Would I let my kid play football?

Recently on the Doug & Wolf Show we had the opportunity to
simulcast with Mac & Gaydos on Newstalk 92.3 KTAR. We
discussed the merits of letting your son play tackle
football as concussion concerns intensify.

Playing football is and always has been a dangerous
proposition. It involves risk. It’s a dangerous sport and
concussions are a serious matter from youth football
coordinators to the commissioner of the National Football
League, Roger Goodell.

The NFL has taken drastic steps to address concussion
concerns. They have always been a proactive league in
dealing with player issues and safety. The “head-slap” was
outlawed decades ago, spearing (where a player would take
the crown of his helmet and launch himself at a player
going to the ground) was vanquished, and many other
rules/infractions have evolved out of concern for player
safety.

Although Mr. Goodell’s motives may not be altruistic,
there is genuine concern for players that have experienced
the early onset of dementia or CTE (Chronic Traumatic
Encephalopathy). The concern for players is genuine
because players are the league’s product. If players
suffer, the league’s product suffers and if the league’s
product suffers revenues decline…maybe dramatically.

And this is why football is currently in a state of flux.

Playing football has never been safer than it is today.
Football at every level has made concussions and the
prevention of concussions concern number-one. The rules
and regulations swirling around concussions are more
stringent than they have ever been.

The NFL has changed the rules considerably to a point
where they may be treading on the very essence of the
game. Players can no longer use their helmet as a weapon
on unsuspecting players and, in some cases, suspecting
players! Bloodsport combatants used to walk between the
white lines with the certain knowledge they were NOT their
brother’s keeper. Determined to mitigate head trauma in
the game, rule changes by the NFL over the last few
seasons has changed that maxim: you ARE your brother’s
keeper.

Helmet manufacturers are scrambling to come up with better
helmets and have even used nature as inspiration. In a new
study, researchers have detailed the precise motions
woodpeckers make with their heads and show how the
construction of their skulls protects their bird brains
from concussion-like injuries. Scientists believe
equipment manufacturers might use this miracle of creation
to help prevent brain injuries to athletes on the gridiron
by mimicking the woodpecker’s spongy skull.

Baseline tests for players are now the standard. These
tests are used to help doctors quantify whether or not a
player has returned to his normal level of functionality
after suffering head trauma. Players that show any
cognitive atrophy are not allowed to resume playing until
they reach or exceed their baseline.

Which brings us back to Mac & Gaydos and the question:
Would I let my son play tackle football?

Yes…with an asterisk.

There is nothing wrong with parents letting their son play
tackle football when he’s 7 or 8-years old. It’s a
personal choice. I judge nobody. But I wouldn’t do it.

My asterisk: I wouldn’t let my son play tackle football
until he was 13 or 14-years old and it has nothing to do
with concussions or the risk he may face in the future.

I want my son to be a kid and not worry about tapping into
his primal-self until he’s old enough to understand what
that means. In addition, I don’t want my boy subjected to
any sort of serious injury he doesn’t already face just by
being a kid. And I cannot count the number of guys I
played with in high school and college that had been
playing tackle youth football since they were 7 that
flamed out on football by the time they were 18 or 19.

I have two brothers that also played football. All three
of us received full-ride scholarships to play football. My
older brother, Craig, played professionally for 12 years;
I played 10 years in the NFL. None of us started playing
organized football until we were 14.

Life is about balancing risk and reward. As parents, we
try to limit the amount of risk our children are exposed
to and hope the rewards of that risk are realized. We let
our kids ride in cars, get on planes, ride their bikes in
the street, ride dirt bikes and get on four-wheelers.
Although these things can be dangerous, the confidence,
growth and benefit a child gains by doing these things are
significant.

Some of us even encourage our children to enroll in Junior
ROTC programs and encourage them to be soldiers because we
understand the rewards of serving our country. Even though
they might be placed in harm’s way and face peril, we
support these brave souls. The risk is worth the reward
(and their risk is our reward).

Football involves risk and concussions and their long-term
effects are serious; but in the Wolfley Compound the
rewards of playing the game outweigh any risk, especially
with the rule changes and precautions being enforced.
Football reinforced everything my father ever taught me
about life: discipline, work ethic, respect for authority,
independence, personal responsibility and teamwork weren’t
just words, but deeds. And if there’s a better metaphor
for life than getting knocked to the ground on the
gridiron and getting up and doing it again…and again…and
again, I’d like to see it.

Finally, there are two types of clans in the world: those
that camp by the pond and those that camp by whitewater.
Once you figure out which clan you belong to you’ll live a
much happier life.

Follow @Vincemarotta