the skills required to play football are more natural than those required for some other sports(baseball in particular). There is no reason a motivated athlete couldn't take up football in highschool with no prior experience. 
 
That said neither of my, now in college sons, ever even wanted to play football so my wife and I never had to have the discussion. I'm pretty sure she would have been on the no side of the argument.
 

Awesome Fossum

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I voted yes to both, but my position has changed from "would encourage him to play" to "wouldn't forbid him from playing if he really wanted to."
 

loshjott

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Not really any difference between JV and varsity HS football, and the vote totals reflect that.
 
My parents wouldn't let me play football 35 years ago (not that I really wanted to anyway) and I have 3 boys who never really expressed interest. They were baseball players.
 
We did tell them early on, however, that football was not an option.
 

Pxer

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Don't have kids, but I would definitely educate him on the potential risks and discourage him from playing, but ultimately, it's would have to be his decision. If he wanted to play, I would permit it.
 

( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)

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I played team sports growing up and then football and individual sports like wrestling and golf in high school.  Nothing came close to football.  
 
Wrestling was it's equal from a hard work, sweat and determination type of thing, but it came no where close to the camaraderie and excitement of being part of a football team.  Other team sports like soccer, baseball and basketball had that team connection but no where close to the level of football.  The pre-game excitement of going into a physical fight with your best friends and knowing that success of what everyone else was doing depended on your effort where incredible influences on me.
 
I credit high school football and my football coach as one of the 3 or 4 biggest major influencers on my life. I went from fat, bitter, angry, low confidence kid to a much more mature, physically and mentally stronger and more confident person and I do believe that those changes would have been significantly slower to have happened with the shot in the ass that football gave me.  I think I am a better person today for (but somehow I am still fat).  
 
Point is, yes, I will let my son play football.  There is so much good in everything that surrounds the game, team work, learning to put in effort, learning to accept how to lose even if you worked your ass off, leadership, etc...  I just don't think other sports or extra curricular activities have as much to offer (I really don't even think there is a close second).  I also agree that with awareness and better equipment the game will only get safer at the youth and high school level.  
 

Dewy4PrezII

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I played hockey my whole life and in high school I wanted to play football too but my mother would not let me. I always thought that was strange since Hockey is a violent sport in its own right but without a father (mine died when I was 8) to fight for me I was not allowed to play.  My son expressed a desire to play youth football and did so from ages 8 to 13 at which point he lost interest.  Had he wanted to play in High School I would not have said no, but I was not upset that he decided not to.  Not sure if I would have counseled him against it had he decided to play, probably not since that would probably just have made him want to play even more. 
 
I am glad he played organized sports.  He learned a lot about winning, losing, team work, listening to coaches and I think he is a better person because of it.
 

Hagios

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( . ) ( . ) and (_!_) said:
Point is, yes, I will let my son play football.  There is so much good in everything that surrounds the game, team work, learning to put in effort, learning to accept how to lose even if you worked your ass off, leadership, etc...  I just don't think other sports or extra curricular activities have as much to offer (I really don't even think there is a close second). 
 
I'm in the camp of "let him play", but how is this true? Soccer, hockey, and lacrosse don't come close to football in teaching team work, learning to put in effort, how to lose, and leadership?
 
Football is a more physical game than those, and my dad was a football coach. One thing he said that stuck with me is that some boys start playing knowing how to hit and take a hit, and others don't. But that the cool thing about being a coach is that "hitting and taking a hit" is something that can be coached, and he enjoyed watching the boys gain confidence from this. So I do think that football teaches something that less physical sports like hockey do not. But otherwise, I think the other sports are just as good, if not better (because coaching is less important in soccer and hockey, the emphasis falls to the players).
 

GregHarris

beware my sexy helmet/overall ensemble
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Jun 5, 2008
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Solid no.  10 years ago a yes. I love the sport, I love watching it, I love playing it and I love attending games.  Yet, it's brutal to the body.   Concussions are obviously the biggest worry and helmet technology is still in its infancy (and might be a while to trickle down to the HS level).  There are other team sports that have substantially less head injury risk like baseball and soccer which my 6 year old has taken an interest in.
 
