How do you feel about your kids playing football?

[khalloc]

DS has recently become very interested in football. He is 8 and in 3rd grade. He didnt play this year (didnt express interest until 1/2 way thru the season). But he definitely wants to sign up next year! I am OK with it since it will be flag football. But starting in 5th grade it would be tackle football.

Another mom I know lets her 3rd grader play this year (flag) and she let her 5th grader play (tackle). Previously she was on the fence about it. her 5th grader is on the small side and very skinny. But she decided she cant hold him back form something he loves to do.

So I know I will let DS play next year since there cant be much risk in flag football, right? But what about after that? Is grade school football less dangerous than when kids get older and bigger? DS is maybe in 75% for height and 50% for weight. So he is very slim. I dont even know if that matters. I also know he might decide its not for him. But right now he is carrying a football around ALL.THE.TIME.

So what are your feelings on the subject? Do you let your sons play? Do you have rules around it? Just wondering how this will play out...

[trcy]

DS is only 1, so a long way off. But I would not be comfortable with it. I am hoping to get him involved and interested in other activities before football becomes an option.


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[Smillow]

My DS is only 7 and not particularly competitive or interested in sports, but I will/would discourage him from playing football. Maybe flag football, if he's interested.

[khalloc]

I think its easier to say you wont allow it when your kids are really young right now, or have no interest. I am/was that way too. DS does play other sports (soccer, basketball, baseball), but right now he just cannot stop thinking about football. He goes outside alone everyday and practices being tackled! I have told him before he could be the kicker. That seems like a job without much risk. I hope some other parents with kids who want to play or are playing will chime in.

[Dcclerk]

Without giving too many details, my DH is involved with several pro sports teams and sees the effects of concussions on athletes at a very high level in various sports. He won't allow our boys, who really, really want to play football, play tackle football. By the end of elementary, you are moving up to tackle here, so it is a very short-lived career in our house.

[AnnieW625]

I think its easier to say you wont allow it when your kids are really young right now, or have no interest. I am/was that way too. DS does play other sports (soccer, basketball, baseball), but right now he just cannot stop thinking about football. He goes outside alone everyday and practices being tackled! I have told him before he could be the kicker. That seems like a job without much risk. I hope some other parents with kids who want to play or are playing will chime in.

I agree with this although I don't have boys. A friend of mine is an orthopedist and he says football with pads at 12-13 is okay. Football with pads starts at 8 or 9 and is popular here. I am grateful for it because a lot of kids in m area who have ended up being successful (college and NFL) might not have had the chances they did without football due to other bad outside influences.

Not the same but my 6 yr. old wants to learn how to play hockey, but after a certain age it is contact and I don't see how it is any safer than football, but I really don't want to tell her no.


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[khalloc]

Without giving too many details, my DH is involved with several pro sports teams and sees the effects of concussions on athletes at a very high level in various sports. He won't allow our boys, who really, really want to play football, play tackle football. By the end of elementary, you are moving up to tackle here, so it is a very short-lived career in our house.

Thanks! How do you explain it to your kids? How did they take it? I guess I feel the same way as your DH. But I'm also wondering if playing a year or 2 of tackle football (quitting before high school) might be OK? or are kids still getting concussions in 5th and 6th grade? My son is smart. I dont think he's going to be making a living someday being a professional NFL player. So he's going to need his brain intact.

ETA, neither DH or I were big sports players in school. I think DH ran track. I didnt play anything :bag: So we arent a family where sports is everything. I like my kids to join sports to stay active and have fun though.

[squimp]

There are lots of sports, track is really fun and inclusive, everyone works at their own pace. I would encourage him to try other sports. I would also support flag football but would be really worried about tackle. My DD is really fast and big and was good at flag football in gym, but she plays two other sports instead.

[cilantromapuche]

I would not let my kid play. DS (in middle school) runs cross country in the fall but carries a football and spends hours throwing it after practice and during meets. It just is not worth the price of concussion and the long term consequences.

[Charlie]

We have done flag football but tackle is a hard no for us. Different families have different rules and comfort levels with different sports, activitities, parenting decisions etc.

Here's a recent article about young kids and football:

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/10/football-kids-heads/504863/

[jse107]

It's a hard no for us too. DS would love to play tackle, but has been satisfied with flag. We're lucky, as there are many rec leagues around that he can play on. We just explained to him that it's too dangerous and that there can be lifelong damage from tackle football. There's been a little grumbling, but he has been pretty okay with it. He's in 6th grade and understands the discussions we've had. Yes, he could get injured doing anything, but the constant pounding on the head is an issue. I also advised kicking or he could be a trainer. :)

I work in a middle school, and yes, many kids do get concussions at this age--quite a few from soccer actually.

[smilequeen]

I would probably be very reluctant, but I would allow them to try it. However, my boys play hockey and I will not allow them to play both, so they would have to make a choice. DS1 had some interest in football, but no way would he give up hockey for it.

[melrose7]

DS who is 6 just played his first year of flag football. He was disappointed it wasn't tackle but I am hoping his love for it fads before tackle is offered. Here that is in 5th grade. I don't want him to play even though we are big football watchers. We haven't discussed what will happen in 5th grade to him yet. But he also very interested in soccer and there are head injuries with that too. I played soccer through college so I would love if he played that as neither of my girls are going to play sports. I was the goalie so my opportunities of heading the ball were few and thankfully didn't get that injured when I played. He has also tried baseball-loves it and basketball-said he doesn't want to do that this year. But he is going to try wrestling this winter. DH hasn't expressed his opinion and we have time. He won't push him into anything either way.

[jennilynn]

Scares me to death and I'm really hoping to avoid it. Unfortunately I don't think DH will be on the same page as he played in high school and enjoyed it. I'm also trying to get my boys interested in other sports/activities before then.


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[bigsis]

My DS is playing flag football for the first time this season--he's turning 11 this year. He loves it. There's going to be *some* contact, this isn't golf. I would be okay with him playing tackle. They're all so small, a 75 lb kid just can't do a lot of damage.

But then again, I'm quite lax compared to BBB standards. My DH played football until college; it's what he loves.

[gymnbomb]

DH and I are on the same page that tackle football and hockey are no's. We have a while to go and have no idea yet if DS will even be interested in those things, but if he is we will just have to be the bad guys and say no. Most other sports we are fine with, though neither of us is particularly athletic.

[chottumommy]

Its a no-no for us too. DS1 is turning 8 and loves sports. He plays baseball, soccer, cricket and a little of basketball. We are in a small college town and our high school coach and the college football PT donot let their sons play tackle. They have publicly stated it. There is enough evidence now and I have had multiple conversations with DS1 about concussions and brain injury and why we donot want him to play football. He's fine with it for now.

