Concussions In Youth Sports

Football, although fun and exciting, plays an immense role in many long term health issues especially for people who start at a young age. The sport’s injuries include long term health issues such as chronic encephalopathy, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia; it also can be a reason for domestic violence, and on some occasions, unnecessary death. There are many factors that can persuade parents to believe that football is a safer sport than it was before, but the long term effects of a simple injury from the sport outweighs it all. In Ed Riley’s article, High School football’s benefits outweigh risks, Riley talks about the concerns that any parent would have when it comes to their child playing football.

In the article, “Hard Knocks” by Gabriel Charles Tyler, it discusses how football players suffer from head trauma, and concussions. Some of those players continue playing even with their injury, or wait until they are healed and return to help their team win the season. Many players get permanent damage, can sometimes commit suicide, and hundreds more continue to suffer in pain. Football is a life threatening sport that 94% of American teenagers who got tackled, ended up with severe brain injuries. A High School Football player, named Bryce Monti, was about to make a routine tackle, but then suddenly knocked heads with one of his former teammates, and he quotes, “When I got back up, I saw two scoreboards.”

Dr. Bennet Omalu stated that children's brain do not fully develop until they are about in the 18-25 years old range. This would end up making their brains more likely to be harmed and damaged and if a child receives many repeated blows to the head they can end up with permanent brain damage which can also lead to bad side effects later in life. Concussions and injuries to the head are a big problem in football. So why should we allow the most vulnerable to be put in harm's way and risk their futures? The answer is we should

This shows parents how dangerous youth football can be to kids, even the “coaches were suspended” showing parents about youth football can be dangerous for their young children. Referees were “permanently banned” for the devastating game. This shows many emotional appeals because the young children had concussions and the coaches could not coach for the season no more till next season and even the referees were banned, the referees lost their job. Showing the not only the parents are getting hurt but also the coach and most of the referees, this backs up Varma’s claim very

Football is an essential part of American culture. Over a hundred million people on average watch the Super Bowl each year. Despite its enormous popularity, it has been been the subject of controversy of the past few decades. Many studies show that football puts its players at risk of permanent brain damage because of the hits to the head that the athletes regularly under. High school football has especially been under criticism because many say it endangers the health of students.

Many people all around the nation are in debate whether or not high school football should remain a sport. In addition, it was recorded that between the years 2005 and 2014, ninety-two high school football players have been killed due to football injuries. Although, high school football has been a traditional sport in all states, but many are wondering if football is truly worth the risk. However, endless numbers of parents across the nation have numerous opinions on their sons playing football or not. Nonetheless, if parents are letting their sons play this game, they understand the risks of their sons getting injured.

The brain itself is very very important to the human body because it controls each organ and organ system. In football, however, tackling someone could cause countless of head injuries and concussions. Several of these injuries could even turn to deaths. Researchers found that a “former NFL players who started playing tackle football before the age of 12 performed an average of 20% worse on series of cognitive tests than those who started playing tackle football after they celebrated their 12 birthdays…”. Other research has

Although football seems like a fun sport, it has many consequences, concussions, getting diagnosed with brain diseases, such as CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), and having memory loss as they grow into their adult life. Even though sports offer huge benefits to kids such as work ethic, leadership, and fitness, football is too dangerous of a sport for people to play because soon

Research shows that having many concussions may lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, otherwise known as CTE. When it comes to football, safety should be the priority, not banning it. Football can lead to concussions, but so can many other things. Banning youth football would not help at all, although the people wanting to ban it do have some good points.

There are over 1.3 million athletes throughout the nation that participate in high school football, but less than 10% of those 1.3 million players even get a concussion throughout their high school career (Weber). The main problems that cause high school football injuries is from the improper teaching of technique on how to tackle, block, and even run the ball correctly (Weber). Even though It can cause injuries, kids should be allowed to play football because when the sport is taught correctly, it’s less likely to get injured and it teaches significant life lessons like teamwork, cooperation, etc. Concussions and injuries in football haven’t been a huge deal until recently, when multiple NFL (National Football League) players sued the association

People believe that concussions and deaths are the results of football, but the good outweighs the bad and the concussions can be prevented Football should not be banned because it keeps kids off the streets and into the classroom. In Michael Lewis’s “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game,” a homeless boy is given a second chance by getting the opportunity to play football in high school. This heartwarming story about a teenager, Michael Oher, proves that football and other

Although some football enthusiasts believe that children under the age of twelve should play tackle football because it promotes friendship and teamwork, the negative impact that the sport has on the brains of adolescent males outweighs the comradery that the sport teaches. Children play the sport without thinking of the effects of the brain injuries. Through interviews with past players as well as scientific studies, researchers have found that the cognitive ability of males (average age of early fifties) is greatly affected by the age in which the young player began playing (Boston University School of Medicine). Boston University’s Dr. Robert Stern said the concern is not from concussions, it is from, “sub­concussive hits: these hits that don’t necessarily result in the symptom right then, but people can get hundreds of them a year.”

There are many sports that are too dangerous for children because they aren't fully developed yet and they have a high chance of being severely injured. More than 448,000 football-related injuries to youths under 15 are annually treated in hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and emergency rooms, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons One reason football is too dangerous for children to play is because of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, otherwise known as CTE. It is a deadly brain disease that can develop from the repetitive hits and tackles young football players experience. Many parents start their children out at a very young age. However, because younger football players' brains and bodies are not fully developed, they are more vulnerable to injuries, mainly to their brains.

Donna L Merkel, from Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital, states, “Organized sports have been shown to assist in breaking the vicious cycle of inactivity and unhealthy lifestyle by improving caloric expenditure, increasing time spent away from entertainment media, and minimizing unnecessary snacking.” However, it has been proved that it does in fact cause students health problems. Ferrara Jeanette, author of science line, reported to science world, “I found that children who start playing tackle football before the age of 12 are three times more likely to have behavioral and mood problems than those who start playing after that age.” This quote is significant because it is showing that even when you have been playing a contact sport since you were younger and people believe that it will help cause less damage to you when you are older it can still cause health problems and often lead to more. And can affect you for the rest of your life.

On the other hand, though, many people believe that football should be banned in high school due to the many risks that come with playing the game. The game has a staggering statistic that says “Because of its violent nature and the sheer numbers of people who play, football is the leading cause of school sports injuries”(Safety). Many believe that just with this as a basis football in high school should be banned in high schools but it should also be noted that there is no sure way that concussions can be prevented. Here “Dr. Robert Cantu, the co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at the Boston University School of Medicine [believes that] ”(Reed) believes that “a young person’s brain is too vulnerable and no modernized helmet or altered playing rules can fully prevent concussions”(Reed). If there is no was to guarantee that kids will be safe playing the game, it should not be given as an option to play at such a young age.