There are rapid changes going on in urban America and they are hard to understand for a rural kid. If you think football is too dangerous for you or your kid, consider this.
Me and my family are from the Sandhills where we do not farm: we ranch out there. A young boy is usually first put on a horse at 5 years old to ride. No helmet. No pads. A 6ft. tall 1000 lb animal. They do this because when you start early you grow to be a better cowboy. Every boy who rides gets bucked off. Sometimes your horse is spooked or has a sandbur under the saddle blanket. Sometimes it steps in a hole or gets a hoof caught on an unseen wire. A good rider as a young man can get extra money breaking horses. That is where you start with a wild horse and ride it until it is broke. It is you against the horse. And your will has to dominate. You will get bucked off, smashed into panels, kicked and bitten. Yes horses can bite.
But we dont cry CTE and run to mama. Instead we celebrate and make a sport out of it. And if you think football is hard on a body try bareback riding. My great uncle, and grandpa were NSRA state champions. They did that after serving in the Armed forces, growing up in the depression, AND while raising families.
I remember a story my dad got caught in a blizzard on his horse and he was getting attacked by a stallion that only cared about his mare he was only 11 years old. I remember the time he got knocked off his horse directly under two fighting bulls.
My friends grandpa when he was teaching them to bulldog ( steer wrestle) if they wouldnt jump off their running horse, he would reach over and jerk them off. By God, you are getting down on that steer whether you want to or not son! You don't get to be that tough by playing lacrosse and eating yogurt at the mall
Quite honestly, I have many more stories, but the harsh reality of that way of life would just sound like hyperbole to eastern ears.
As kids we would wrestle about 800 kicking calves a year spread out across about 12 brandings. And when we could we played tackle football, no pads. Somebody got hurt almost every time. But we sucked it up. We raced each other on horses, motorcycles, three wheelers and four wheelers. On one of my friends ranch if you get caught walking through the yard, you get run over by an ATV by an ornery brother so you better be fast or tough.
All I can say is if you can't handle football you had better keep your pansy a$$ away from Mullen, or Gordon NE.