DH is a great athlete and was a National level player in squash and still plays it weekly. He never played team sports at college and never watches sports either. DS1 is not very athletic and is well ahead of his peers academically so we know he's definitely not headed the sports scholarship way and I don't have any guilt in steering him away from one sport with known consequences.

[newnana]

We are in a small college town and our high school coach and the college football PT donot let their sons play tackle. They have publicly stated it.



:yeahthat: Hard no for DH and I as well, there are enough professional NFL players and former players that won't let their kids play that really got us looking into it.

[ahisma]

Flag football: yes. Recess football: yes. Tackle football: hard no.

Tackle football starts in 3rd grade here. DS2 is very athletic and very, very good on the football field. He's small and slender, but he's fast, fearless and has a very good arm. He loves football. DH loves football. He wants to play badly. His peers want him to play badly.

It's a hard no. Yes, he'd be a great football player, but it's unlikely to become a career just based on the numbers. And, even if it was a career, it would come with great risks. It's just not worth the trade-off, no matter how badly I want to say yes. I truly do wish that I could justify it because, man, it would be fun to watch him play.

ETA: He does carry a football all the time, I know how that goes. He's been at it for years now. He throws a football every chance he gets. if he doesn't have a football, he'll take off a shoe and play with that. Doesn't change my mind. We had a very sad case with a college player here that was concussion based. I'm not willing to take the chance.

[almostmom]

We said no. One of the hardest things we've had to do as parents! DS is very athletic, and last year he really pushed us on it (he's in 7th grade now). Literally, every single one of his friends, and acquaintances, plays. I know he'd be great at it (I am looking outside as I type and seeing him play football in the yard with his friends! and he plays at recess - he tells me they always put two defenders on him), and have a really great time, and great connection with the other boys. But we decided that it is not worth it. My dad is an orthopedic surgeon, and he has always said we shouldn't let him play football. I hear about the kids who are playing getting concussions. The one game I went to a game, I saw kids getting hit, and going back in the game (even though there are strict rules). I've seen and heard about kids struggling for months (or longer) after concussions. And his brain, and future, are just too important.
We told him the truth, we don't think the concussion risk is worth it. He was sad, but he understood. And now he's over it. We also watched the movie Concussion this year together, and it was frightening - how all the little hits add up. What we know now about concussions is so much more than they knew 20 years ago. I'm happy with our decision, even though it wasn't easy. But we're the parents, and that's our job! That's what I told myself.

[georgiegirl]

DH (a physician) and I are adamantly against our kids playing football. Ds1 is 7 and has been begging to play football the past two years. We even said no to flag football. Ds1 is tiny. We made him join swim team Instead. We told him he can football for the neighborhood kids

[carolinacool]

If DS wants to play tackle starting in middle school, I'm OK with it. He'll be 7 in December and has only expressed passing interesting in playing, although he likes to watch.

DH did not play growing up because his mother didn't want him to play.

[hillview]

nope -- no way no how. I tell the kids that it is too dangerous and to find another sport.

[jse107]

And his brain, and future, are just too important.
We told him the truth, we don't think the concussion risk is worth it. He was sad, but he understood. And now he's over it. We also watched the movie Concussion this year together, and it was frightening - how all the little hits add up. What we know now about concussions is so much more than they knew 20 years ago. I'm happy with our decision, even though it wasn't easy. But we're the parents, and that's our job! That's what I told myself.

:yeahthat:

We haven't watched the movie yet, but exactly this. DS understands and has a great time "tackling" with friends in the front yard and playing flag football. He's signed up for basketball this winter and is an avid mountain biker (every week). There is too much concrete evidence regarding concussions and the constant jarring of the brain within the head for us to ever feel comfortable putting either of our kids at risk knowingly. I made them ride in carseats/boosters, wear a seatbelt, eat healthy food, brush their teeth, go to the dentist and doctor, read books, go to school, etc. This is just another one of those things.

[acmom]

We have a 6 year old that loves watching football and playing in the yard. I have no doubt he would love to play on a team, but here the option is Pop Warner tackle even at his age. DH and I both love football, have season tickets and watch both college and pro football games every weekend. But DH is also a physician in pediatrics and is just not comfortable with the research on the risks even at young ages, particularly with head injuries. We have also seen that old football injuries have caused some quality of life issues later (major back/knee issues) for several family members who played in HS and college. So for our family at this point, football is only a spectator/play in the yard sport and DS plays other team/individual sports.

[rlu]

DH and FIL played tackle, DH in high school, FIL in college, and both have broken vertebra from being hit in the back with a helmet. DH has had both knees scoped and bursitis in his knuckles which we can attribute to playing ball. He broke his foot doing shot put but played a year of football on that broken foot because you play through pain per his coach. He had his "bell rung" several times and was never pulled - that at least is hopefully changing. His ankles are shot. frankly, he's a mess and has been since the day I met him, with that broken foot finally in cast that cost him a football scholarship to a different college than where we met.

DS wanted to play football and we let him play flag football. He played quarterback, a good fit for his build and size. He aged out of the rec league. I won't allow him to play tackle and DH backs me up. DS sees how DH aches every day of his life and hears about CTE and has accepted that he won't be playing tackle football. He sees Cam Newton get hit in the head without a call multiple times in a game (preseason or first game can't remember) and gets upset.

I love football - a Niner fan all my life. We went to all the high school games and still go to the college games at least once a year. The high school I and my sis went to plays its homecoming on Thanksgiving and we've attended more than we've missed since 1984. BUT, there is a lot wrong with tackle football and I've no idea how to fix it.

[PunkyBoo]

My DS1 played flag football from kindergarten through 6th grade. He always said he wanted to play tackle, but he's a string bean and I've always said no. DH played in high school and tried out as a kicker in college. He can surely kick, but he did NOT like taking hits from the other players in practices so he didn't continue tryouts. This fall DS1 chose to play tennis instead of flag football. It appears his desire to play football is gone. That being said, he got a huge goose egg on his forehead and a very mild concussion playing flag football in 2nd or 3rd grade. (He and another boy we're going to catch the same ball and bonked heads) And, he currently has a concussion from getting (intentionally) elbowed in the back of his head playing basketball at school. It's all scary, but tackle football just increases the odds. The doctor told us this week that concussion protocol had gotten much more stringent very recently, so DH's training (he has a coaches license and also volunteer coaches several sports) is already somewhat outdated.

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[Corie]

My son played tackle football in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade through our town's recreation league.
This past fall, he switched to flag football because he didn't like the coaches from tackle football. My husband coached the flag football team
and they both had a lot of fun. My son did mention to us though that he will probably go back to tackle football next year.
In 7th grade and on up, the football program is through the school.

