Kids and Head Injuries: Let’s Ban Football

January 11, 2013 – The topic of concussions was brought up by a Facebook friend today surrounding the idea of  football related injuries, in particular, concussions.

The topic has been in the news for several months now, but hasn’t gotten as much coverage as I thought it would have. Maybe the election, and then the Sandy Hook massacre took priority. At any rate, you can bet it’s gonna be a topic of serious discussion sooner than later. In fact, I’m betting that Pee Wee football, and government school football including at the high school level, is at risk of being banned, or tightly controlled with major rule changes put in effect. Why? For the protection of our little children. That’s what mommy government is there for now…to protect us from ourselves. Parents are not capable of making the right choices for their kids anymore. Well at least that’s what Michelle Obama thinks when it comes to feeding our kids.

Football, even at the NFL level may become a thing of the past. I mean after all, we are Americans and everyone knows, or at least thinks we are a bunch of wimps. Hell, look at our president, need I say more?

We all know that football is a dangerous sport by design. Players get hurt, they injure their heads, get bruised, strain muscles, break bones and then they go out shoot people. As you know, people get hurt, they injure their heads, and then they go out and shoot people or commit suicide. The NFL has a problem with this. The media is having a field day trying to tie concussions to guns, murder, and suicide, especially in light of the recent gun control storm brewing.

Even Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the National Football League, who was on the cover of TIME Magazine presented an idea that would change the game. In the TIME magazine story he has an idea to replace the kickoff.

That’s right. Ban the kick-off. Jock sniffers around the country will riot, loot and burn Volvos.

Greg Schiano, the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, came up with the idea, which by the way is under serious consideration in the NFL circle.  They want to replace the kickoff. Here is Schiano’s idea: The team that would kick off (i.e., the team that loses the coin toss) would get the ball at their own 30 yard line. It would be automatically 4th down and 15.

The game starts with a team on offense facing 4th and 15 from their own 30.

They can either punt or go for it.

Going for it would replace the on onside kick.

There would no longer be an onside kick, because there wouldn’t be a kickoff. So the theory is most teams would punt rather than go for it on 4th and 15 from their own 30. And since the ball is punted very high and since it doesn’t go as far as a kickoff, the speeds at which players would collide would not be as great, and the chance for great bodily harm and perhaps concussion would be reduced. Oh, and it may also prevent murder and suicides.

So before football gets banned, major changes will happen. The game as we know it will be a thing of the past. The wussification of America has entered the sports arena.

But wait a minute…What about Hockey? Have you ever sat down and watched a pro hockey game? Hockey players could kick any football players ass. Those guys take blows and receive injuries that football players would run away from. Injuries like being sliced open from skates, stick jabs, fist fights, and yes, concussions. How would you like to be hit by a flying hockey puck? Boston Bruins’ defense-man Zdeno Chara, at the 2011 NHL All-Star Skills Competition was clocked with a shot at a velocity of 105.9 MPH. Let that hit you in the face or head!

My point with this rant today is that yes there are always going to be injuries in sports or damn near anything we do in life. This stuff just didn’t up and start last week. We’ve always had these things happen. It’s life. People get Carpal tunnel syndrome from texting. Are we going to ban that too? Maybe we should just sue the phone companies for our injuries. If football players can sue for concussions then where does it stop?

How about NASCAR drivers getting injured in crashes, baseball players getting hit with a bad pitch, golfers hitting fans, tennis players twisting ankles. Lets ban bowling while we’re at it. Ever known a professional boxer who didn’t slur? The whole object is to knock out your opponent. Are we gonna make them wear helmets in the ring? Sugar Ray Leonard nearly lost an eye. Evander Holyfield lost a freaking ear thanks to Mike Tyson.

We can carry this stupid argument till the cows come home and it will not make us any safer. What the NFL does is their business. Just don’t send a federal agent knocking on my door when I’m reported for kicking or punching my heavy bag, or teaching my child how to perform a perfect spinning back hand. Leave me the hell alone.

The bottom line…Parents should make responsible and educated decisions before allowing their child to enter into any sport, no matter what it might be. Understand the consequences of your decision, and when your kid gets hurt don’t go crying lawsuit to your kids coach. It’s your fault, not the coaches or the schools. Unless of course there was clear fault on the other party.

You parents with your kids taking martial arts classes. Most of your kids will not learn, nor do they care. Only a very few will keep an interest and achieve the respect needed to be a true martial artist, and those are the few kids and parents that should be commended. There is no other sport that requires as much dedication and ritual than martial arts. Please choose your school wisely. A school window filled with trophies will not guarantee your kid is gonna learn anything. A good dedicated instructor who creates the right environment, very small classes, and lots and lots of time will be needed to become good. Not months, but years. Two to five to achieve a first degree black belt in Karate. You parents sticking your kids in mixed martial arts classes, expect injuries and don’t expect your kid to master anything. MMA is relatively new for the public and only recently did someone come up with a belt system. One thing is certain, the owner of the MMA school saw you and your kid coming and will happily sign your little kid. Again, when your kid gets hurt, it’s on you, not the school or the instructor. That’s a long blog for another day.

Let your kids be kids. Get them involved in sports and expect them to get hurt. If they do, pat them on the back and encourage them to get back in the game. Don’t baby your kid in front of the team or his friends. Your kid needs to learn how to win, and deal with losing. Winning matters. It’s the object of the game and the object of life itself. To be a winner. It’s what Americans strive for.

So if we ban or tightly control football we should expect what? Less injuries, suicide and of course less murders committed by head injured football players. -JRoycroft