With recent CTE studies, people have been focusing on the negative aspects of playing football. However, playing football teaches skills like blocking, catch, and throwing. More importantly, it teaches life lessons.
Kids learn discipline, hard work, and teamwork when they play football. For a lot of children, football is the carrot on the stick that gives them an incentive to do well in school or behave. If the game was taken away from them, a lot of kids would be getting into trouble. Football gives children an activity to keep them occupied. Football should always be available to kids of all ages.
People act like youth football has been sitting on their hands since the studies about concussions have come out. Organizations have actually adjusted curriculums and exercises to make the game safer for kids.
Heads Up Football, run by USA Football, was created to teach youths how to properly tackle—so kids can protect their heads from injuries. USA Football also adjusted games to reduce the risk of getting hurt by eliminating kickoffs and punts, having fewer players on the field, etc. With organizations making efforts to improve the game, parents should rest easy knowing their kids are safe.
All parents who are afraid to let their kids play HS football should read this. Best time of my life
— Josh McElheny (@jmcelheny) August 3, 2017
https://t.co/YxWZRedP6a
Football is being targeted because it has the most violent hits, but kids risk head injuries in every sport. Women's soccer players actually suffer the most concussions per contact by athletes in the United States. Should people ban soccer to prevent kids from getting hurt? No, of course not.
There are ways to make the game safer without banning kids from playing football.
Kids learn so much from playing football. Aside from dedication, hard work and teamwork, football also teaches goal setting. A lot of kids don't know how to set goals until they play. When they are on the football field, they have a goal to meet, and a task to accomplish. They can take those lessons and apply it to school, work or other parts of their lives.
Football is important to kids, and parents should not deny them the joy of playing the game.
Driving is far more dangerous than playing football. Should we not allow our kids to play soccer, high rate of concussions there.
— #NewCalifornia 🍻😎👍🏽🇺🇸 (@AtomicMexican) July 27, 2017