[MelissaTC]

We talked him out of it. He could maybe be a kicker but honestly, he's not built for it. He does marching band and the joke is the football team warms up the field for the marching band show.

[lmwbasye]

DS2 lives and breathes football. He talks about nothing more. Desperate to play and has been for years. He knows that there is no way in heck he will ever play tackle football. He's not happy but it's just a huge no and we have explained to him why. He did play flag football this year and we'll allow that as long as we can find it.

As far as letting tackle go for a year or two when he's young, I just couldn't see it being fair to say it's okay for two/three years and then switching and saying it's not okay. We just decided that it's a no from the start. He'll live.

[niccig]

No tackle football allowed. He plays soccer and I won't let him head the ball. We can't repair brain damage.


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[AngB]

Hard no until possibly high school. Definitely not before then and I have a hunch by the time my kids get there, high school football will be more like hockey (at least here) and not school sponsored.

My brother is 19 and started playing football in high school. He was really good even with no prior experience, his coaches played him on offense and defense almost the entire game. Towards the end of his sophomore year starting on JV, he had an incident where he took a hard hit to the head which my parents and I missed. He went off to the side and told his coach he took a hit and his head was hurting. His coach's response was, "so can you go back out there?" (AND this was just a couple years ago, when all of the concussion stuff has been out and supposedly taken very seriously by schools...) my brother shrugged and said he guessed and went back out for a couple more plays, luckily he got smart and took himself out because his head was hurting so badly, the coach was not happy about it. Then the idiotic athletic trainer who was right there for all of this told my parents he probably just had a headache and didn't need to go to the doctor or anything, he should be fine for school tomorrow, etc. At school the next day they did the possible concussion assessment thing and had to call my parents because he had had a concussion and failed the test pretty badly. My mom ended up taking him to the doctor that afternoon who was livid about the whole thing and was very firm that he was NOT to go back to school or anything like that at the very least until his headache went away (his head had never stopped hurting from the day before and took about a week to feel better.) The whole thing was crazy ridiculous. He had a teammate who played quarterback and had had 3 concussions before October [he played in a summer league for at least one or two of them] when his doctor shut him down from playing for the rest of the year...and that was as a freshman.

Football makes me uncomfortable because it makes me think of the gladiator competitions back in the ancient times where we are sacrificing people for entertainment. I know that's overly dramatic but not by a lot. (Even though DH used to be a diehard Steelers fan, we keep football off our tv's except for the Super Bowl. The NFL has made that pretty easy with all their crap.)

[chottumommy]

Football makes me uncomfortable because it makes me think of the gladiator competitions back in the ancient times where we are sacrificing people for entertainment. I know that's overly dramatic but not by a lot. (Even though DH used to be a diehard Steelers fan, we keep football off our tv's except for the Super Bowl. The NFL has made that pretty easy with all their crap.)

Slightly OT but I was wondering about that too. I don't watch any sports on American TV as I'm not a fan of football or basketball but I wonder how people who are against it for their kids feel about supporting NFL at large. Nobody in my kids friend circle plays football (even flag) but not sure if the parents support and attend local college team games.

[abh5e8]

No. I work with way too many people with hear injuries, so no football or soccer for our kids. We encourage other sports and talk about why we made that choice. They seem to take it ok, but are so pretty young. Thankfully they are loving baseball and swimming.

Dh and I also don't support football in any way. We don't watch it on TV or buy tickets or paraphernalia. The reason changes are not happening is because the money is still there. It's sad, we both enjoy watching the game, but true.

[mom2binsd]

My DS plays travel hockey, he's 10. His father, my x, wants him to play football because he played football and he loves football. DS would play if it didn't conflict with hockey (both seasons at the same time no way to do both). It's his choice, and I won't "forbid" him to play, I just don't know if he will ever want to give up hockey which is his passion (of course he wants to please his father and play football, but more to make dad happy which is not a great situation).

I do think football can be dangerous, but sports like soccer and cheerleading are also dangerous. Of course, I'm also aware there are injuries in hockey as well.

[gcc2k]

We have two sons, nearly 6 and 3.5. So far playing football is not really an issue with either of them, and considering DS1 doesn't like the small amount of contact in soccer that he experiences at his level, I doubt he'll be super interested in playing tackle. I'm really not a fan of the idea, and I'll never encourage it, but I don't know if I can say it'll never happen for either of our sons.

DH is a high school teacher, has coached various sports for years and gotten lots of concussion training. Apparently, football is 5th on the list of concussive sports. Statistically, boys and girls soccer, competitive cheering, and wrestling all had more incidents of concussions. Just curious if BBB parents are just as likely to forbid their children from doing those sports as well?

[Snow mom]

My stated position has long been no football (and no on lots of other sports at higher levels as well). Sports aren't big in our family but DH wrestled and I know he would kind of like it if DS was interested in wrestling as well. I've said I'm against it and I see the lasting effects of wrestling on DH. I'm not 100% on whether I'd forbid wrestling (that's a ways off at this point) but I'd certainly discourage it. There is no way, absolutely no way, I'd let my elementary age child play football. I say no to other extra-curriculars so I don't see why sports has to be any different.

ETA: just read the post directly above mine and yes, soccer beyond rec league and wrestling are on my list of sports that are just too high risk for my comfort. I think it's terrible to let high schoolers or younger destroy their bodies playing sports. I hurt my back badly in high school and took out my knees in college. It wasn't worth it but I didn't have the perspective when I was young about how much I was damaging my body.

[scrooks]

Scares me to death and I'm really hoping to avoid it. Unfortunately I don't think DH will be on the same page as he played in high school and enjoyed it. I'm also trying to get my boys interested in other sports/activities before then.


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This exactly. Ds1 is 7 and has showed no interest at all... So far so good!

[AnnieW625]

My DD1 broke her left leg in the first grade in a freak accident while playing soccer in pe when one of her class mates fell on her. We are at urgent care right now for a potential broken finger from playing flag football in pe. Accidents can happen anywhere.

ETA: DH wrestled in high school and had no injuries; plus he often regrets not growing up somewhere where hockey or lacrosse were popular. He played a lot of roller hockey pre kids. I would not discourage cheerleading either although neither girl has shown any interest. I could see DD1 doing some sort of dance team instead. I played tennis competively in high school and never broke a bone, but was hit a bunch from age 8-18 as I played or practiced a few days a week. (when I stopped playing all of the time) and I would end up with bruises or scrapes from the ball. My mom had to stop competive rowing (she was an Olympic caliber rower pre title 9....so most colleges didn't have competitive rowing and it wasn't an Olympic sport in the USA until 1984 because of the 80 boycott) in her mid 20s because her knees were starting to give her problems from the all of the running and training, but my dad was also a competive rower and rowed until he was almost 30 (but he wasn't good enough to tie in the Olympics) and later ended up with a knee replacement at 55, where as my mom never ended up needing any kind of knee surgery.

