PLAYING IT SAFE…Another View
It is that time on year when newspapers all over the country are fed, and publish misleading information about the safety of youth tackle football. The problem is, they deliberately fail to tell us (and parents that need to know) the rest of the story. They leave readers with the mistaken impression that youth football is finally safe. It is not!
Most articles describes numerous safety improvements being implemented throughout the sport, but misguide the reader with information about the dangers. Some state that CTE is found in older players. That is patently false. Children as young as 17 have been found to have CTE. Most don’t even touch on the damage to a developing brain caused by repetitive head trauma. Science is showing that just one season of football can alter a child’s brain. Studies are showing that participation in contact sports as a child can lead to poorer life outcomes, behavioral issues, suicidal thinking, addiction and cognitive impairment. Why are these important issues not brought to light? Some articles state that coaches at the youth level, and also in middle school and high schools are taking steps to drastically reduce the number of hits players sustain. Yet, young children every year are dying from too much head trauma. This year one died in practice of all places and another in a season opener. What uncalled for amount of head trauma is happening in these educational institutions to cause such horrible outcomes? These tragedies happen because the kids are taking too many hits which cause an inflamed brain. A hard hit to brain that is inflamed will kill a child. If we sound angry it is because fluff pieces like we see in most places are allowing parents to think a dangerous sport for children is okay. It is not. And no amount of equipment or rules changes will make it safe if kids are being tackled to the ground repetitively. It is child abuse dressed up in a glorified uniform of NFL sports heroes. Sure they want to play in the NFL one day. But look at the NFL arrest data base and it will tell you the sordid side of taking too many hits for too long. Parents need to be told about the stories of all the young children on the Concussion Legacy website who lost their lives to the repetitive head trauma from playing football.
The safety protocols many writers cite (if they are being implemented consistently and correctly) are a good thing, but not a solution. No child should be playing a collision sport. Their brain is still growing and developing. Human brains are not built to take repetitive “hits” to the head. There are billions of intricate connections in a human brain which is jello like in consistency. Reducing the number and frequency of hits is a very good thing. Not taking those hits at all is the best thing. One should take little comfort from the claim of safer equipment, better helmets, Guardian caps, shoulder pads, mouth guards, and you name it (none of which is regulated by the way). It is the equivalent of putting a filter on a cigarette. These item do not stop the brain from banging around or distorting in the skull when the player hits an opponent, spins around or hits the ground. Helmets protect the skull and face, not the brain.
It is painful to read all the benefits of playing football that many articles tout, making the reader feel that to be a leader and make friends that football is the only answer. There are so many safer sports to gain those benefits from, sports that can be an enriching part of adulthood and even retirement. Successful business executives don’t ask potential clients to go out and tackle on a field. It is a ridiculous premise.
We live in a world today where it’s really difficult to tell people what to do. But we should never be telling people lies or misleading them. With proper information parents will make informed decisions. Especially when children’s futures and lives are at stake. Media outlets need to tell the whole story so kids can truly PLAY IT SAFE>
