Huskerboard Members: Would/Do you let your kids play tackle football?

[IvabigN]

god- reading this thread, it is easy to understand how far the U.S. has slid as a once proud country- let's just ban tackle football and have all men wear maxipads-

And yes I have a son who played football

[xkbubo]

Of course, My boys aren't going to be a bunch of lawn fairies.

[huKSer]

My son had to do SOME activity - didn't matter what. Bowling, baseball and football. Football for 4 years until high school showed him that he took after his old man - too small and too slow.

 

No evidence of mental imparement from concussions unless being a lawyer counts.

[N Sker]

My son had to do SOME activity - didn't matter what. Bowling, baseball and football. Football for 4 years until high school showed him that he took after his old man - too small and too slow.

 

No evidence of mental imparement from concussions unless being a lawyer counts.

On to something there huKSer.

[JJ Husker]

I did and would still allow my kids to play football. But, provided the recent information that has come forth about brain injuries, I sure would be more proactive in trying to assess if they had experienced any trauma and I would be much quicker to step in and say no more.

 

I had a concussion my HS senior year in football. Got it from a Lincoln East gunner on a kickoff return. It wasn't a lot of fun. Back in those days nobody thought much about it or understood how dangerous they can be. We have some friends whose junior son has had to give up contact sports. He received two concussions playing QB and the second one was muey scary. They don't even want you thinking hard after a brain injury nowadays. He was excused from all tests for a month to allow his brain to recover.

[Count 'Bility]

The thing with this concussion boom, to me anyway (maybe I'm just turning away from the facts) is that for every bad case of head trauma and such with these older guys, isn't there a god's plenty that dont have any issues at all?

 

I know concussions are bad and the new science is showing things that we never knew as far as long term effects. I just dont like this whole "make it a perfect world" road that society is heading down. I mean, it's not like we're forced to play football and bounce our heads off of others all the time. It's a choice. Sure, these guys didnt know then what they know now, but be honest, would they have chosen NOT to play if they did? I would bet money on no. Like I said, I will let my son do whatever he wants in terms of playing football, and will be well-prepared for any consequences that come along. I understand the risks, and dont expect anyone to make special arrangements on behalf of a choice we made. Just my thoughts.

[onlyHskrfaninIL]

god- reading this thread, it is easy to understand how far the U.S. has slid as a once proud country- let's just ban tackle football and have all men wear maxipads-

And yes I have a son who played football

I was thinking the same thing and its sad. We've gone soft.

[307husker]

Wanting to avoid permanent neurological damage by selecting away from certain activities does not make you soft. FYI, nor does avoiding stab wounds, bullet wounds, or falling from high places...

[OS82]

I live in CT and hockey is bigger than football. My nephew starts on the high school team and is the captain. All has been good until last season when he got his bell rung and wound up in the hospital. I can say for a fact that the whole hockey/contact sports thing took on a totally different light that night. He's still playing but if he receives another serious concussion I'll say that his parents will be close to pulling the plug on the game.

 

We've had a couple Alzheimer's members of the family, both died recently. You don't go through an experience like that and not have your views altered.

[OS82]

god- reading this thread, it is easy to understand how far the U.S. has slid as a once proud country- let's just ban tackle football and have all men wear maxipads-

And yes I have a son who played football

I was thinking the same thing and its sad. We've gone soft.

 

Knowledge is power. The more they come out with results of studies in any arena actually the more power we have to make informed decisions...bluster aside.

 

If being soft means you don't play contact sports then I just have to disagree on that point.

[krc1995]

No, my son has a baseball career ahead of him.

 

I don't think we've gotten soft, I think we've got too much technology. Super helmets let players hit harder, with harder hits come harder falls, with harder falls come more concussions. Look at rugby. That's a manly man's sport, do rubby players have near the incidence of brain injuries? Maybe they do, but I have heard others say different.

[BIG ERN]

Yes, I will let my kids play, but I feel tackle football starts too early. I think it should be flag up until Jr High. Will kids benefit by playing tackle football at a younger age? Probably so, but lets get serious....the plays are simple - toss sweep and watch the fast kid take off to the sidelines and score a TD. I know some bigger schools with talent mix it up, but don't think the benefit is there for the injuries that can occur. A lot of kids won't play the same position when they are in HS anyways,

 

Some kids go through puberty way earlier than others which makes for the big difference.

[4skers89]

god- reading this thread, it is easy to understand how far the U.S. has slid as a once proud country- let's just ban tackle football and have all men wear maxipads-

And yes I have a son who played football

I was thinking the same thing and its sad. We've gone soft.

 

Knowledge is power. The more they come out with results of studies in any arena actually the more power we have to make informed decisions...bluster aside.

 

If being soft means you don't play contact sports then I just have to disagree on that point.

I played football, my son played and I hope one day he has a son that plays football but with restrictions. I don't see a reason to play football before junior high and maybe even high school. Playing soccer or basketball seems like a better option. That minimizes the years that they are getting their brains dinged up but still develop physical skills. I believe eventually the studies will show that the incident rate of brain injuries that cause long term problems are negligible among players that only play in high school and college. That should address the notion that small non-concussive hits over time can cause problems. If a kid gets multiple concussions then he should stop playing since he is probably just more susceptible to concussions. As other people have pointed out there are a lot of sports and activities where you can get your bell rung so I don't think it is fair to single out football until more is known. The benefits of playing organized sports outweigh having a society of bubble wrapped kids. In my professional life I notice a difference between people that played organized sports and those that did not.

[ColoradoHusk]

Yes, I will let my kids play, but I feel tackle football starts too early. I think it should be flag up until Jr High. Will kids benefit by playing tackle football at a younger age? Probably so, but lets get serious....the plays are simple - toss sweep and watch the fast kid take off to the sidelines and score a TD. I know some bigger schools with talent mix it up, but don't think the benefit is there for the injuries that can occur. A lot of kids won't play the same position when they are in HS anyways,

 

Some kids go through puberty way earlier than others which makes for the big difference.

 

Big Ern, you made my point much more succinctly than I did in my post. I just don't get the point of tackle football with full pads and helmets for kids who can barely hold up there head while wearing the helmet. It doesn't make us a nation of ninnies, it makes us smarter individuals who have more information able to make choices in life.

[robsker]

My son is only 7 right now so I'm about 2 years away from having to make that decision. If you would've asked this question a year or two ago I'd say hell yeah, but now I'm not so sure.

My son is only 7 right now so I'm about 2 years away from having to make that decision. If you would've asked this question a year or two ago I'd say hell yeah, but now I'm not so sure.

 

I do have anecdotal info for consideration... in our small church (50 people) we have had two kids with severe neck injuries (one in Jr. High football, the other in HS football) in the past two years. Neither ended up involving paralysis --- but both were severe enough that such was a consideration.

 

Also... talk to 20-something old men who played HS football (especially on the OL or DL) and most of them have horrible back, knee, or neck issues that they will have for life.

 

It is a body sacrificing thing to play football... and one wonders if the few years of fun is worth it.