[Corie]

Apparently, football is 5th on the list of concussive sports. Statistically, boys and girls soccer, competitive cheering, and wrestling all had more incidents of concussions. Just curious if BBB parents are just as likely to forbid their children from doing those sports as well?

I'm curious about that as well.

[Charlie]

DH is a high school teacher, has coached various sports for years and gotten lots of concussion training. Apparently, football is 5th on the list of concussive sports. Statistically, boys and girls soccer, competitive cheering, and wrestling all had more incidents of concussions. Just curious if BBB parents are just as likely to forbid their children from doing those sports as well?[/QUOTE]

There is a risk of physical injury for many sports but I allow DS to play soccer but I'll not allow tackle football. Children who play tackle football have shown changes in brain matter associated with brain injury even without the child having sustained a concussion. It's the repeated hitting over time that is concerning to me.

[trcy]

We have two sons, nearly 6 and 3.5. So far playing football is not really an issue with either of them, and considering DS1 doesn't like the small amount of contact in soccer that he experiences at his level, I doubt he'll be super interested in playing tackle. I'm really not a fan of the idea, and I'll never encourage it, but I don't know if I can say it'll never happen for either of our sons.

DH is a high school teacher, has coached various sports for years and gotten lots of concussion training. Apparently, football is 5th on the list of concussive sports. Statistically, boys and girls soccer, competitive cheering, and wrestling all had more incidents of concussions. Just curious if BBB parents are just as likely to forbid their children from doing those sports as well?

I didn't realize soccer was more dangerous than football.


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[starmommy]

Football and hockey are a definite no in our house. I am ok with young (elementary, no contact) instructional leagues for soccer, but older aggressive play (middle school and up) soccer will be out.

Worked in pediatric MRI for 5 years and saw loads of kids with concussions and post concussive symptoms. Some kids were set back almost an entire school year and trying to play catch up just to stay at grade level. Symptomatic for months.

Parents decide what sports are ok to play, no discussion.

[mom2ethan]

DS is 13 and is playing his fourth year of flag football through school. He is well aware that he will not play tackle football next year in high school. Sadly, he loves sports but is a big kid who is not terribly athletic. Of all the sports he's played, football has suited him best. He plays center now and is pretty good at it, but DH and I feel there are too many risks to continue on to tackle.

Even with flag football, I get nervous and have been surprised at how rough it is at times. While DS is big, there are other kids in the league who are even bigger -- easily 6 ft and 200+ lbs, as 8th graders. The blocking can get really rough. He severely sprained his hand last year in a game and usually gets banged up a bit every game. His teammate ended up with a concussion last year when he hit the ground. I have to admit I'll be glad when the season wraps up in two weeks.

[AngB]

DH is a high school teacher, has coached various sports for years and gotten lots of concussion training. Apparently, football is 5th on the list of concussive sports. Statistically, boys and girls soccer, competitive cheering, and wrestling all had more incidents of concussions. Just curious if BBB parents are just as likely to forbid their children from doing those sports as well?

I have heard this argument a lot from pro-football people but never see the stats really bearing it out. We aren't seeing a ton of soccer players with CTE, going on crazy murderous rampages, etc. as we see from NFL'ers. I think the NFL is completely corrupt from the top down and so really have no interest in supporting football in any manner.

Wrestling is gross (can you say ringworm?) so I will discourage it but probably not ban, I have boys so doubt competitive cheering is on the table, and soccer is fine with me as they actually seem interested in preventing concussions (banning headers in younger ages). A concussion in soccer is a lot more obvious then a concussion in football, most of the time. My 3 siblings and I all played soccer for several years and never had a concussion or even had a teammate have a concussion. As I said before, not only did my brother have a concussion on the football field but his freaking coach asked him if he could still play until he had to remove himself from the field, and then the trainer said he didn't need real medical attention. That's freaking crap. (And not a long time ago, just a couple years ago when they definitely knew better and had had concussion training that was apparently useless.) Hockey is not an option in our family due to a combination of injuries and most especially the costs. Plus we just really aren't a hockey family, my kids have never even ice skated so I don't see them asking to suddenly play.

[icunurse]

I have worked in a neuro/trauma ICU for 2 decades. We see several football injuries every year. Some are head injuries gone horribly bad (way beyond a concussion). Most are spinal injuries. Neither type of injury ever completely goes away, so once you have it, you can just build upon it. In all my years, between all the doctors and nurses that I have worked with, only 1 nurse had a child who played tackle football. And she cringes, but her husband played football and loved it, so..,

For me, I would not allow my son to play tackle football. I would just say no. Non-negotiable. Sorry. Too many types of injuries and too many chances for injuries. Statistically, compare inuries (concussions, broken bones, spinal inuries) among all sports, adjust for participation numbers, and I'm betting football wins. My son plays soccer and they have banned heading and I still cringe because accidents happen. But no to football, most likely no to hockey. Wrestling is one step above boxing in my book, as far as we are just going to toss each other around until one tires out. I won't let my DD do cheerleading because she is small and I know they will want her to be on the top of the pyramid. She's not happy about my decision, but I'm fine with that.

[georgiegirl]

No wrestling, hockey, or cheer for my kids. Yes for recreational soccer, but no heading. Currently the older two (10 and 7) are on swim team, which is one of the safest competitive sports out there. No contact and low risk of injury.


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[hwin708]

Absolute no to football and competitive cheerleading, which notoriously is not treated as a sport and thus offers no safety regulations for an injury plagued activity. I know a woman who coaches the cheer team for a local gymnastics gym, and she won't let her own daughter join the cheerleading squad at school. HORRIBLE safety practices. Hockey is not a thing here, but would be a no. Soccer would maybe depend upon the safety regulations within the team and league, but again, not that big here, so I've never really looked into it.

In terms of how to handle denying a child who really wants to play - well, what other reasons would you deny him an activity he wants? If it was across town and added an extra 1-2 hours of travel time into your day, would it be out? If the fees for equipment and travel were just unreasonably high, would you say no? I don't know what the deal breaker for you would be, but I can guarantee you have a deal breaker that would be based on how it impacts you personally. If your child gets injured, if they build up a successive number of head bashes that changes their brain for the rest of their lives - it impacts you personally. You know how to say no. Just say no.

