Post: #26

I played, and play, football. It's great for being in a masculine atmosphere and building social skills, as well as getting in shape.

Post: #27

I don't know about American football but they have similar concerns over Australian Football and Rugby here in Australia.
I played Australian Football from Auskick (junior elementary/primary school) through high school and for the first couple of years of college before the time commitment became too much and I luckily didn't experience any head trauma. I did have a number of other injuries over the years though.
In any case I think both are great sports and I would definitely encourage my son to play either of them. Also I'd much rather spend my Saturday's watching those sports than bloody soccer.

Post: #28

I'm not American but I watch a bit of the NFL and I enjoy it. I doubt I would encourage my son to aspire to be a pro, given that the average NFL footballer's career lasts only a handful of years (5 years apparently). Professional football is a really tough sport for tough men.Unfortunately there is a dark side for many pros after retirement, getting as bad as the recent spate of suicides by retired players, at least two of whom shot themselves in the chest specifically so that their brains could be studied.
Interesting report - apparently eight San Diego Chargers players from the 1994 team have died before reaching the age of 45.

Post: #29

I played for a couple of years in high school. I wouldn't. The rate of injury is too high. I'd steer him towards wrestling, competitive powerlifting/bodybuilding or martial arts before football.

I see a lot of people mention the teamwork aspect of football. You can get that same benefit from a lot of other sports without the high injury rate. Even with martial arts, you are training with other people that are apart of your school and you are all pushing each other to perform your best. That would have the teamwork benefit, no?

Post: #30

(12-09-2015 10:04 AM)therealpoder Wrote:  I played for a couple of years in high school. I wouldn't. The rate of injury is too high. I'd steer him towards wrestling, competitive powerlifting/bodybuilding or martial arts before football.

I see a lot of people mention the teamwork aspect of football. You can get that same benefit from a lot of other sports without the high injury rate. Even with martial arts, you are training with other people that are apart of your school and you are all pushing each other to perform your best. That would have the teamwork benefit, no?

I've experienced both, as a very serious rugby player and a serious martial artist.

There is no bonding experience like a team of guys out on the field together in a physical sport.

Rugby/American Football are the closest things a man can do to going to war, without going to war.

Post: #31

One thing I haven't seen mentioned: I don't think the "safety" issue is going to stop with football. It will simply set a new baseline for parents. If you look at lacrosse and hockey, they both trail football in terms of concussion rates, but not by too far. They just haven't gotten the scrutiny that football has because the public sees them as more niche sports. But I think once it's widely accepted by parents that football is too rough and dangerous to play, our "safety first" culture will move on to other sports and start asking if they aren't too dangerous as well. Already I've read suggestions that heading be banned from youth soccer.

I just wonder where we will draw the line. For the record, I'm not trying to downplay the concussion risk in football. I'd be horrified to know that a game I pushed my son into left him at risk for some sort of debilitating brain injury. But that being said, I do wonder where we will strike a balance between risk and reward. Outside of the concussion risk, I believe sports like these do have a very positive impact on boys and I think rough games fill an outlet that a lot of boys need.

Post: #32

(12-09-2015 04:46 AM)brick tamland Wrote:  I'm not American but I watch a bit of the NFL and I enjoy it. I doubt I would encourage my son to aspire to be a pro, given that the average NFL footballer's career lasts only a handful of years (5 years apparently). Professional football is a really tough sport for tough men.Unfortunately there is a dark side for many pros after retirement, getting as bad as the recent spate of suicides by retired players, at least two of whom shot themselves in the chest specifically so that their brains could be studied.
Interesting report - apparently eight San Diego Chargers players from the 1994 team have died before reaching the age of 45.

Post-retirement depression leading to suicide is common among all pro athletes. When you're that competitive, that driven and you've spent your entire life doing something to the best of your ability and then suddenly it's gone, that leaves a big hole in anyone's life. How do you replace that feeling?
My dad was a pro athlete and while I was too young at the time to realise, looking back now, I can see how much he struggled after he retired. Luckily he was smart enough to take the competitiveness and drive that had made him so successful and use it to create a successful business but it still couldn't totally replace that feeling of winning that he lived for.

Post: #33

Probably from about 10 years old I started playing football with the neighborhood kids. I played organized football all throughout High School, then intramural league (flag) in college, and then city-leagues (flag) until my early 30's.

In the end I had to stop playing because I injured my right shoulder so much I couldn't raise it or use my computer mouse at work. I pretty much played a whole season with just the use of my left arm.

The only thing I regret was not letting go of the game those last 2 years.

I think a young body bounces back incredibly fast. Playing both ways on the line I suffered a lot of painful injuries in High School, but none of them prevented me from playing and none of them are causing me pain today (45 yrs old). Might be different in 30 years though.

The roughest football was the college intramural league because the refs were all college kids too that played in the league also. Basically if you grabbed their flag they were down, but if you tackled them, well what are you going to do? They're down and the refs didn't care so it was really no-holds barred tackle football without pads. It was rough, and awesome! Especially since it got me off the line and into a linebacker and TE/slot-back role. Those years were the most fun I ever had playing the sport.

The city leagues were much more strict because the refs were old guys and getting paid so the rules were enforced. Makes for a safer game, just not as fun.

Football is such a great sport for bonding with your teammates because it's so physical. Not just the games, but the practice. Scrimmaging against each other, hitting that sled again, and again. You're mouthpiece full of gritty dirt and slamming your toes into the muddy, worn-out earth because you need to claim it in order to survive. The conditioning, the crazy coaches you're terrified to upset, the glory of the tackle, the win, and of course the girls.

I don't regret one moment of it. It taught me to endure, and overcome myself, the others, and the pain of the sport itself . It certainly shaped my character into who I am.

If I can't walk well, and all the rest when I'm old then so be it. I wouldn't regret it one bit. People don't realize how lucky they are if they even make it to 70. Many people don't.

I think I have more muscular-skeletal issues from 20+ years as a computer programmer, than anything else.

Post: #34

Onto, I feel the same way with hockey. I keep playing competitively, yet I almost had surgery (steroid injections instead) on one hip and the other one is following closely. I'm younger (24) but I'll keep playing until it paralyzes me. I travel to multiple tournaments every year and I'm trying to start a team in the travel adult league. It's basically the adult league version of semi pro and has the highest competition. The only restriction is that you cannot be rostered on an NHL team.

I've been coaching youth hockey this year and running goalie camps. Pee Wees can no longer check and coaches have to wear helmets on the ice. It's becoming pussified but we can still do our good on the small scale.

Spending time with kids and encouraging them to bust their ass is all we can do. I've been telling them to reject participation trophies and only accept trophies for winning. Funny how fast kids agree with obvious ideals.

Post: #35

I would encourage my son to participate in volleyball, wrestling/martial arts, water polo, soccer, spearfishing, surfing, skiing/snowboarding etc... far before I'd encourage him to play a sport with such a high rate of brain injury.

To be clear, if I thought my son was being reasoned in his mindset and still wanted to play football, I don't think I would hold him back. I just think there are so many better options keeping long-term health in mind.