Help! -- Teen wants to start playing football

[Gumby]

I played football from the age of 8 through high school. To the best of my knowledge I didn't suffer any brain damage doing it. I was, however, a relatively slight kid (but very fast), so I played wide receiver and corner back, and consequently didn't engage in the heavy hitting part of the game that occurred in the middle of the field.

[Franklin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gallaher Like hundreds of thousands of other kids, I played football from peewee through college. It’s a rough game...so is riding your bike down the street or skateboarding, skiing the long list goes on. There is a lot for a child to learn on a sporting field like football, lacrosse, hockey etc. Sixteen is close to eighteen, I’d let him play. He is almost an adult. Cars kill more teenagers than organized sports.

+1. I played from pee-wee thru college. He will learn allot about team and life from the sport. I have 2 boys and always let them make that decision for themselves (after my input).Their were times I held my breath after a hit, but as Gallager points out any sport has its risk....but so does life.

[NanoSour]

OP here. Thanks for all your responses. We just had the conversation with him and decided against letting him play. We're all pretty somber about it right now, but we know we're doing the right thing. We simply have to put his health first and foremost while he's under our care. I think he understands our reasoning, and with time it'll get easier to accept. Again, appreciate your thoughts.

[skipro33]

I hope he doesn't choose to rebel.

[nap470]

Each parent has to make their own decisions as to what they feel is best for their kids. I totally respect that. But I am glad I grew up in a different time where kids were not so protected. As others have stated, I too played football from childhood thru college. I also played baseball and basketball thru high school and baseball in college. My mother always worried about football but it was baseball that gave me the first concussion. Basketball a knee injury. Football...nothing. There is a lot more knowledge and better equipment these days. It's good to evaluate each high school's program individually as coaches are different and some may have safer approach to the sport...and there are others that have a play and win at any cost approach. You definitely have to protect your kids from those types.

[Scrapr]

Soccer also has a lot of concussions. Are you going to be consistent?

[ckelly78z]

My son is now graduating college, but attended a small high school (graduating 50 students) where he was playing both sides (offense, and defense) during most of every game. He started playing organized football in the 3rd grade, and developed strong friendships, and work ethic through constant conditioning, and is a better person because of it.

My son only had 2 concussions his whole career, and only 1 broken finger (more likely to happen riding his dirtbike) I would sign the paper, and support his decision.

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckelly78z My son is now graduating college, but attended a small high school (graduating 50 students) where he was playing both sides (offense, and defense) during most of every game. He started playing organized football in the 3rd grade, and developed strong friendships, and work ethic through constant conditioning, and is a better person because of it. My son only had 2 concussions his whole career, and only 1 broken finger (more likely to happen riding his dirtbike) I would sign the paper, and support his decision.

Your kid, your decision but for those of us who had kids that took the 4-H, music, arts and non-contact sports route, I'll point out all the things you listed as positive can be gained without endangering your brain.

[Aerides]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NanoSour OP here. Thanks for all your responses. We just had the conversation with him and decided against letting him play. We're all pretty somber about it right now, but we know we're doing the right thing. We simply have to put his health first and foremost while he's under our care. I think he understands our reasoning, and with time it'll get easier to accept. Again, appreciate your thoughts.

Thank you for updating us. While the risk is a wild card for most, given your son already had two concussions at a very young age, the chance for him to sustain more injury is greater than most. I have to think that many of the "eh let him play" responses missed that detail in your follow up post.

Any other kid getting one concussion for the first and only time at 16 might be fine. Yours with his history might have a much more difficult outcome.

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerides Thank you for updating us. While the risk is a wild card for most, given your son already had two concussions at a very young age, the chance for him to sustain more injury is greater than most. I have to think that many of the "eh let him play" responses missed that detail in your follow up post. Any other kid getting one concussion for the first and only time at 16 might be fine. Yours with his history might have a much more difficult outcome.

I don't know if people are still in denial about concussions or what.. When someone say their kid had two concussions in HS and is fine that tells me they don't really understand the later life issues that can present over concussions. IMO the school rules should be one concussion and you are done with contact sports.

I've got one DN who played every contact sport hard. Multiple concussions, one resulted in a trip to the ER. oh darn he had to sit out ONE WHOLE game over that one.

Still doing well but the guy seems to have a hair trigger temper over the smallest things. This has been getting more pronounced as he ages towards his 40's

[Bigdawg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gallaher Like hundreds of thousands of other kids, I played football from peewee through college. It’s a rough game...so is riding your bike down the street or skateboarding, skiing the long list goes on. There is a lot for a child to learn on a sporting field like football, lacrosse, hockey etc. Sixteen is close to eighteen, I’d let him play. He is almost an adult. Cars kill more teenagers than organized sports.

+1

[RunningBum]

All you people who said they played football and are fine...how did your autopsy come out? Because that's how CTE is diagnosed. Otherwise you just don't really know. Yeah, no headaches or memory loss is certainly a good sign that you're ok. I played contact football for four years total, all as starting running back, so I took some shots. I think I had a concussion once. I don't seem to have issues, but I do have some absent mindedness and inability to focus at times. Normal aging, or possible brain trauma signs?

