Would you discourage your kid(s) from playing football

This question has been asked on here before. I don't recall my thoughts back then. I won't push my kids to play football, but I won't try and stop them from playing. My kids have made no indication that they are interested in playing football, as they prefer basketball or soccer.

 

When Dr. Omalu says 90% of NFL players suffer from some form of CTE then I think that would be a huge red flag to allowing my son to play at all. Injuries are one thing but brain damage is a whole different thing.

 

I believe I previously said yes, go for it, go play if you desire.

Now? No. We'll go play baseball, basketball, or soccer.

______________________

Goodell says he still feels good about youth/high school football. "There's risk in life. There's risk in sitting on the couch." — @TomPelissero

Goodell: "If I had a son I'd want him to play football. There are risks in life, risks sitting on the couch." — @sallyjenx

 

Too much evidence that it's a bad idea at this point.

 

My son (who is now 20) had no choice in the matter. Basketball was/is his favorite sport anyway.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;If I had a son I'd want him to play football. There are risks in life, risks sitting on the couch.&quot; Roger Goodell</p>&mdash; Sally Jenkins (@sallyjenx) <a href="https://twitter.com/sallyjenx/status/695702544291491840">February 5, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

Hello no!

Basketball is where the real money is at. With an exploding salary cap, huge emerging markets in Asia, and shoemakers willing to throw a small nation's GDP at your feet, there has never been a better time to be a baller.

The only brain damage my kid is going to sustain is from diving head first McScrooge Duck style into Olympic-sized pool of money!

 

Of course I'd let him play.

 

I think as more and more of these old football players have their brain examined after they die, we will see that most of them have brain damage. I think eventually the NFL will make radical changes to how the game is played. I don't know what those changes will be. But they will have to do much more than what they've done so far.

 

Nope. I would probably have them do something less dangerous to their brain, something like MMA or the like.

 

To be fair..the money in the game stuff is for maybe 1% of all the kids participating in youth sports. That shouldn't be the driver for 99% of kids playing youth sports.

I'm not sure I'm too concerned about brain damage for kids playing football from junior high through high school.

 

I wouldn't discourage it, I'd outright forbid it.

 

But what about kids who only play from 7th to 12th grade. Are they really having brain damage too? They play far less than a NFL player and the kids then are much less violent.

 

If he wanted to, I would let him.

But I would say no, after his first concussion.

 

If you are thinking about money, sports to choose (in order):
Golf
Baseball
Soccer
Basketball
Football
Hockey

The problem with Basketball, realistically, unless you are 6'4" or above you have very little shot of making the league (yes, there are exceptions). Even then.....there are on 15 spots on a NBA roster. 450 players. Playing overseas is not going to make you millions of dollars (for the most part). Golf has the best risk reward and the least physical skills need.

 

You need a lot of money in order for a child to become a golfer good enough to make money.

 

I would encourage my kid to play rugby. It is like American football but more fun and with less serious injuries and a more gentlemanly game. In football, coaches encourage you to try to hurt the opposing players, which you can easily try to do because you have all that padding and a helmet. (I played high school football and grad school rugby).

 

After watching 2 1/2 seasons of "Friday Night Tykes", yeah...no football.

 

I would discourage it, or rather did, one chose Karate, the other soccer and Bball - happy with their choices.

DD