[dowlinal]

I think this was much easier for me to say before my kids were old enough to have strong opinions. I swore my girls would never cheer because of the injuries and yet my oldest not only switched to cheer in 6th grade, but she's a flyer too. My younger daughter is a soccer goalie and, between that basketball and lacrosse, looks battered half the time. And now my boys are in their last year of flag football for our town and they want to play tackle next year so so badly. DH and I have always said no, but I find my no becoming less firm. We went from never to maybe in high school. Now we are considering it if DH coaches. I know that I'd rather keep them out entirely, but when the only Fall sport options are football or soccer, when their friends all play, your friends run the program, and your kids beg you daily because they love the sport and want to be with their friends, well it's a much harder decision. I'm still not sure what our answer is.

[niccig]

I didn't realize soccer was more dangerous than football.


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I don't let DS head the ball. Our rec league won't let them until Under 14 level, but DS won't be allowed. It's not just the ball to head impact, but when jumping up to head the ball, they can hit someone's head/arm.

He doesn't have to head the ball to still play the game. You can't play football without being tackled or tackling someone.

DS has always known he will never be allowed to play football. His school next year has flag football and he can try out for that, but tackle will never be an option. The latest research in CTE says its multiple small hits with no sign of concussion, and they've found CTE in high school football players.

I did a 3 month internship in the rehab unit of a well known Children's Hospital working with children (up to 21 years old) who had brain injuries. There's no cure for brain damage, you do rehab and cross fingers as much function can return as possible. DS won't be doing several activities (football, ATV or motorbike even with helmet) or doing them with restrictions (e.g. No soccer heading ball). When he's an adult, he can make a different decision if he wants.

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[cuca_]

Our DS (9) is not allowed to play football, period. He can play other contact sports, though. He is not allowed to play flag (in a team), as I feel the natural progression from that is tackle. He is well aware of this rule and it has not been an issue so far. He has friends who play flag, but he knows he is not allowed, and is fine with that. He plays plenty of other sports.


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[KrystalS]

My DS is only 6 but I do not like football at all. He shows no interest right now but sports are huge in our small town. Right now he plays on a traveling t-ball team. Football starts in 3rd grade here, pads and all. It's a parent organized team and it's a big deal. DS is very big for his age, he has been off the growth charts since he was 2 months. He's in kinder and taller/bigger than every kid in his class and the majority of 1st graders. Most people assume he's in 2nd grade. I dread when he gets older and coaches start asking him to play. Right now he loves baseball and is showing interest in basketball. I'm hoping to encourage those sports and steer him away from football even though he couldn't careless right now. I know once his friends start playing it could be an issue. I have some other moms that feel the same as me but who knows how long that will last once they get older. We had a boy on our high school team almost die last year from a head injury.

[o_mom]

We have two sons, nearly 6 and 3.5. So far playing football is not really an issue with either of them, and considering DS1 doesn't like the small amount of contact in soccer that he experiences at his level, I doubt he'll be super interested in playing tackle. I'm really not a fan of the idea, and I'll never encourage it, but I don't know if I can say it'll never happen for either of our sons.

DH is a high school teacher, has coached various sports for years and gotten lots of concussion training. Apparently, football is 5th on the list of concussive sports. Statistically, boys and girls soccer, competitive cheering, and wrestling all had more incidents of concussions. Just curious if BBB parents are just as likely to forbid their children from doing those sports as well?

The studies I found in the last few years showed football to be the highest risk for concussion for high school sports. I am guessing that the training he got was either outdated or used incidence instead of rate as a measure.

We just say no to tackle football and I tell the boys that they need their brains more than they need to play football. They do swimming, basketball and sometimes soccer. Our youth league has banned heading through 6th grade.

[JustMe]

I had a pretty easy time steering ds away from football (so far at least). He would have played if I had been neutral or permitted it but also is tiny and not really built for it.

He does do soccer and I am worried about the concussion risk and how to handle this as he gets older. He plays on a recreational team right now that is very non-competitive (they have games, but its really mellow) and wants to try out for a club team. I would love any advice on this, including what to look for/allow as far as safety related to concussions, etc. Feel free to pm me or I can start another thread if that makes sense.

[bcafe]

For us, soccer and basketball are fine. Tackle football makes me very nervous, especially since genetics are against us size-wise. Luckily soccer and football are during the same season so it shouldn't be too much of a battle. I do know of a keeper that is the kicker on the jr. high team. That position wouldn't be too bad, but still doubtful for us.

[niccig]

I had a pretty easy time steering ds away from football (so far at least). He would have played if I had been neutral or permitted it but also is tiny and not really built for it.

He does do soccer and I am worried about the concussion risk and how to handle this as he gets older. He plays on a recreational team right now that is very non-competitive (they have games, but its really mellow) and wants to try out for a club team. I would love any advice on this, including what to look for/allow as far as safety related to concussions, etc. Feel free to pm me or I can start another thread if that makes sense.

I will not let my DS head the ball in soccer. Last year his league allowed headers in U12 and up, and I told DS and the coach he wouldn't be heading the ball. This year they changed the rules and its U14 and older that can head the ball, so DS's team isn't allowed to do it, it's a penalty to other team if they do. Next year DS will be U14 and I will again tell him and the coach that DS won't be heading the ball. He can take a step back and get the ball on his chest. He plays defense so less opportunities to head the ball anyway.


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[mm123]

I'm VERY anxious about concussion risk, but so far, neither of my DDs are interested in any team sports. We have had concussion affect members of our family twice in the past couple of years.

One cousin in her 40's was swimming laps at a local community pool. I guess the lifeguard wasn't watching the lanes closely enough, and a swimmer was swimming the wrong direction, and crashed head-to-head into my cousin. Three years later she is still suffering concussion symptoms- terrible headaches, blurry vision, can't read or watch tv for extended periods. She's a doctor, and has had to reduce her work to 2-3 days a week.

A second cousin suffered a concussion while wrestling for his high school team. Very bright, sociable boy. Now a year later, he is also still struggling. He was supposed to start college this year, and has had to stay home and take just one course at a local university.

So, all this to say our family is very nervous and aware of concussion risk. If I did have kids who begged to play a sport with such a high risk, it would be a VERY hard no.

[TwinFoxes]

Right now he plays on a traveling t-ball team.

Totally off topic, but a traveling T-ball team? I have never heard of such a thing. I always thought travel teams were for kids who have a lot of potential and are better than the average little leaguer/rec leaguer. What is a traveling T-ball team?

[DualvansMommy]

Granted my boys are young enough, hard to see what interests will hold them long term. But DH played soccer competitively his whole life as, as well his younger brother. He coaches at the school he works for as head coach for the varsity soccer. In fact, it's safe to say DH came from a long line of soccer avid players and fans, DS1 is wrapping up his current season in our town soccer club. He likes it but prefers to play lacrosse, which he had a chance to play in the league last spring. Mentioned about wanting to go back to it next spring, and loves swimming too. So far he really seem to lean towards no/minimal contact sports. I'm hoping it stays that way, as I think it'll be interesting for him to go on swim team and play lacrosse. It's my younger DS2 who seem to love tackling and holding balls.all.the.time, and wouldn't surprise me at all if he shows an interest in football. I would say no to that, flag football yes and maybe hockey as its really big in my area. We shall see.


