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CTE expert: Kids shouldn't play football until they're 18 - Printable Version

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CTE expert: Kids shouldn't play football until they're 18 - yvonne - 12-07-2015

Quote:“Our children are minors who have not reached the age of consent,” Omalu wrote. “It is our moral duty as a society to protect the most vulnerable of us. The human brain becomes fully developed at about 18 to 25 years old. We should at least wait for our children to grow up, be provided with the information and education on the risk of play, and let them make their own decisions. No adult, not a parent or a coach, should be allowed to make this potentially life-altering decision for a child...."

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/dec/07/concussion-expert-says-children-shouldnt-play-football-until-they-turn-18?CMP=fb_us

Re: CTE expert: Kids shouldn't play football until they're 18 - Farm93 - 12-07-2015

(12-07-2015, 03:38 PM)Yvonne link Wrote:
Quote:“Our children are minors who have not reached the age of consent,” Omalu wrote. “It is our moral duty as a society to protect the most vulnerable of us. The human brain becomes fully developed at about 18 to 25 years old. We should at least wait for our children to grow up, be provided with the information and education on the risk of play, and let them make their own decisions. No adult, not a parent or a coach, should be allowed to make this potentially life-altering decision for a child...."

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/dec/07/concussion-expert-says-children-shouldnt-play-football-until-they-turn-18?CMP=fb_us

An 18 year-old playing football for the first time will be lucky to make a HS JV squad.  If they haven't played football by the time they are 18, they probably should not play at all.

Over the next several years it will be interesting to see how this thought process transforms sports.  USA Youth Soccer has already advised against teaching headers before 12.  So I can imagine more and more youth sports organizations are going to recommend head safety guidelines.

Re: CTE expert: Kids shouldn't play football until they're 18 - Rally - 12-07-2015

(12-07-2015, 04:25 PM)Farm93 link Wrote:[quote author=Yvonne link=topic=13970.msg146617#msg146617 date=1449527918]
Quote:“Our children are minors who have not reached the age of consent,” Omalu wrote. “It is our moral duty as a society to protect the most vulnerable of us. The human brain becomes fully developed at about 18 to 25 years old. We should at least wait for our children to grow up, be provided with the information and education on the risk of play, and let them make their own decisions. No adult, not a parent or a coach, should be allowed to make this potentially life-altering decision for a child...."

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/dec/07/concussion-expert-says-children-shouldnt-play-football-until-they-turn-18?CMP=fb_us

An 18 year-old playing football for the first time will be lucky to make a HS JV squad.  If they haven't played football by the time they are 18, they probably should not play at all.

Over the next several years it will be interesting to see how this thought process transforms sports.  USA Youth Soccer has already advised against teaching headers before 12.  So I can imagine more and more youth sports organizations are going to recommend head safety guidelines.
[/quote]

The only safe thing to do is home school, make your own organic, preferably home grown, food, and sit in the dark reading from some sort of fire safe candle.  Until you're 18, then go crazy.  Oh, and remember not to sharpen lawnmower blades while the lawnmower is running.

Re: CTE expert: Kids shouldn't play football until they're 18 - stupac2 - 12-07-2015

(12-07-2015, 04:51 PM)ferrari link Wrote:Oh, and remember not to sharpen lawnmower blades while the lawnmower is running.

Hah, when I was a kid and mowing the lawn, the output got clogged pretty routinely, which required digging the offending grass out from the blade cowling-thing. Naturally this is wildly unsafe if the blade even has the possibility of running, so I would pull out the easy-detachable spark plug (at least that's what I think it would have been). One time I had to pull a bit hard and when it released my hand slammed into the hot-as-hell exhaust port, burning the crap out of it and giving me a scar I can still faintly see, 15 years later.

So even trying to be safe with a lawnmower can be dangerous.

Re: CTE expert: Kids shouldn't play football until they're 18 - Rally - 12-07-2015

(12-07-2015, 04:58 PM)stupac2 link Wrote:[quote author=ferrari link=topic=13970.msg146643#msg146643 date=1449532293]Oh, and remember not to sharpen lawnmower blades while the lawnmower is running.

Hah, when I was a kid and mowing the lawn, the output got clogged pretty routinely, which required digging the offending grass out from the blade cowling-thing. Naturally this is wildly unsafe if the blade even has the possibility of running, so I would pull out the easy-detachable spark plug (at least that's what I think it would have been). One time I had to pull a bit hard and when it released my hand slammed into the hot-as-hell exhaust port, burning the crap out of it and giving me a scar I can still faintly see, 15 years later.

So even trying to be safe with a lawnmower can be dangerous.
[/quote]

The most dangerous thing is being born.  Without it we would never die.

Re: CTE expert: Kids shouldn't play football until they're 18 - ThePassionOfTheChryst - 12-07-2015

I realize this is missing the point, but looking at that photo of him with Will Smith makes me think Wayne Brady would perhaps have been a better casting choice, as far as physical likeness goes.

Also, I'm not an expert by any means, or even remotely knowledgeable on the issue.  However, from a logical point of view, it would seem to me that football would be more dangerous the higher you go through the ranks.  I played youth football, and even though I was smaller, I never quite took a hit that I thought was very violent.  It wasn't until high school varsity level that I really felt like hits were violent.  I guess the question becomes, is the further development of the brain in older players enough to withstand the additional violence of the sport at those levels?  Or, more simply, what is worse for the brain: an 11-year-old getting tackled by a 75-pounder, or a 25-year-old being lit up by a 250-pounder?