Would Football be Banned in your Home?

[TheVrolok]

I love football, I played in high on a very successful team, could have played in college. I watch multiple college/pro games weekly time permitting. I would love to share the love of the game with a son that played so he could better understand it... But... I have really come to a point where I just don't think it's a great risk/benefit sport. I don't think I would realistically want my son to play.

 

[Fern]

Do you let your kids play with skateboards, roller blades, ride bikes, free climb, parasail, do parkour or go parasailing?

There's a ton of dangerous activities.

Yeah, football is just being singled out.

Fern

 

[ThinClient]

Do you let your kids play with skateboards, roller blades, ride bikes, free climb, parasail, do parkour or go parasailing?

There's a ton of dangerous activities.

Yeah, football is just being singled out.

Fern

Aye. I'm surprised that parents like the above don't bubble wrap their kids before they're allowed to leave the house. 🙄

 

[SMOGZINN]

First off, the risk from football isn't just death, it's injuries that can dramatically impact one's quality of life and length of life. Just because someone doesn't immediately die from a concussion doesn't mean that it can't have long-term repercussions, especially if it occurs frequently (as it can in football).

While it is fatalities our statistics track, there are lots of injuries in professional fishing that can dramatically impact one's quality of life and length of life.

Second, most children who get into fishing don't get into it with the notion that they'll turn it into a professional career. Professional fishing is very different from sport fishing, so it seems a bit disingenuous to compare the two.

Nor do children play high school football in preparation for a career. While they might dream of playing pro-ball, they do it because it is fun.

Third, while professional fishing is indeed among the most dangerous professions (the source I viewed had it listed second behind logging), it's also not a massive industry, so while the fatality rate is high, it's only around 30 deaths per year.

There are a grand total of 1696 players in the NFL, I would guess that there are more professional fishers then that.

 

[Retro Rob]

Do you let your kids play with skateboards, roller blades, ride bikes, free climb, parasail, do parkour or go parasailing?

There's a ton of dangerous activities.

Yeah, football is just being singled out.

Fern

None of those are built on violence, collisions, and destroying your opponents.

404 equivalence not found.

 

[TheVrolok]

Aye. I'm surprised that parents like the above don't bubble wrap their kids before they're allowed to leave the house. 🙄

The more we learn about concussions the frequency with which they are sustained in football, the more football sets itself apart from other activities where "accidents can happen." The difference is becoming in other activities "accidents can happen," while in football "accidents do happen." The risk of sustaining an injury in a sport where violence/forceful trauma is at the cornerstone is far higher than that where it could happen - i.e. the examples above.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Nor do children play high school football in preparation for a career. While they might dream of playing pro-ball, they do it because it is fun.

Yes, and people playing Peewee or high school or college or intramural football are ALL subject to a high rate of concussions. It's not just professional football that poses a risk. What's the concussion rate for non-professional fisherman? People who go out in a boat on a lake aren't subject to the same risk that commercial fisherman in the Bering Sea are, so it seems patently absurd to draw a comparison between them. But children who play football ARE subject to many of the same risks that professional football players are exposed to, and the potential long-term damage is arguably worse because their brains are not yet fully developed. Professional fishing doesn't work as a comparison because there isn't an amateur version of it that carries the same risk.

 

[ThinClient]

The more we learn about concussions the frequency with which they are sustained in football, the more football sets itself apart from other activities where "accidents can happen." The difference is becoming in other activities "accidents can happen," while in football "accidents do happen." The risk of sustaining an injury in a sport where violence/forceful trauma is at the cornerstone is far higher than that where it could happen - i.e. the examples above.

Not everyone is born to be a genius. Some people are born to be canon fodder. Let them play football if they want. We've known for a long time that injuries occur and that they can be permanently disabling. People still line up to play it. This nanny-state business needs to be curbed.

 

[KentState]

Right now, I'm expecting my first child this coming March. If it's a boy, I'm not sure exactly how I will feel about football. On one hand, the sport may be a lot different in 5-6 years, though it would be hard to regulate out the impact of two humans smashing into each other. On the other hand, I played in highschool along with soccer and tennis and did enjoy it. Two-a-days did beat me up more from running and lifting weights and I liked the discipline part. The downside is that the only injuries I carried into adulthood where the results of football.

 

[TheVrolok]

Not everyone is born to be a genius. Some people are born to be canon fodder. Let them play football if they want. We've known for a long time that injuries occur and that they can be permanently disabling. People still line up to play it. This nanny-state business needs to be curbed.

I have no problem with others playing football, however, the thread was about our own personal homes. 😛

 

[ThinClient]

I have no problem with others playing football, however, the thread was about our own personal homes. 😛

world view = home view

 

[TheVrolok]

world view = home view

... wrong.

 

[ThinClient]

... wrong.

Thanks for telling me how I should think and how I should run my home.

 

[highland145]

world view = home view

The wife is a football fanatic but her baby is banned from playing. That's her world vs home view.

