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
In the article “Should Kids Play Football” from the Scholastic Scope on February 2015, writer Jennifer Shotz discusses both issues of the benefits and dangers of playing American football. For example, Jennifer Shots mentioned that tens of thousands of young football players get concussions every year. She states that most players return to the game after they are healed but some never return because their concussion was too severe to their health. On the other hand, the writer also discusses how football isn't the only sport that encounters concussions. The rules of football are always changing and each new rule provides a safer way to play the game. For example, the writer notes that Pop Warner has reduced the amount of practice time dedicated
...he NFL dismissed claims [of TBI and CTE] parents continued to [allow] their children to play football without knowing the repercussions.” There has recently been an acknowledgement that children could develop brain injuries through playing football and it was suggested in the episode that no one under the age of fourteen should play tackle football. Although, in my personal opinion, I believe that tackle football is still very dangerous to play even after the age of fourteen. Due to the fact the brain is not fully developed until the mid-twenties there are negative results playing tackle football could have on children to young adults. Although young people playing football may be more susceptible to the negative consequences playing football can have on the brain it does not mean those over a certain age are invincible to such problems, as learned from the episode.
As explained early on in this article, football can cause several physical and mental injuries either instantly or in the near future. This is due to the constantly tackling, hitting, and screaming from all the players and coaches. Because of these intense actions, football can increase the chance of dementia-like symptoms in players. This was examined by Ann Mckee, a neuropathologist, who ran several tests in the Veterans Hospital
Concussions and the effect they have on people ranging from the young to the old has become a very popular discussion in recent years. Generally people watch sports for entertainment and then there are those who engage in high impact sports from a very young age on. The people at home know how fun playing in a sport is, however they may not know the brutal consequences for some participating in that sport. Injuries to the brain are a main concern among those in the world of high impact sports. Football, soccer, wrestling, lacrosse, and rugby are among sports that athletes receive injuries in. The injuries vary from sprains, to fractures, to torn MCL or ACL, and bruised organs. Concussions are a severe type of injury endured by athletes in the sports world and this life changing injury is one that people are becoming more aware of.
The author (“Bennet Omalu”) argues that after all the research has been done about how football is linked to brain injury, there is no question that children should not be aloud to play football. A big issue is that even if a child has no documented concussions or reported symptoms and that child continues to play
Since football’s inception, it has been considered a manly sport. Young boys have been encouraged by their parents to participate in the game. For many boys, it is considered a rite of passage. However, football is a dangerous sport. A study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy found, “an estimated 5.25 million football-related injuries among children and adolescents between 6 and 17 years of age were treated in U.S. emergency departments between 1990 and 2007. The annual number of football-related injuries increased 27 percent during the 18-year study period, jumping from 274,094 in 1990 to 346,772 in 2007” (Nation 201). These reported injuries include sprains and strains, broken bones, cracked ribs, torn ligaments, and concussions. A concussion usually happens when a player takes a hard hit to the head or is knocked unconscious on the playing field, and if not diagnosed and treated quickly, a concussion can result in death.
Football is possibly too dangerous of a game for young boys and girls to be playing. I am not talking about all forms of football, but more specifically tackle football. Yes, football may possibly be one of America’s loved sport because of the brutality that it consists of; although I believe that there should be an age where kids should start playing such a horrific game. At the age of ten young boys, and girls, should be worrying about who they are going to be playing with outside at recess. Kids should not have to be worried about their friends having to miss school because of a concussion, or worse him or herself.
Every sport has its tricks and ways of doing things the right way. You can assure anyone that the sport their child is playing is safe, because there is always a stronger, bigger, faster player than them. Personally, I believe football is a demanding sport that requires a lot of strength, and stamina. If you read the article “Hard Knocks” by Alan Schwarz, it gives a brief story about a young football player. “The autopsy showed that his brain was in the early stage of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, more commonly known as C.T.E.” Many football players die from this condition.
Recreational athletes, competitive athletes, high school athletes, college athletes, and professional athletes all have one thing in common: the risk of a concussion. It's impossible to go a season without one athlete from a team receiving a concussion. The more that these concussions are studied, the more we learn about them, such as their detrimental effects on athletes. Because of the risk of health issues and death that come with concussions, doctors, coaches, athletic trainers, and lawmakers are stepping in to protect athletes of all levels from receiving concussions.
High school football may be dangerous but it is also a life altering experience. From what these boys can do out on the field to what they can become in life and all the things they can accomplish, putting it in peoples head that it is a dangerous sport is ridiculous. Yes, football can cause some serious injury but those chances aren’t very high and what are these boys going to get out of life if they never take that risk? Then end up asking themselves, “what if?” These boys should not let anything get in the way of what they want to do because even if they fail
From long practice hours, hot summer workouts, and many Friday nights, my personal observation of this dangerous sport is exceptionally prevalent. My initial experience of the damage that football brings came my eighth grade year when I witnessed a senior football player on my team try and eat a phone on the ride home after receiving a concussion in the third quarter of the game. Which is a prime example to defend the fact that football related injuries to the head result in people not “being all there.” Not only have I seen someone try and eat a phone, but I have also witnessed head injuries resulting in my own friend randomly yelling at me after a game for no reason, and also a friend trying to jump down a full flight of stairs thinking he was starring in a movie. The fast paced, high intensity contact that comes with playing football is nothing to think flippantly of when it plays a role on brain trauma, and the results of brain trauma.
“In Defense of Football,” by Max Boot provides a great explanation to this when he writes, “Wanting to protect youngsters, a few school boards are discussing banning football, while many parents are saying they do not want their children to play the game.” Children are not able to participate in sports without a parent’s permission until they are at least 18 years old. Then, once someone is an adult, it is completely their choice to decide whether or not they are willing to take the risks. Consequently, no one is forced to participate or watch football, it is all completely by choice. Many parents have been faced with the responsibility of deciding whether or not to let their child take the risks that carry alongside football, and many have said no. It is a parent’s responsibility to keep their child safe. If to them that is keeping their children from watching and participating in football, then that is completely their decision. Once that child becomes 18, he/she can decide for themselves, taking the responsibility to keep themselves safe into their own
First and foremost, football is one of the most dangerous sports to play in high school; in fact, it’s more dangerous to play in high school than in college. A study has shown that, “…estimated high school football players suffered 11.2 concussions for every 10,000 games and practices, whereas college players, the rate is 6.3.”(Frontline) Another reason, which makes football so dangerous in high schools, is that most high schools don’t have standard medical testing for football players and have no standard requirement for medical personnel for the team. (NPR) Most importantly,
I disagree with the author, I think kids should play football and hockey. It builds character and toughens kids up. This is a bad topic to write on, every answer you get will be bias. The kids who play football and hockey or love that sport will say kids should play the sport. The kids who hate football and hockey will say kids should not play the sport. So every answer you get will be bias. To stay on topic tho I say that kids should play football and hockey. I wanted to play hockey as a kid but my didn't like the physicality and thought i would get hurt just like the article says. Guess what my mom hates hockey, that proves the bias point i made earlier. I still think playing those sports has many benefits to the kids.
Do you think children under 19 should play football? Well I believe children under 19 should not play football. What I’m trying to say is, children can get seriously injured.