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[KrystalS]

Totally off topic, but a traveling T-ball team? I have never heard of such a thing. I always thought travel teams were for kids who have a lot of potential and are better than the average little leaguer/rec leaguer. What is a traveling T-ball team?

We play summer ball with a city league and the coach decided to have the boys play fall baseball in a league outside of our area. We live in a small town so these boys will likely play ball together for their entire childhood so the coach wanted them to get some more experience playing better teams.

It's very common where we live because we don't really have rec leagues. The city has summer baseball but that's it. Everything is ran by the parents, until they are old enough to play sports for the school. Not until 6th grade for baseball and 4th for basketball. The parents have to form teams and we play in leagues in neighboring towns.


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[calebsmama03]

Football is on the "no way, no how" list for us. Not willing to risk his future health over a sport.

[cuca_]

He likes it but prefers to play lacrosse, which he had a chance to play in the league last spring. Mentioned about wanting to go back to it next spring, and loves swimming too. So far he really seem to lean towards no/minimal contact sports. I'm hoping it stays that way, as I think it'll be interesting for him to go on swim team and play lacrosse


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Lacrosse is a full contact sport. Because your son is young, there may not be much contact now, but that will not be the case later on.



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[123LuckyMom]

What sports would those of you who consider hockey, football, soccer, lacrosse, cheerleading, and I can't remember the rest, too dangerous allow your kids to play? I'm genuinely curious to know if there are any sports considered safe from concussion risk. My son is just starting ice hockey, which I assume is a high risk sport for concussion, though it wasn't in the top 5 posted earlier. He also skis, plays tennis and baseball, and does ballet. He no longer plays soccer, though he always does the clinics (but with kids they don't allow practice heading. They may not allow it in games either.) He's also dropped gymnastics and TKD, but he wants to start lacrosse next year. He wanted to play football (flag), but the time commitment was too great to allow him to do anything else, so he never started. I used to ride horses and do gymnastics, both competitively, and I got injured A LOT! I also broke my wrist falling while playing tennis. If it hadn't been my wrist, it could have been my head. I don't want my child to get brain damage, but I also do want him (and my daughter when she's older) to be able to play competitive sports. What's a parent to do?


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[abh5e8]

No sport is "safe from concussion risk," but some sports have a higher risk of head injuries than others. For us, we choose sports and activities with a lower risk. Doesn't mean there is no risk of injury or head injury. Swimming, track, cross country, triathlon, baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, ballet, gymnastics all have less concussion risk. We also ski and bike, but only with a helmet.

Football, soccer, wrestling and cheerleading are a no. We don't have hockey or lacrosse, but if we did, those would be a no as well.

I ran track and cross country, in highschool and for a D1 university... With a bunch of injuries along the way, but none that affected my brain or abilities to think and work. To me, that is really important. I work with people every day who struggle to cope with the long lasting affects of tbi, so when I can lower the risk of that for my children, I will.

[TwinFoxes]

DH is a high school teacher, has coached various sports for years and gotten lots of concussion training. Apparently, football is 5th on the list of concussive sports. Statistically, boys and girls soccer, competitive cheering, and wrestling all had more incidents of concussions. Just curious if BBB parents are just as likely to forbid their children from doing those sports as well?

According to the NIH, football is number one in raw numbers and ratio.

It's so interesting to me that everyone is saying "no heading" when it comes to soccer, but even without heading soccer is one of the sports with the most concussions. It's a contact sport.

This article in the NY Times has some good information regarding concussions and youth sports.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/24/concussions-can-occur-in-all-youth-sports/?_r=0

[cuca_]

What sports would those of you who consider hockey, football, soccer, lacrosse, cheerleading, and I can't remember the rest, too dangerous allow your kids to play? I'm genuinely curious to know if there are any sports considered safe from concussion risk. My son is just starting ice hockey, which I assume is a high risk sport for concussion, though it wasn't in the top 5 posted earlier. He also skis, plays tennis and baseball, and does ballet. He no longer plays soccer, though he always does the clinics (but with kids they don't allow practice heading. They may not allow it in games either.) He's also dropped gymnastics and TKD, but he wants to start lacrosse next year. He wanted to play football (flag), but the time commitment was too great to allow him to do anything else, so he never started. I used to ride horses and do gymnastics, both competitively, and I got injured A LOT! I also broke my wrist falling while playing tennis. If it hadn't been my wrist, it could have been my head. I don't want my child to get brain damage, but I also do want him (and my daughter when she's older) to be able to play competitive sports. What's a parent to do?


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I have to admit we struggle with this. I want my kids to play competitive sports too. They do plenty of risky activities. We only ban football. My premise for this is that I believe it to have a higher incidence of concussions, and often times the culture encourages continuing to play after being hit. However, this post prompted me to do some research, and it appears that some of the sports my DCs play also carry a risk of concussion.

Another article about a high school player who died in Texas just popped up in my Yahoo feed. It might be that football is simply a more popular and widespread sport, hence all the incidents that are reported. I do not know. I've been doing a bit of research on the internet, and some say there may be a difference between the type hits and injuries sustained in football, and the type of hits and injuries sustained, in say, lacrosse. However, I did not find anything conclusive.

[ahisma]

We do allow soccer for now - they play it year round (futsal in the winter). At this age we aren't seeing a concussion risk, they play in a league that refs a very close game and impact like that is not permitted. We do know that it can (and probably will) change as they get older. DH coached varsity soccer for years and didn't see concussions, but I go understand that change happens.

As they get older, we're thinking likely track, cross country, or crew. We'll see - obviously their personal interest will come into play a great deal. We do try to make sure that they have exposure to sports like tennis, swimming and golf so they keep those open as an option too.

[JustMe]

Okay, I have to admit I was ignorant about how high risk cheerleading is. Dd goes into high school next year and has her heart set on cheerleading. Its never something I wanted for her, but I was not going to stop her..She has some skills in that area, and I do think its likely she would get in.

Can someone help explain why its such a high risk or point me to a good article on this? I did a quick search, and while some articles talked about head injuries and cheerleading being more dangerous than people think, and there were many articles on how to increase safety, I didn't really find a great article that explained the risk.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Not every school does the kind of cheerleading that would be risky. Does your school's squad do all the tosses and aerial type stuff? Our cheerleaders don't.


