This is a position post where I take a stand that represents no one other than myself as a mom and a pediatrician. The reason I clarify this, is that my position is a strong one. No one wants to go up against someone like the NFL, it seems. But let me say this very clearly: It if it were my child, I’d never let them play football. No way. For my boys, the risks are too large, the sentiments too cruel, and the gains simply not worth it. There are plenty of other sports teams out there to grow, exercise, form friendships, and excel. I never want my children to be a part of any institution that houses intent to harm another human being. Although direct harm may not be a tenet in pee wee football, we all know that young sports teams are built to emulate the pros. If the NFL is the inspiration, for now, count my boys out. This isn’t just about the risk of concussion…
On my way into clinic on Saturday morning, I heard the alleged tape of Gregg Williams directing players to seriously harm opposing teammates. In the tape Mr Williams, the previous defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, employed his players to inflict harm on multiple players–for example, attempt to tear the ACL of Michael Crabtree and work to re-concuss another player, Kyle Williams. Let me point out, some data finds the harms of concussions (particularly in adolescents) may be longstanding, and the risk of a second concussion may rarely be deadly.
In the tape you hear Gregg Williams repeatedly say, “Kill the head, the body will die” followed by, “We want his head sideways.” The tape goes on to capture more directives for harming additional players. It’s nauseating and provoking–got my fingers shaking during my drive. And really more than anything else, it was wholeheartedly disappointing. Particularly for me as a pediatrician. When parents now ask me about football, instead of talking about concussions as a significant risk, I’ll also be talking about ethics, sportsmanship, and integrity.
The great thing is that as parents we have lots of choices.
If you don’t know this story, the quick 411 is that the former defensive coordinator (coach) for the New Orleans Saints NFL football team has ultimately been suspended indefinitely from coaching in the NFL after his bounty program was uncovered. The head coach has also been suspended (for a season) for not stopping the program. The bounty program was one where the defensive coach had been rewarding players with large sums of cash at the end of individual games for inflicting injury on opposing teammates. Bonuses were given during the play-off season. All this, to win. There’s no mention of bounty payments on the audio tape published last week, but it may not matter.
If you’re interested in listening to the entire 12 minute tape, be warned it’s full of grotesque orders and expletives. A profanity-free version is online as well.
You can step back and point out that Gregg Williams is just one (coordinator) coach in the NFL and doesn’t represent the sport of football. You may be right. But to me, the details of how the tape reached the public carry more grave concern for the health of our boys and future pro-athletes. To get this story to the public Sean Pamphilon, a documentary filmmaker, had to share the audio from footage he’d captured against the advice of his partner, ex-football player Sean Gleason, with whom he was partnering to produce a documentary about his life and diagnosis of ALS. There he was trying to chronicle a health concern while having to break trust with his friend to inform parents. Gleason disapproved of the leak. I suspect we never would have heard the real story without this set of circumstances. Here’s Pamphilon’s statement. Like most whistle-blowers, Pamphilon likely won’t profit from this move. Fortunately, our boys will. My hope is that this news will compound ongoing pressure for change, at the national level, for football in America.
Williams’ intent to harm the lives of others for the sport was clear. As many bloggers have commented, this may be more the norm in football than the exception. And although an ESPN interview I watched noted that, “Testing a mans’ will” is a tenet in football, the bounty program in the NFL brings the ethos of the sport into more significant question.
So for now, I don’t recommend your child play football.
What do you think? What do you love about football for your children? Does this feel like an over-reaction? Will you let your boys enter Pee Wee or American Youth Football this season?
Footer
Alex Spencer says
Its funny, I completely understand the sentiment. And the notion to protect your children rarely requires proof beyond the instigating hunch, so its really great that you are opening the dialog. But I feel like on one hand your progressive nature is taking the high road (not wanting to encourage unhealthy aggression for risk of injury) but then succumbing to low ground by judging a whole group of people (like me) that greatly value the sport because of how some elements in the football culture teach/preach brutish memes… loudly… that echo through the echo chambers. I have had healthy experiences and coaches WAY more than unhealthy ones (and anecdotally so have the majority of my peer group).
Here is my opinion. There are elements in football that teach improperly and stir some pretty base emotions in the attempt to “amp it up.” But seriously, where does this not occur? Football is an intense game in every way. It is terribly uncomfortable. Exhausting mentally, emotionally, & physically. It has passionate fans. And because of the nature of the game, you HAVE to pay attention to protect yourself and your teammates (usually just from pain, but occasionally something worse).
I have played every mainstream sport (well… that AAA HS’s offer) at least at a high school varsity level. Nothing has given me perspective and strength in life like football. In my view the “fitness” aspect of sports was always an afterthought when I was young. Football teaches you to overcome very extreme emotional upsets every minute, every practice, and every game. From the smelly gear, scorching hot helmets, nasty dry mouth-guards when you would kill for water, and the big upper classmates getting ready to come after you. It teaches how to stand strong, deal with a bouquet of pain, to focus, and to work with your team when every cell in your body is screaming to stop and run away. Seriously, every other sport pales in comparison at teaching this kind of adversity – because they are so comfortable, and have risk very little. (insert quotes by successful people telling you to never fear failure and risk)
Having said that – do I think you can’t “develop” without playing football, absolutely not. All I am saying is that for me, football was a VERY HIGH YIELD character builder. I draw on the lessons daily now in medical school. I also muse with a classmate who was a Division I player about exactly this topic often when studies are dragging us down.