For a kid who's already had two concussions, I think the OP made absolutely the right decision. Tough to do, and I'm sure he's not happy, but you can't just cave because he wants to do something that's not healthy for him.

[Bigdawg]

https://www.webmd.com/brain/news/201...st-concussions

"Between 2010 and 2015, the concussion rate was higher in girls' soccer than in boys' football, the findings showed. During the 2014-2015 school year, concussions were more common in girls' soccer than in any other sport in the study."

Let us know how the conversation goes when you tell your son he can no longer play soccer.

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigdawg https://www.webmd.com/brain/news/201...st-concussions "Between 2010 and 2015, the concussion rate was higher in girls' soccer than in boys' football, the findings showed. During the 2014-2015 school year, concussions were more common in girls' soccer than in any other sport in the study." Let us know how the conversation goes when you tell your son he can no longer play soccer.

Yes this jumped out at me too...the OP thought they picked the lesser evil, but that was an incorrect assumption.

[Bestwifeever]

Since you asked: Club soccer is probably just as bad with zero head protection but nobody follows up on low-profile sports and athletes for long-term effects.

Now he won’t see his best friend for weeks at a time during the high school years.

How did he take your decision? I would have hesitated to sign too but if my kid really really wanted to do something at 16 I probably would have let him and hoped the boys who had played youth club football would see all the playing time vs a newbie to the sport.

[marinauser]

I don't really understand the concern about football when there was no apparent concern over soccer and getting hit in the head repeatedly by the soccer ball I suspect. If CTE were a huge impact on high school football players, we would see a far greater impact on the adult population given the millions of kids that have played high school football the past 50 years. Is there a risk, sure - but I suspect the risk of an ACL injury is far greater than the CTE risk and that risk is probably no less in soccer. Let him play but monitor the situation.

[Big_Hitter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marinauser I don't really understand the concern about football when there was no apparent concern over soccer and getting hit in the head repeatedly by the soccer ball I suspect. If CTE were a huge impact on high school football players, we would see a far greater impact on the adult population given the millions of kids that have played high school football the past 50 years. Is there a risk, sure - but I suspect the risk of an ACL injury is far greater than the CTE risk and that risk is probably no less in soccer. Let him play but monitor the situation.

yep - some guys I played with had a concussion or two in high school but it was the ACL injuries that ended careers. We played all of our games on astroturf so that may have contributed to it.

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marinauser I don't really understand the concern about football when there was no apparent concern over soccer and getting hit in the head repeatedly by the soccer ball I suspect. If CTE were a huge impact on high school football players, we would see a far greater impact on the adult population given the millions of kids that have played high school football the past 50 years. Is there a risk, sure - but I suspect the risk of an ACL injury is far greater than the CTE risk and that risk is probably no less in soccer. Let him play but monitor the situation.

To quote Running Bum CTE is diagnosed by autopsy by examining the brain. Do you know an autopsy can run several thousand dollars. Autopsy is not even required on former NFL players...the NFL should be offering to pay for this on every deceased player. They'd rather sweep it under the rug.

[NanoSour]

Once again OP here to answer some remaining questions and let you know how the conversation went.

In addition to replies from this forum, I obviously consulted Dr Google, after all it is 2019. Also, discussed this issue at length with my 75 year old father who raised 6 kids and several athletes including myself. I was a fairly accomplished HS athlete in both Basketball and Baseball. Football ended after two-hand touch league in Elementary school. Dad was for letting him play until I brought up the two previous ER visits for concussions. That ended the discussion.

DW and I sat down and made a list of all the events in his life thus far that give us real cause for pause about letting him play. They were:

1) Preschool collision that led to headaches and vomiting and a trip to the ER.
2) Age 6, sledding accident concussion where he could not stand up and I rushed him to the ER trying to keep him awake for fear he may slip in to a coma. This was a pretty scary event from where I sat.
3) Frequent night terrors from age 7-10. Normally 2-4 per week, 30 min to 1 hour after going to bed. We knew if he didn't have one in the first hour, we were in the clear. He appears to have outgrown this and has only had one in the last 6 years. If you are not familiar with night terrors, I can tell you they are not fun and I'm glad they are over.
4) He had his first Ocular Migraine headache about 3 years ago and has had a couple since then. Fortunately, they are pretty rare and he knows when he is about to get one. Seem to be related to dehydration.
5) Last summer he took a pretty good spill on his bike where he came home and went right to his bed because he said he didn't feel good.

As we laid these events out, I could tell our concerns were making sense to him and he accepted our decision. Yes, he is sad, but we have a great and loving relationship and this turned out to be a minor blip on the road of parenting.

As for the soccer, he knows we frown big time on heading the ball, especially in practice. He's a pretty good defender and a big Pique fan for those who know other game of football. Coach voted him Most Inspirational on his team this past year and there are no plans to pull this rug out from underneath him.

[ivinsfan]

It's OK to be sad even when you know your parents made the right call for your welfare. Hopefully that will pass and he will focus on what he does have which seems to include two loving concerned parents.