Final Draft Much attention has been given lately to the effect of heading the soccer ball in youth soccer. Some people say it causes major brain damage later in life. Other people say that there are no major injuries from the ball, it is the collisions between players that causes injuries. I belive heading the ball causes injuries and it should be banned from youth soccer. Heading is seen as dangerous and kids are still growing and developing and shouldn't have to have head trauma at such a young age. Another reason to disallow heading in youth soccer is that the skill is improperly taught, or not taught at all, to many kids who participate in this sport. Heading is a skill in soccer that is used very little in youth soccer but when …show more content…
Some believe that it is the collisions between players. “young players — and especially girls — need to learn to make space for themselves on the field to avoid colliding with each other when heading” (Fields). This quote provides a different look at the scenario, it shows that the actual ball hitting one's head isn't the problem, it is hitting the head on one another. “For boys, 77 percent of heading concussions are the result of player-to-player contact and 14 percent are caused by the ball. For girls, 61 percent of the concussions are a result of colliding with another player, and 34 percent are caused by the ball” (Fields). These statistics provides evidence to back up my previous statement. Only very minimal research has been done on this accusation. According to the rules and guidelines of US club soccer rules have already been implemented to prevent collisions with the goal keeper. Since the keeper is being protected by these rules shouldn’t players have the same …show more content…
“Consistent with the U.S. Soccer mandates on heading the ball, heading is banned for all division players U-11 (U-12 and below for programs without single age divisions) and below in both practices and games”(RC News). This quote provides evidence of the rule in action. It limits the what age groups can head the ball. This shows that the soccer community does care about the kids who have a higher chance of getting major brain injuries. “Heading for players in U-14 is limited to a maximum of thirty (30) minutes per week with no more than 15-20 headers, per player. There is no restriction on heading in matches”(RC News). This quote shows an example of the amount of time any one over the age restrictions that have been already mentioned. The community has realized the damage it could potentially cause to their community in the future. “An indirect free kick will be awarded to the opposing team if a player age 10 or younger, deliberately touches the ball with his/her head during a game an indirect free kick is to be taken from the place where the player touched the ball with his/her head
Are young children putting their health and even their lives at risk if they partake in the sport of football? Some claim that the American sport is far too dangerous and the risk of concussions and injuries far outway the pros of the physical sport, while others insist that technological improvements and new regulations have made the sport safer. Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of history and education at New York University, argues in his paper, “We Must Stop Risking the Health of Young Football Players,” that football is a sport that is too dangerous for the youth. He states his belief that technological improvements in helmets and changes in the rules of the sport have had little effect on reducing injuries and that nothing has worked.
The use of head to head contact at any level in football, should be illegal. There is no reason as to why you cannot keep your head up your body square and make a proper tackle. Coaches teach you how to make the proper big hit, without using your head at all. You put yourself at risk and the person you are hitting by lowering, or keeping your head straight up to make head to head contact. The proper way to tackle is made up of a 6 step process. Step 1 is to breakdown, buzz means to set your feet in a good balanced position, correct body posture for the hit, shoot into the hit, wrap up, and finally drive your target into the ground. But, players like to hit head to head to injure, or just look “cool.” Although it’s impossible to completely eliminate injuries from the game of football, helmet to helmet contact should not be allowed for three main reasons: it causes too many life threatening injuries, players are trying to hurt other players so they can’t finish the game, and it causes brain damage.
Kids just want to have fun. In a bygone era, parents wanted kids to play sports for fun and camaraderie. However, a new attitude is developing among coaches and parents, which is mopping-up fun from youth sports. Now it's all about the team and the game. The team must win the game at any cost.
American Football is a huge spectator sport where offensive and defensive players will use teamwork and perseverance to try and score more points than their opponent. Football is highly respected in America, where boys will try and pursue the dream of playing in the NFL (National Football Association) someday; but if you look at an average neighborhood, you will find that kids and adults of all ages love to go out and throw around the pigskin. (Lerner and Lerner 275). One thing Americans will take pride in is the college and NFL football teams they root for. People sit down with a beer and talk hours upon hours of football and two individuals can get in a heated discussion in the local sports store of whose sports team is better. Surprisingly enough, one will find the most passionate football players at the high school level. Most boys will start their football career as a young child in football programs such as Pop Warner to get a foothold and to get those involved in teamwork and friendships. These programs are usually the start to someone falling in love with the sport and making it a career choice eight years later. Football is one of America’s favorite sports. When fall season comes around, people across America are placing bets, finding out where that new sports bar is, and buying wide screen T.V’s to watch NFL on Sundays. After their team plays, they will go out and reminisce what happened that Sunday. While thousands of fans are still pumped from the NFL games they watched; small towns across America are getting ready to shut down their shops and restaurants to have the chance to make it to the local high schools football game. Ray Glier, a reporter for the New York Times, writes about football in the small town of Appala...
A. Background In recent years, there has been an increase in research investigating the long-term effects of repeated head trauma on the brain, especially in athletes. Following his discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Dr. Bennet Omalu inspired a movement of research aimed at establishing better safety standards and protocols in football. It was not until 2002 that the initial connection between repetitive head trauma, such as concussions, and brain injury was suspected (Ott, 2015). As common as concussions were during the late 1970s and 1980s, they were often swept under the rug, as they were seen as insignificant injuries.
The number of concussions in professional and amateur football has been rising and has sparked much controversy in recent years. These concussions are most likely linked with disease and even the deaths of some pro and semi-pro football players. New research is attempting to solve the problem but the issue is still prevalent in football today.
