Why Kids Should Not Play Football

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On February 7, 2016, millions of Americans will be watching Super Bowl 50, the 50th anniversary of the NFL championship game. Football has always been a great way to bring family and friends together; however, it is a dangerous sport for the athletes who play it, especially young athletes. Football can cause many types of life-threatening brain diseases. If children start to play football at a young age, they are much more likely to suffer more injuries. Kids should not play football because they do not understand the risks football, devastating concussions, and the long lasting negative of effects of this lethal sport.
First off, kids should not play football is because kids do not understand the dangers of football, and handle it immaturely. …show more content…

“After my concussion, I had terrible headaches, problem sleeping, and I became obnoxious when trying to exercise,” says Urschel. For young athletes, suffering a concussion can be critical to their lives. They will have difficulty keeping up in school, have to sit out for portions of the season, and have problem sleeping along with headaches. Also, the number of concussions has been on the rise. According to the Southwest Athletic Trainer’s Association, the number of emergency room visits for concussions doubled for children between 8 and 13 and tripled for older people (US News and World Report). Concussion rates are on the rise, raising the probability that a child could get a concussion. Also, more concussions mean more emergency room visits, which could cost a great deal of money. More and more young athletes are going through many terrible experiences due to concussions. Concussions can do massive amounts of damage to the …show more content…

Repeated concussions can cause post-concussion syndrome, which causes problems with memory, mood, and focus, according to “Deadly Hits: The Story of Ex-Football Player Chris Coyne.” Coyne says that after concussions, he had memory lapses. For example, he went to the kitchen for Gatorade, and then forgot why he was there. During class, Chris physically could not take the information on the board and transfer it onto his notes. Many other football players experience this growing crisis, and be forced to quit their beloved sport, as Chris did. Also, brain disease is common in football players. According to the NFL, one in three retired football players could develop brain disease related to concussions. An even more eye-opening disease is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a brain disease that people can get if they have a history of brain injury, and it can only be diagnosed after death. As reported by Jennifer Shotz in “Should Kids Play Football,” eight NFL players who committed suicide have been found to have had this disease, Paul Oliver of the San Diego Chargers being the most recent one (12). If young athletes begin this sport from a young age, their chances of being hit will rise, and their chances of developing CTE or other brain diseases will rise significantly. Multiple, unreported concussions can lead to dangerous brain

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