For me? Good for character/confidence/endurance/strength building, things mentioned in the OP. Not sure what other sport would have done that at my HS. No wrestling team. Martial arts maybe. Also good for ACL reconstruction at 15YO.:\ I say let him play and I'm pretty sure he'd lose interest when he got plowed a couple of times.😀

 

[Retro Rob]

I have no problem with others playing football, however, the thread was about our own personal homes. 😛

Right, and I am not (nor was this thread focused on) suggesting that we ban the sport worldwide -- it is about whether or not as a parent, you'll let your kids play the game.

I think there needs to be a distinction between something that is built on dangerous and risky behavior...and something in which dangers are completely accidental.

 

[Mursilis]

The more we learn about concussions the frequency with which they are sustained in football, the more football sets itself apart from other activities where "accidents can happen." The difference is becoming in other activities "accidents can happen," while in football "accidents do happen." The risk of sustaining an injury in a sport where violence/forceful trauma is at the cornerstone is far higher than that where it could happen - i.e. the examples above.

And this is why my son doesn't play that game. I believe strongly that physical activity is important, but he doesn't need to scramble his brain to do it.

 

[DaveSimmons]

world view = home view

Not for me. I'm a little-l libertarian so I think consenting adults should be allowed to do anything that doesn't endanger others or infringe their rights -- guns, drugs, prostitution, suicide, selling your organs, soylent green, playing football.

If I had kids I still wouldn't want them to play football, so until they were adults I'd ban them from playing it. Not anyone else.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Sure he can play futbol.

 

[ThinClient]

Not for me. I'm a little-l libertarian so I think consenting adults should be allowed to do anything that doesn't endanger others or infringe their rights -- guns, drugs, prostitution, suicide, selling your organs, soylent green, playing football.

If I had kids I still wouldn't want them to play football, so until they were adults I'd ban them from playing it. Not anyone else.

This is really close to how I feel 😎

 

[highland145]

Say Hi to Tony.
http://thebiglead.com/2013/11/16/to...video-pictures/tony_picard_running_back/#main

He wants to run over your child.

 

[Fern]

Originally Posted by Fern View Post
Do you let your kids play with skateboards, roller blades, ride bikes, free climb, parasail, do parkour or go parasailing?

There's a ton of dangerous activities.

Yeah, football is just being singled out.

Fern

None of those are built on violence, collisions, and destroying your opponents.

404 equivalence not found.

Your thread seemed to be premised upon the inherent risk associated with football.

And that's what I'm talking about in my above examples. While you can bike ride or roller blade in a very safe way, many do not. Ever seen TV shows like Scarred or Ridiculousness?

Simply put there are many inherently risky activities young people willingly engage in for entertainment.

Fern

 

[Retro Rob]

Your thread seemed to be premised upon the inherent risk associated with football.

Not the inherent risk, but what the game is built upon, Fern. Football is purely built on violence, unlike riding a bike, or roller-skating.

And that's what I'm talking about in my above examples. While you can bike ride or roller blade in a very safe way, many do not. Ever seen TV shows like Scarred or Ridiculousness?

Ok -- how can you play pro-football in a "safe way"?

 

[Fern]

Not the inherent risk, but what the game is built upon, Fern. Football is purely built on violence, unlike riding a bike, or roller-skating.

Well, you seem to taking a slightly different tack here; you're mentioning traits such as "violence, collisions, and destroying your opponents" that you appear to find undesirable. But then you're dismissing traits football has that the others may not, such as discipline, teamwork and physical conditioning, that most people would find desirable.

I was addressing only the aspect of injury. I played football for many years, but my most serious injuries were from other activities. I got a real dandy of a concussion from motocross racing and a serious shoulder injury from snowboarding.

My point is simply that there are many activities that people engage in where injuries can be expected to occur.

Ok -- how can you play pro-football in a "safe way"?

Shrug, it probably can not played in an entirely safe way, but neither can many other activities I mentioned.

I don't know what will happen with football. When trying to do a trick on a skateboard etc when you're injured it's pretty obvious because the bone is sticking out of your leg and you know to stop. Concussions can be a bit different. You may not realize that you've suffered one and may continue playing like the skateboarder who bangs his shin (or head) yet keeps at it.

The retired football players now reporting brain damage played under different rules and circumstances. There were no rules on 'head hits' and when they got concussed they went back out and played as soon as the 'cobwebs' cleared. Maybe the new rules and equipment will prove sufficient to negate most concussion injuries. Also, used to be that a knee injury meant retirement, maybe in the future a certain number (say 3) of concussions will too.

Fern

 

[Retro Rob]

Well, you seem to taking a slightly different tack here; you're mentioning traits such as "violence, collisions, and destroying your opponents" that you appear to find undesirable. But then you're dismissing traits football has that the others may not, such as discipline, teamwork and physical conditioning, that most people would find desirable.

I guess you missed my OP...🙂

While I think its a sport of tremendous violence and legalized assault, I also think it teaches sacrifice, teamwork, learning to fight for someone with whom you may have polarizing differences with, personal accountability, leadership, and how to deal with failure...all qualities needed to make it through this tough road we call "life".

 

[ThinClient]

What about MMA or any other organized combat competition?