Posted on Sep 18, 2015
Are You OK With Your Kids Playing High School Football??
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Kids today are having a lot of concussions that has many families very concerned . And some critics think the game has gotten out of hand
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Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 14
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I'm going to use a different sport to explain my issues with football, so bear with me.
In boxing, the reason you wear gloves is not to protect the other boxer, but to protect your own hands. If you aren't wearing gloves, you will destroy your knuckles. Anyone who has been a fight has seen that their hands are a bloody mass afterwards. Lack of gloves limits the amount of force you can bring to bear against your opponent.
Adding gloves, a PERSONAL protective device, escalates violence, against your OPPONENT.
Think about that. The safer we make it for the individual, the more dangerous we make it for everyone else.
The parallel exists in football as well, the pads & helmet you wear are designed to protect you, not the people around you. By limiting the pain feedback you receive, you increase the force you are willing & able to do to others. Not only willing, but must do, in order to accomplish the same task. It becomes a matter of simple physics at a certain points. An extra 20lbs of gear hitting someone is going to add that much kinetic energy.
But back to the original question... High School football. Humans reach physical maturity around 25. That's almost a decade after high school begins. You can do a hell of a lot of damage in a decade.
In boxing, the reason you wear gloves is not to protect the other boxer, but to protect your own hands. If you aren't wearing gloves, you will destroy your knuckles. Anyone who has been a fight has seen that their hands are a bloody mass afterwards. Lack of gloves limits the amount of force you can bring to bear against your opponent.
Adding gloves, a PERSONAL protective device, escalates violence, against your OPPONENT.
Think about that. The safer we make it for the individual, the more dangerous we make it for everyone else.
The parallel exists in football as well, the pads & helmet you wear are designed to protect you, not the people around you. By limiting the pain feedback you receive, you increase the force you are willing & able to do to others. Not only willing, but must do, in order to accomplish the same task. It becomes a matter of simple physics at a certain points. An extra 20lbs of gear hitting someone is going to add that much kinetic energy.
But back to the original question... High School football. Humans reach physical maturity around 25. That's almost a decade after high school begins. You can do a hell of a lot of damage in a decade.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
Sgt Tom Cunnally I've only done very limited reading on it, but we know that old boxers don't tend to do well in later years. Football is comparatively (to boxing) a "new" sport and the depth of research just isn't the same.
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Sgt Tom Cunnally
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS - I have read that football helmets have been really improved over the past few years but not sure if this is the answer?? I don't see any doctors at high school football games & don't think the trainers have the expertise to tell a kid not to go back into a game..
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
Sgt Tom Cunnally I have no doubt they are significantly better. My issue is that by making the personal protection better, it allows force to be escalated even more, which creates this death spiral of unintended consequences.
Think about it this way. When we make gear lighter and smaller, we're able to carry more gear.... our load never actually gets lighter, nor smaller. The same concept applies.
But when you are dealing with protective devices, the amount of "feedback" (pain) needed to feel impact has to increase exponentially in order to get through the protective devices. But the problem is, we're not 100% covered. So if you ramp up the force by 100% (doubling), and hit someone, what is that going to do to a neck, knee, elbow that doesn't have the same pads as a head?
Now, make the helmet & pads twice as good again (400%) and think about that...
Think about it this way. When we make gear lighter and smaller, we're able to carry more gear.... our load never actually gets lighter, nor smaller. The same concept applies.
But when you are dealing with protective devices, the amount of "feedback" (pain) needed to feel impact has to increase exponentially in order to get through the protective devices. But the problem is, we're not 100% covered. So if you ramp up the force by 100% (doubling), and hit someone, what is that going to do to a neck, knee, elbow that doesn't have the same pads as a head?
Now, make the helmet & pads twice as good again (400%) and think about that...
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
SFC James Sczymanski I never said it wasn't fun. I enjoyed playing as well. But this is a Risk v Reward scenario, both short term & long term.
As a parent, we have to make choices about the "fun factor" vs long term health effects of children. There are huge benefits to organized sports. There are also huge drawbacks. We've just got to make informed decisions.
As a parent, we have to make choices about the "fun factor" vs long term health effects of children. There are huge benefits to organized sports. There are also huge drawbacks. We've just got to make informed decisions.
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No. Brains aren't done properly forming until approx 25 TBI has life altering consequences even after brain formation is complete.
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Sgt Tom Cunnally - Life is not without risks. Yes, there are risks with playing football, but, as long as reasonable measures are taken to protect the players and the games/practices are properly supervised, I think the risk is acceptable. Are there examples that naysayers can point out to prove their point, sure. But there are examples of people just walking down the street and minding their own business being killed/injured. Should we ban walking down the street?
Our kids/society has already become too soft with all the coddling and risk aversion foisted upon them by well-intended (??) safety Nazis. While I certainly do not subscribe to kids or anyone taking unnecessary risks, neither do I think our kids should just sit in their homes and play video games.
I think this is a massive left-wing conspiracy to have "liberal football" (aka soccer) take over from traditional American football... :-) :-)
Our kids/society has already become too soft with all the coddling and risk aversion foisted upon them by well-intended (??) safety Nazis. While I certainly do not subscribe to kids or anyone taking unnecessary risks, neither do I think our kids should just sit in their homes and play video games.
I think this is a massive left-wing conspiracy to have "liberal football" (aka soccer) take over from traditional American football... :-) :-)
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