MariannNOVA Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Dh just forwarded me a sign up form in case I am interested in having DS (9 in october) play football this fall. I am so not interested, I cannot even display the depth of my dis-interest! Really!:thumbdown: I would be interested in signing him up for golf, basketball, or swimming or perhaps other things, but not football. The pediatric practice I took my grown daughters to when they were much younger would not sign off on health forms for their patients to play football -- I don't know if there had been an injury in the past or of they were just rather 'forward-thinking' (I am talking about 1980 and thereabouts), but I do think that kids might tend to pile on someone and that someone could get hurt. My mind is made up, DH understands and will go along with my decision (DH did play football when he was a kid and when he was at Princeton), however, I am interested in the viewpoints of others as in my travels, I have only spoken with one other mom who shares my view on this. I am not looking for suggestions for activities in lieu of football...I have plenty of activities to consider. I am interested in finding out if I have a particularly 'one side of the pendulum' opinion on this (which apparently I do since they usually end up with a waiting list for these teams). Is it me micro-analyzing OR me taking the typical posture that I do not follow the crowd, and my family is on a different path than some others. I do not mean to sound preachy, or soap-boxey -- I'm just curious about this and the opinion of others here. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 My husband has worked within the NFL for 30+ years and the message we get from trainers, doctors and coaches is clear: No football before high school. Certainly not all of them feel this way, but enough of the trainers and doctors--those treating the injured bodies--maintain that point of view that football has never been an option for our boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennC Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 I had many concerns for my son's safety when he first signed up for midget football. But remember - he is only playing against kids with his level of experience and age - some are bigger, some are smaller. And they wear protective gear - would you let you son go to a bmx track? with a helmet? and knee, butt, shoulder, rib, leg pads. He might get knocked around, but kids wrestle on the trampoline, too. I'm just sharing what thought process I used. Now in high school, I encourage him to play because it is strengthening and conditioning, competitive and a good outlet (IMO) for a teenage boy. Also I keep in mind that the coach will only put in a kid who is ready and able. (where I'm at) DS is also in basketball. Many more injuries happen around here in basketball. If I had my way, I'd have him in year-round baseball (but, alas, we live in winterland) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 I come from a football family (father coached, hub coached or was a ref for years, etc) so I'm completely for it. That said, I have no sons, so I can imagine that I'd have reservations too, since I tend to be on the overprotective side. You can't go against your maternal judgement. OTOH, kids can get hurt doing almost anything. How's that for no help at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 (Sorry I don't know how to bold in the title space.) He loves it. I have enough friends whose kids play tackle that when I'm ready, dh is ready and ds is ready, he'll probably play tackle as well. Here it seems like flag is a stepping stone to tackle. Of course I also have a friend whose 15 yo son will only be allowed to play flag. (But he does play ice hockey which doesn't make a lot of sense to me.) I grew up knowing my uncle had been hurt playing in the NFL. I remember reading a story (nationally published magazine) that while he was laid up in the hospital (for months) he yelled at my mom to never let my brother play football. The accident happened before I was born and I think brother was about 2. Uncle was paralyzed from the neck down while in the hospital. Trying to figure out how to put this - I've only known him as a walking person. I'll be 40 this year. You can tell when uncle is tired. But he's fine. All this to say, yes, I know and understand boys/men get hurt playing tackle football. Brother played in elementary school and then again in high school. He had to have knee surgery from something that happened in high school PE class! Not from football. When I am ready to see ds get hit like that, I will allow him to play tackle. BUT if you don't want our son to play football, you are well within your rights. But you also don't say why you are against it. Is it the possible injury? Is it something else? Analyze why. But football isn't a "better" sport than anything else. What does your ds want to do? I think you've named some great sports as alternatives. To me, it's more important to keep them active more than which sport to play. (I'm starting to wonder in my thoughts. I'd better stop now!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 My husband has worked within the NFL for 30+ years and the message we get from trainers, doctors and coaches is clear: No football before high school.Certainly not all of them feel this way, but enough of the trainers and doctors--those treating the injured bodies--maintain that point of view that football has never been an option for our boys. Interesting. How do they feel about other full contact sports, do you know? Specifically, of course, I'm thinking of Judo (but around here just being a boy can be a full contact sport many days :001_huh:) . Do you know what their reasoning is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OHGrandma Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 I'm with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in MD Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Dh and I couldn't believe it when we moved here and saw midgets (OK, little kids) in pads playing football. Their skeletons and joints just aren't ready for it. The past two years, ds has played flagfootball in the spring. Ds considered playing tackle last fall, but decided he didn't want to play in full gear in the heat. This summer, one of the teens in our church died from an apparent heat stroke while doing conditioning for HS football (under the coaches supervision). I don't think ds will ever seriously consider tackle football again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 My brother played football for years and years. Never got hurt. He played in one baseball game and got a concussion. Luckily my son has no interest in football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 It was on a pretty serious team and he was new. I was extremely concerned but not enough to say "no". I was a nervous wreck initially. The 9 and 10 yos just didn't hit that hard. They don't have the same kind of acceleration as older players. Over a certain weight they were only allowed to play on the line so they weren't running and throwing their weight around. All 13 game season there was only one really hard hit that kind of knocked the wind out of a kid. Mine have played baseball, soccer, basketball and martial arts. We have had more bangs, bumps, and injuries in those other sports (nothing serious, though). I think while they are young, football is not any more dangerous than playing soccer or baseball. Baseball involves throwing and swinging dangerous implements with all your force as well as major collisions without all the gear football players have. Soccer has a high risk of collisions with other kids and head injury. We had lots of bloody noses in basketball. We had a few kicks to the head in Tae Kwon Do. Now, I am not crazy about high school football. You lose all the weight restrictions and you end up with more dangerous mismatches. Plus, they athletes are just moving so much faster with so much more force. As far as the little guys go I think your kid is more at risk if they are riding a bike or skateboard, quite honestly. Just my opinion. We are not playing football anymore but I have totally changed my tune about it. Marie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Well, I am not a football expert, but I can't help remembering all the articles I have read about football injuries. Here is the latest: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/the-risk-of-high-school-football-tackles/?scp=2&sq=football%20injuries%20top%20of%20head&st=cse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 I would forgo football because of injury. Another reason that occurs to me is that it's pretty hard to get a football scholarship to college--maybe it's easier in another sport? IDK. They do seem hard to get, period. Don't know if that would influence your choice at all. Oh, and I think I'd want ds to do something he could do lifelong--if that matters, also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 My ds 9 did flag football last year so he got to learn the basics without risking injury. I think we are going to stick with that until he is much older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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