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[bcafe]

Soccer is most definitely a contact sport and if my kids weren't in contact with an opposing player, they aren't playing correctly. Now, I am not talking using their heads, just the rest of their bodies. We moved up to u13 and don't see any head issues during games or practices...yet. We do have a defender who uses his head quite a bit (meaning 2x a game), but so far their kick strength is not too strong. He is not my child so that will be up to his parent to decide whether or not to continue heading. I can see 2 heads getting knocked together before I can see a concussion from heading. My son is a keeper and he dives a lot, so he always has bumps and bruises. I always cringe a bit when he dives after a ball near the goal post as their heads always look so close to the bar.

[ahisma]

Soccer is most definitely a contact sport and if my kids weren't in contact with an opposing player, they aren't playing correctly. Now, I am not talking using their heads, just the rest of their bodies.
Yes - that's what I meant. I know that we're risking other injuries, but I'm not seeing a notable amount of concussion risk yet.

Do you have kids wearing head gear? It's becoming pretty common in our club, but I'm not seeing the opponents wearing it yet.

[bcafe]

Yes - that's what I meant. I know that we're risking other injuries, but I'm not seeing a notable amount of concussion risk yet.
Do you have kids wearing head gear? It's becoming pretty common in our club, but I'm not seeing the opponents wearing it yet.
Nor am I seeing a notable amount of concussion risk, and some of these kids are big! No, I have never seen head gear on soccer kids. I would think that their center of balance would be off and I don't want my kid getting nailed by head gear either. We ski and snowboard so we do wear helmets for that but speed is a big factor.

[egoldber]

Dd goes into high school next year and has her heart set on cheerleading. Its never something I wanted for her, but I was not going to stop her..She has some skills in that area, and I do think its likely she would get in.

Whether or not cheer is a sport varies by state. In many cases the cheer organizations have actively lobbied to NOT be a sport so that they don't have to follow their state's HS sport guidelines.

Also, is rec cheer big at all in your area? I would try to get her into a program if that is possible and she wants to do HS cheer. And has she done tumbling/gymnastics? Around here there is a specific list of skills that HS cheerleaders must have to make the team. JV a little less so, but definitely for varsity.

[ahisma]

Nor am I seeing a notable amount of concussion risk, and some of these kids are big! No, I have never seen head gear on soccer kids. I would think that their center of balance would be off and I don't want my kid getting nailed by head gear either. We ski and snowboard so we do wear helmets for that but speed is a big factor.

These - not full on helmets. That would be a disaster! https://www.amazon.com/Storelli-Sports-HGUARDBK-ExoShield-Guard/dp/B00J2XLI34/ref=pd_sim_200_1?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=M7S59D404JH8AHSRXFBQ

[bcafe]

These - not full on helmets. That would be a disaster! https://www.amazon.com/Storelli-Sports-HGUARDBK-ExoShield-Guard/dp/B00J2XLI34/ref=pd_sim_200_1?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=M7S59D404JH8AHSRXFBQ
That head gear is much better than I was anticipating. I have not seen those around, but I certainly wouldn't be opposed to DS's wearing them, especially during indoor when dealing with walls.

[o_mom]

It's so interesting to me that everyone is saying "no heading" when it comes to soccer, but even without heading soccer is one of the sports with the most concussions. It's a contact sport.



One of the studies I saw said that heading accounts for 1/3 of concussions in soccer. It is not usually the ball hitting the head, but two players going to head the same ball making contact. It is a simple way to reduce the risk in soccer, especially at the lower levels where heading is not something that adds to the game.

[niccig]

One of the studies I saw said that heading accounts for 1/3 of concussions in soccer. It is not usually the ball hitting the head, but two players going to head the same ball making contact. It is a simple way to reduce the risk in soccer, especially at the lower levels where heading is not something that adds to the game.

I read the same study, which is why I've told DS he is not to head the ball - it's not the ball contact I'm worried about, but the contact with another player's body. He can take a step back and take the ball on his chest. Soccer is a contact sport and we've known kids that have had injuries (broken bones) from playing. My DS plays defense and he's quite physical. He's also been hit by the ball when it's been kicked up the field and a couple of times in 7 years he has gotten hit on the head by the ball. The difference I see with football, is that he's not getting repetitively hit from tackles multiple times in practice and games. The research I've seen is that CTE comes from numerous repetitive small hits. DS doesn't get the repetitive small hits in how he plays soccer and not heading the ball. If that changes, then we'll re-evaluate his participation.

[TwinFoxes]

One of the studies I saw said that heading accounts for 1/3 of concussions in soccer. It is not usually the ball hitting the head, but two players going to head the same ball making contact. It is a simple way to reduce the risk in soccer, especially at the lower levels where heading is not something that adds to the game.
I understand why people don't allow heading, and I'm not saying that people should allow their kids to head. But I do think people are lulled into a sense of "all is well" because their kids don't head. Even according to you, 2/3 of soccer injuries aren't caused by heading.

This reminds me of a thread we had about driving and cell phone use. So many people said "I use a handsfree device" when multiple studies have shown that doesn't matter.

[o_mom]

I understand why people don't allow heading, and I'm not saying that people should allow their kids to head. But I do think people are lulled into a sense of "all is well" because their kids don't head. Even according to you, 2/3 of soccer injuries aren't caused by heading.

This reminds me of a thread we had about driving and cell phone use. So many people said "I use a handsfree device" when multiple studies have shown that doesn't matter.

I agree - there is still a risk of concussion (that number was for concussions, not all soccer-related injuries), but cutting the risk by 1/3 is significant. That would put it on par with basketball or baseball. I think many parents here have decided that the risk/benefit for football is much too high and that the risk benefit of soccer, when the risk is reduced by 1/3 by not heading, is not too high. Nobody is looking only for zero risk sports, which I don't think exist. Even swimming, golf and running have a risk of concussion.

[ahisma]

I agree - there is still a risk of concussion (that number was for concussions, not all soccer-related injuries), but cutting the risk by 1/3 is significant. That would put it on par with basketball or baseball. I think many parents here have decided that the risk/benefit for football is much too high and that the risk benefit of soccer, when the risk is reduced by 1/3 by not heading, is not too high. Nobody is looking only for zero risk sports, which I don't think exist. Even swimming, golf and running have a risk of concussion.

This sums up my perspective very well. I feel that I can minimize the risk in soccer more than I can in football. By not heading, I can essentially eliminate the repetitive impact. My ability may have less of an impact as they get older, and we'll reassess then. At this point, it's within my personal comfort level. I don't fool myself into believing that we've eliminated the risk entirely.