Also it looks like I live in the same town as Was not Wasdin, as the very same Pete Carroll lived here and sowed the seeds of the middle/HS teams with his substantial donations.
 

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T&A
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Feb 9, 2010
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Hagios said:
 
I'm in the camp of "let him play", but how is this true? Soccer, hockey, and lacrosse don't come close to football in teaching team work, learning to put in effort, how to lose, and leadership?
 
Football is a more physical game than those, and my dad was a football coach. One thing he said that stuck with me is that some boys start playing knowing how to hit and take a hit, and others don't. But that the cool thing about being a coach is that "hitting and taking a hit" is something that can be coached, and he enjoyed watching the boys gain confidence from this. So I do think that football teaches something that less physical sports like hockey do not. But otherwise, I think the other sports are just as good, if not better (because coaching is less important in soccer and hockey, the emphasis falls to the players).
 
I am just speaking from personal experience.  I see the lessons I learned from football and experiences I gained as significantly more potent then what I got out of other team sports.  Reasonable minds may disagree, but in my life I have found this to be true.  
 

BigJimEd

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Jan 4, 2002
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Byrdbrain said:
I voted yes to both but I would have said no if you asked about younger levels of play.
I don't see the advantage to playing Pop Warner aged football as the skills required to play football are more natural than those required for some other sports(baseball in particular). There is no reason a motivated athlete couldn't take up football in highschool with no prior experience. 
 
You are probably right but I don't think that is a reason to play or not play youth sports, especially at the younger ages when kids are trying and choosing different sports.
To me, youth sports are to have fun, build friendships, learn teamwork, discipline, focus and other such life lessons.

I voted yes. I have a son who plays. My wife signed him up without any discussion a few years ago. She signed up in the spring at another event and it wasn't really on my radar at that point but was not planning on signing him up that fall. She wasn't really aware at the time of CTE or anything like that.
We discussed it and I relented and let him play since he already was looking forward to it. He loves it. Plays a ton of baseball both town and aau but football is his favorite. Even though it isn't his strongest sport by far.
I will sit down with him again this summer and over the risks and show him some of the articles and videos on concussions.

I will let him play if he chooses but want to make sure he's aware of the risk and that he knows to be completely honest about any injuries no matter how minor.

Last year was the first time any teammate got a concussion and it was a big one. Miss a week of school.
It caused me more concern but as my son said he has two other friends that got concussions at recess and missed several weeks. Rough recess, I guess.
 

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T&A
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Feb 9, 2010
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This post from PFT seems germane to the conversation here
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/18/nfl-doctor-says-cte-is-being-over-exaggerated/
 
excerpts...
.....“At the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport . . . world experts gathered to discuss the state of head-trauma science,” Dr. McCarthy wrote at the time.  “At the end of the conference, a consensus statement was released that said the following:  ‘A cause and effect relationship has not as yet been demonstrated between CTE and concussions or exposure to contact sports.’.....
 
....“The statement runs counter to almost everything you have read about CTE, but it received virtually no media attention in the United States when it was released,” Dr. McCarthy added.  “In part, that’s because it speaks to the far higher burden of proof in the scientific community than the one in the public consciousness.  But that’s the point.  The popular consensus has far outstripped the science.”.....
 

bakahump

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Jan 8, 2001
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This is big in our house currently.
 
9 yo and 7yo who have decided this fall they want to play Football.
 
9yo has played baseball in the past and very much enjoys it.  7yo had recently last year started soccer and found his "passion" (at least as much as a 7yo can...).
 
This past year of some really fun Patriot games, and some friends at school playing...and they have the Bug.
 
Bakette had previously flatly refused.  I had sided with her but certainly not lent my overwhelming support to either side (I said the right things to support her).  She finally caved to the boys insistence and I was "persuaded".
 
I think we are waiting to see what they think after this fall (and a mandatory "safety camp" in July) after they get hit and have to deal with the practices and assignments.
 