Everyone has heard about the so called “Concussion Epidemic” in the National Football League. The stories are everywhere from SportsCenter to local news stations. Concussions are when a person gets hit on the head or even somewhere else on the body and the brain slams into the skull due to the impact. If concussions are such a big deal in the pros, what does it mean for youth sports in America? Nearly 15 percent of all sports related injuries in high school athletes are concussions(American Headache Society). Concussions are a major health concern for youth sports and everyday more research is being shown about the long term effects of repeated blows to the head.
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.
In sports, the best athletes are the individuals that give each team a chance to win every game. The bad news for the best athletes is that sometimes their health gets put second to their abilities. Roughly 1.8 to 3.6 million sports related concussions happen each year (Concussion Statistics). Stronger and faster athletes as well as more impact of the hits or falls have doubled the number of concussions in a decade (Concussion Statistics). Concussions can happen to every athlete, but when it happens to the star athletes, it is different. Schools have to follow direct concussion safety laws, but professional sports have more leniencies (Get). Wins are more important in the professional leagues compared to the high school and amateur levels. Wins lead to the coveted playoffs. The playoffs can lead to an even more coveted championship. During the playoffs, the games are shown on national television, seen by millions of fans. In the games, players can shine in the national spotlight. If an athlete performs well that individual can be paid more money in the future. If the coaches win their respective divisions, conferences, make the playoffs, make the championship game, or win the championship, it all leads to a higher pay for the coach. It also leads to more money for the team and city as well. Winning means so much in the professional leagues. But is it really win at all costs? As much as I personally love sports with a passion, I would prefer each player get fully recovered and then come back, rather than rush back still not at one hundred percent. I want my favorite players to play for a long time not for short stints between each injury. The player’s health is way more important to me then the championship. Rushing players back in...
Football is one of the most popular sports in the world. It is played in a lot of different ways, fashions, and other countries. It can be a very brutal sport with players hitting at the intent to hurt one another. With these intents come great consequences. In recent years the head injuries involved with this brutal game play have been getting uncomfortably high. Many rules have had to be enforced for player safety, because of the increase of head injuries resulting in tragic effects on players both old and new. One of the injuries that have had the most devastating effects is the concussion.
The American Youth Soccer Association has rung in their opinions about the safeness of heading in youth soccer. John Ouellete (n.d), who is AYSO’s national soccer instructor, advises coaches to not teach heading before the age of ten and to use softer balls when first practicing. Additionaly, as stated before, kids can take the ball out of the air with other surfaces besides the head, so Oullete’s assertion that “Heading represents a player's earliest opportunity to play an air ball”, is false. Ouellete also claimed, “It [heading] also causes more apprehension than any other soccer skill, particularly with younger players.” If children are apprehensive with hitting a ball that’s traveling very fast out of the air, there is a higher chance they will use the wrong technique anyways.
The world of sports is filled with great memories, grand moments and at times complete mayhem. There are moments like hitting a Home Run in game 7 of the World Series or memories of scoring an overtime goal during the Stanley Cup finals. However, there are also incredibly low moments when mayhem occurs such as an action or incident that results in a concussion. An injury such as a concussion can ruin your sports career or potentially your ability to function normally in the future. Concussions are caused by blunt force trauma to the head, a fall or an injury that shakes the brain inside the skull. Recovering from a concussion can take weeks, months or even years to heal. For some, it can impair your mental or mobility functions for life.
“Concussion rates for children under the age of 19 who play football have doubled in the last decade, even though the overall sports participation has declined” (Youth Football Concussion Statistics). Football is extremely popular in American culture. Children all across the world love watching and playing the sport. However, many studies have shown numerous possible long term effects of starting the beloved sport when young. Undeveloped brains have a harder time recovering from bumps and blows that occur during playing time. After examining the long term effects of children playing football, it is clear that the tradition of tackle football in youth should be held off until the brain is more fully developed,
They have even changed the rules because of it. The rule they changed was the heading rule. Kids that are 12 or younger are not aloud to head the ball (Cantu, Robert, Et Al.2/20/15). But if they do head the ball, they get a penalty. This shows that every youth soccer league is trying to prevent concussions from happening to many children in soccer. Youth Ice Hockey gets lots and lots of concussions. Just like soccer, they had to switch the rules a little bit. The rule they changed was about checking. They made it so kids under 12 years old can not check. Checking is like knocking someone into the boards. This shows that many youth ice hockey leagues are trying to prevent kids getting
High school soccer is one of the biggest areas for concussions. In 2010, more high school soccer players suffered concussions (50,000) than athletes in wrestling, baseball and softball combined (Payne). In the article, U.S youth soccer players told: Don’t head the ball by Greg Botelho, a study published in 2012 by the American Journal of Sports Medicine found that girls’ soccer had the next highest concussion numbers. These are significant number that show that concussions are a major problem. In the article, Will Soccer’s New Header Rules Make Kids Safer? Jon Schuppe points out that a September study of high school athletes in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that heading was the soccer activity responsible for the highest proportion of concussions in boy (30 percent) and girls (25 percent). This is an alarming percentage of high school soccer athletes that are suffering from heading related concussions. Could banning heading on the youth level result in kids choosing their feet to control the ball instead of their head. Not to mention, when kids do get into age groups where they are allowed to head the ball they can focus on proper heading technique instead of having to focus on teaching kids how to dribble a ball correctly. High school teams will not only have players with solid foot skills, but also players