Would You Let Your Boys Play Football?

With so many sports and other activities for one to choose from, why would anyone let their boys play contact football today?  What has now been scientifically proven is that cumulative sports concussions are shown to increase the likelihood of catastrophic head injury leading to permanent neurologic disability by 39%.

I just returned from seeing the new Will Smith movie, Concussion.  It laid out the scientific evidence that took so long to be acknowledged by the NFL.  Their deceit, their cover up, and their use of every possible means to stop the truth from coming out, is shameful.  It reminds me of the Wall Street crisis a decade ago.  The NFL is too big to fail.  Finally, after the deaths of dozens of NFL players, mostly by suicide in the last few decades, people are paying attention.  The cumulative effect of constant blows to the head, lead early onset Alzheimers, neurological impairement,  severe headaches, hearing voices and more.  There is a suit brought against the NFL by about 1500 former players, which has been yet to be settled.  In the mean time, here are some concussion statistics that you might find interesting.

CDC reports show that the amount of reported concussions has doubled in the last 10 years for children 8-13 years of age, while the amount of kids participating in sports has dramatically decreased.  Concussions among teens ages 14-19 have increased 200% in the last decade.  High school football accounts for 47% of all reported sports concussions, with 33% of concussions occurring during practice.  Football, ice hockey and soccer pose the most significant head health risk.  1 in 5 high school athletes will sustain a sports concussion during the season.  An estimated 5.3 million Americans live with a traumatic brain injury-related disability.

The amount of sports concussion per 100,000 for high school players is as follows:  Football 76, Ice hockey 54, Girls soccer 33, Boys' lacrosse 46, Boys basketball 21, Girls' field hockey 24, cheerleading 14, boys baseball 5, girls gymnastics 7.  There is risk in everything, but football leads the pack.  Many experts predict that over the next decade less parents will allow their boys to play football.  It will still exist, but will be played by a different kind of player.  Kids in poverty or trying to escape gang violence, will still see football as a way out.  Middle class kids will try something else.  Just like boxing, football will still be there, but with a little less luster.