My 9 yo would love the assignment aspect "you want me to block this guy.....this way....using this technique....even though the play is on the other side of the field?  OK Coach!"  But is a little bit of a sally and I dont think will enjoy the physicality (getting hit) of the game.  I think he will find that playing with the kids at school or his brother on the lawn isnt quite the same level of "violence".
My 7 yo would love the hitting.  Hell he gets slide tackled in soccer or tackles his 2 yo and 20lb heavier brother (and his friends)  and comes up "Whoooo-ing!"  like he is Rick Flair or Ray Lewis at a pregame speech.  But he loves the idea (at this level) of "Flowing" around the soccer field with little or no assignment. (not that he cant or wont do as instructed....but like most 7yos....he wants to be in on the action) and he is good enough that the coaches let him (again... at this level).  Telling him to run an up and out...when he knows the play will be a run to the opposite edge or Sitting because he is 7yo might drive him crazy.
 
Kinda hoping both find that the fantasy is better then the reality and revert back to BB and Soccer respectively.
 
One of the friends that has inspired the bug has supposedly had 2 concussions (and hes 11...).  So yea....we will be monitoring not only the boys, but also the team (coaches) and how they are working/using the kids.  1st Concussion or relatively serious injury and I think I am shutting it down.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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( . ) ( . ) and (_!_) said:
This post from PFT seems germane to the conversation here
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/18/nfl-doctor-says-cte-is-being-over-exaggerated/
 
excerpts...
.....“At the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport . . . world experts gathered to discuss the state of head-trauma science,” Dr. McCarthy wrote at the time.  “At the end of the conference, a consensus statement was released that said the following:  ‘A cause and effect relationship has not as yet been demonstrated between CTE and concussions or exposure to contact sports.’.....
 
....“The statement runs counter to almost everything you have read about CTE, but it received virtually no media attention in the United States when it was released,” Dr. McCarthy added.  “In part, that’s because it speaks to the far higher burden of proof in the scientific community than the one in the public consciousness.  But that’s the point.  The popular consensus has far outstripped the science.”.....
 
Most of that story is just a train wreck.  But speaking to these specific points, ts important to understand what the bolded really means.
 
There are lots of hypothesized relationships in the world that we can't "prove" at the level of rigor that is normally required in at least some parts of the "scientific community" because this level of rigor generally involves randomized controlled trials and replication of those trials in multiple research settings.  But that doesn't mean that we can't and shouldn't draw causal inferences about things that we can't "prove" in this way.  For example, just about the entire field of macroeconomics involves relationships and hypotheses that cannot be "proven" to that standard.  You can't just throw up your arms and say "who the fuck knows" in that case.  Or you can, but its not a very useful posture to assume if you want to, say, make relatively sensible economic policy.  Or make sensible choices about concussions.  I'm not saying any particular choice - allowing your kids to play football or not - is the sensible one.  But the fact that there is no "proof" to this scientific standard about CTE and concussions shouldn't deter one from looking at what the preponderance of the evidence suggests and using that investigation as a basis for making decisions.
 

Devizier

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( . ) ( . ) and (_!_) said:
This post from PFT seems germane to the conversation here
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/18/nfl-doctor-says-cte-is-being-over-exaggerated/
 
excerpts...
.....“At the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport . . . world experts gathered to discuss the state of head-trauma science,” Dr. McCarthy wrote at the time.  “At the end of the conference, a consensus statement was released that said the following:  ‘A cause and effect relationship has not as yet been demonstrated between CTE and concussions or exposure to contact sports.’.....
 
....“The statement runs counter to almost everything you have read about CTE, but it received virtually no media attention in the United States when it was released,” Dr. McCarthy added.  “In part, that’s because it speaks to the far higher burden of proof in the scientific community than the one in the public consciousness.  But that’s the point.  The popular consensus has far outstripped the science.”.....
 
There's all sorts of issues with this statement, starting with the fact that we're describing a consensus opinion of roughly 20 people.
 
Interestingly, that statement has been cited over 500 times, but most of those citations could not be described as supportive. Here's a sample (link provided, but will not work unless you have an institutional subscription).
 
 
All reported cases of CTE have had a history of repetitive mTBI, yet there continues to be vigorous debate surrounding the concept that a chronic neurodegeneration might be triggered by the traumatic impacts experienced in popular sports, a debate reminiscent of the controversies surrounding boxing in the last century [124, 125, 157].
 
mTBI means mild traumatic brain injury (e.g. concussion and sub-concussive brain injury).
 
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