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Wednesday
Oct172012

How young is too young to play tackle football?



Should parents let their children play tackle football despite the risks of concussions and their potential long-term consequences? This is a question that NPR’s Tom Goldman investigated in his recent article, Head Injuries Rattle Even Devout Football Parents (click the link to read).

Goldman discovered through his observations of youth football in Texas, where he aptly mentions the sport is often considered a religion, that while parents are increasingly more aware about concussions and the dangers they pose, many are still willing to let their kids gear up. It is currently estimated, according to USA Football, that nearly 3 million children, ages 6 to 14, participate in organized tackle football. As Dr. Robert Cantu, a neurosurgeon and co-author of Concussions and Our Kids, is referenced saying in this article, “Children are among the most vulnerable to concussion because of weak necks, immature musculature, and brains that are still developing.” Per Dr. Cantu’s recommendation, children under age 14 should not play tackle football.

Wesley Rolan, one of the parents interviewed, said he will let his 8-year-old son play until he suffers a concussion and then “that’s it—no more tackle.” When it's your child's brain at stake, is it even worth letting it get to that point?

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For more about the risks young athletes face, click the link to read about research done recently at Virginia Tech that shows youth football players suffer similar degrees of head impacts that college players do. Also, check out this video version of this article below.

Stone Phillips reporting for PBS Newshour: “ A Hard-Hitting Story: Young Football Players Take Big-League Hits to Head”

 

Watch Young Football Players Take Big-League Hits to Head on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

 

 

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