[JamiMac]

No sport is "safe from concussion risk," but some sports have a higher risk of head injuries than others. For us, we choose sports and activities with a lower risk. Doesn't mean there is no risk of injury or head injury. Swimming, track, cross country, triathlon, baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, ballet, gymnastics all have less concussion risk. We also ski and bike, but only with a helmet.

Football, soccer, wrestling and cheerleading are a no. We don't have hockey or lacrosse, but if we did, those would be a no as well.

I ran track and cross country, in highschool and for a D1 university... With a bunch of injuries along the way, but none that affected my brain or abilities to think and work. To me, that is really important. I work with people every day who struggle to cope with the long lasting affects of tbi, so when I can lower the risk of that for my children, I will.

Actually, basketball is second highest to football in risk for boys and highest for girls. Soccer and lacrosse trail by a small margin.


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[abh5e8]

Actually, basketball is second highest to football in risk for boys and highest for girls. Soccer and lacrosse trail by a small margin.


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It depends on what stats you use. I look at the high school starts, as this is where kids are must likely to get injured an what I want to avoid. But i also won't let my DC play a sport in elementary school that I plan to make them quit later on.

http://www.headcasecompany.com/concussion_info/stats_on_concussions_sports

[TwinFoxes]

It depends on what stats you use. I look at the high school starts, as this is where kids are must likely to get injured an what I want to avoid. But i also won't let my DC play a sport in elementary school that I plan to make them quit later on.

http://www.headcasecompany.com/concussion_info/stats_on_concussions_sports

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Where does "Headcase Company" get these stats? They do not cite a study (that I see). I have no idea who they are or how legit their stats are.

[abh5e8]

DH is a high school teacher, has coached various sports for years and gotten lots of concussion training. Apparently, football is 5th on the list of concussive sports. Statistically, boys and girls soccer, competitive cheering, and wrestling all had more incidents of concussions. Just curious if BBB parents are just as likely to forbid their children from doing those sports as well?

Depends on what source you use.

http://www.headcasecompany.com/concussion_info/stats_on_concussions_sports

eta: this is the article mentioned above:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/24/concussions-can-occur-in-all-youth-sports/

this is from the NYT article:

"The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences reported in 2012 that tackle football players sustained the most concussions among high-school-age athletes, with 11.2 reported among 10,000 “athletic exposures” — the number of practices and games in which an athlete participates. Lacrosse was the next riskiest, with 6.9 concussions per 10,000 athletic exposures, although one recent study found ice hockey and wrestling to be more hazardous than lacrosse.

Among girls, soccer is associated with the highest risk — 6.7 concussions per 10,000 athletic exposures, according to the academy study."

I don't know how to link to the study...the link in the NYT article is to a PDF. its an NIH study from 2012,
SPORTS-RELATED CONCUSSIONS IN YOUTH. it may be that things have changed a lot in 4 years?

the table S-1 lists concussion rates by sport, for men, with football leading, followed by lacrosse, wrestling, soccer, basketball and baseball.

Trust me, i'm not out to prove anything or change anyone's mind. The OP asked what we think and this is what I think and why. Risk of TBI is only one of many factors in deciding what sports you child will play.

also, the newer research on football shows cumulative damage in brains of kids who did NOT meet criteria for a concussion. the repeated more minor head trauma is cumulative. there is a lot we don't yet know about the long term consequences of this. ie. > 3.5 million children play football.

[TwinFoxes]

I agree - there is still a risk of concussion (that number was for concussions, not all soccer-related injuries), but cutting the risk by 1/3 is significant. That would put it on par with basketball or baseball. I think many parents here have decided that the risk/benefit for football is much too high and that the risk benefit of soccer, when the risk is reduced by 1/3 by not heading, is not too high. Nobody is looking only for zero risk sports, which I don't think exist. Even swimming, golf and running have a risk of concussion.

Yeah, I certainly am not pushing football (DDs have zero interest and I'm soooo glad). I just think that people don't understand that heading doesn't cause the most concussions in soccer. Maybe everyone knows that, but I was mentioning it in case people don't. I think a lot of people assume soccer has a much lower risk than baseball or basketball, and I think people believe that eliminating heading means eliminating most concussion risk (just from reading this thread alone.)

[TwinFoxes]

Okay, I have to admit I was ignorant about how high risk cheerleading is. Dd goes into high school next year and has her heart set on cheerleading. Its never something I wanted for her, but I was not going to stop her..She has some skills in that area, and I do think its likely she would get in.

Can someone help explain why its such a high risk or point me to a good article on this? I did a quick search, and while some articles talked about head injuries and cheerleading being more dangerous than people think, and there were many articles on how to increase safety, I didn't really find a great article that explained the risk.

It depends on what you mean by "cheerleading". Are they "pom pom girls" or "dance teams, where the girls don't do a lot of acrobatics, or are they "stunt teams" that do the flips and tosses. It really depends on your squad. In college, we had two different squads, the ones who danced, and the ones who got thrown in the air. They were totally separate.

[niccig]

This sums up my perspective very well. I feel that I can minimize the risk in soccer more than I can in football. By not heading, I can essentially eliminate the repetitive impact. My ability may have less of an impact as they get older, and we'll reassess then. At this point, it's within my personal comfort level. I don't fool myself into believing that we've eliminated the risk entirely.

This is how I see it too. The risk can be decreased by not heading the ball using the statistic that 1/3 concussions are from heading, it doesn't mean it's reduced to zero as players can still collide when heading isn't involved and get a concussion, so there's still a risk. They're not deliberately colliding though and being thrown on the ground as happens in football. I'd also say that DS's soccer game is more physical in an actual game and not in a practice when they scrimmage, so at least now I only see collisions and potential for concussion happen in games and not practices, whereas at a football practice you're still colliding when doing a tackle drill or playing in practice as well as in an actual game. It's those repetitive small hits that seem to cause the long-term damage. I read one article where they were saying the heading drills in soccer cause those repetitive hits as heading the ball again and again and again in a short period of time, so I won't let DS do those drills. Again, fully aware that by doing this, the concussion/damage to brain risk is decreased but not eliminated.

[Kindra178]

My boys play tackle football in our basement or yard every day of the week. We don't want them playing real football, but we have no other sport limitations. Heading in soccer in not allowed at their levels in soccer on a national basis.


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[KpbS]

One DS loves football, everything about it and plays at recess everyday. He also played flag football this fall. Wants to play tackle in a couple of years, but we will not be letting him. We tell him we value his brain too much! He's very disappointed, but will be fine. Other DS doesn't care about football at all.

[JBaxter]

My older 2 played contact/tackle from about 6th grade on my oldest played in high school he had one concussion My younger 2 are currently into soccer and ds3 has had one concussion I cant see ds3 playing football but maybe ds4 if sometime in middle school he wanted to give it a go I'd be ok with it.