But in the end, IMO the real duty of parents is to strategize for the child’s success. So if you think your child will not thrive in the environment of football, please don’t force them! If you do, at best they will not have fun and at worst they will not have fun –> not pay attention –> get hurt! However if you feel like they could thrive, even at lower levels/leagues, it could be valuable and worth well more than the bumps and bruises most of us get while playing. Thx for the soap box.
Wendy Sue Swanson, MD says
Thanks for your thoughtful response, Alex.
I think you’re right about parenting in part when you mention the duty to “strategize for success” but ultimately, success is diversely defined. For me, it isn’t as much about success as it is about fulfillment of true and possible self. That’s what I hope to offer my boys by making decisions that are in line with my ethics, their personalities, and our family. And for that, I will entrust so many others with my boys (good coaches and bad, I’m sure) and that’s why I mentioned the point about having choices….we’re lucky.
I played multiple sports in high school, college, and completed marathons during medical school. My time in sports was entirely formidable and I draw from those lessons repeatedly as an adult. I agree with all you said about the value of sports. And although your experience from what sounds like a hugely divers and successful HS sports career may not be everyone’s, I believe even though girls aren’t offered football, they can gain all that you did in variant sports.
Of note, the only football I’ve ever been able to play was the “powderpuff” game at my HS where the girls on sports teams played against the cheerleaders. What an entirely backwards concept for an already competitive, tense social milieu.
Laurence Simpson says
Cudos, dear sir. You present insights that the good MamaDoc might honor and respect.
Dave Chase says
Your comments and Alex’s were very thought-provoking. Sports was central to my existence and identity from as soon as I can remember through college. I think if there is one take-away I’d have is the coaches and norms of the league matter more than anything else. I had the full bell curve of coaches. I loved playing football though I was built like a soccer player. My most brutal coach was a baseball coach and that was what ultimately was the driver of switching from the 2 sports I loved most (baseball & football) to pound myself into a middle distance runner. Paradoxically, I also had more pain and injury in one year of soccer than several years of football so it’s not always black & white. I also saw kids who started running distance way too young. I personally don’t think kids should train distance running until high school as I have seen age group distance runners that were physically trashed by high school. Irresponsible coaching.
With all of the sports, the degree of intensity and willingness to sacrifice one’s body amped up as you got to the elite levels. Though I love college football (NFL is boring to me), that is where there is a real tipping point having had friends and a cousin play D-I college football and the NFL. They face some lifelong injuries. The consequences aren’t as bad in other sports.
I wil respectfully disagree with the Alex on the pain level and the accompanying rewards of football. I dealt with daily doubles in high school football in 90-100 degree heat, getting hit hard on crossing patterns as a receiver, etc. It didn’t come close to the challenge of middle & long distance running as it’s only yourself that is driving the pain deeper. It’s ‘easy’ when the heat or another player does it to you in football, by comparison. The ability to push past a point you think is impossible in endurance sports is imminently more challenging (we used to call it “driving the spike” as that’s what it felt like in one’s gut).
All sports can teach lessons of goal setting, teamwork, competition and mental preparation but I got more from the “pain sports” such as running, nordic skiing, biking, etc. (I’m sure it would be true of distance swimming too) than I did from many more years of competing in football, baseball, basketball and soccer. It was only at the end of high school I switched (growing up in the shadow of Nike made it cool to run which I’m thankful for given the lifelong fitness I got over the other sports) so I have a pretty good basis of comparison since I did those sports for longer than competitive endurance sports.
A topic for another blog is over-specialization of youth sports (i.e., year-round doing the same sport) which I think is doing a huge disservice to kids. There are way too many overuse injuries in adolescents from not switching sports at least a couple times a year. I think coaches and parents pushing for that should wake up and see the effect on their athletes. If a kid is truly exceptional, they will show that in time. Specializing too early is a bad idea IMHO.
Wendy Sue Swanson, MD says
Hi Dave,
That’s a great idea for a blog re: the over-specialization of sports early in a child’s life. Would be interesting to explore the risk/benefit/cost ratio. And would really like to have a sports med doc weigh in.
anna ash says
I agree about protecting our children but my rule is that if he can’t play football, we can’t WATCH football. It’s someone’s son out there and by watching it, we are supporting it. If I feel so strongly that my son can’t play football, then I should be willing to sacrifice watching it. In my opinion, that is the only way we will ever change how the game is played. Besides, it’s hypocritical if we say, “son, you can’t play football because it’s harmful, but I’m going to watch someone else’s son play and get hurt.” My goal as a parent is to never say “do as I say, not as I do” and for me this falls under that category.
Viki says
I don’t think you are overreacting to how despicable this latest scandal is. It’s criminal. I hope all players who took this advice from their coach are also held accountable. I don’t think any sport should teach players to act against their conscience in carrying out the orders of their coach. Absolute obedience to coaches is also what prevents many young boys from stepping forward at Penn State. Overall, I am very cautious about exposing my kids to situations where they are under the authority of another person in this way. (My kids are young though. Eventually they will be on teams, on scout troops, away at camp, and I will need to trust that I instilled in them enough resilience and moral grounding so they can speak out against corrupt authority.)
I think parents who appreciate the sport of football the way Alex does are probably more interested in guidance on how to find a program that is safe, fun, and will build character in their kids. I think it’s possible to play the sport for the love of the sport: I was just at a Seattle Majestics game (women’s tackle football) and the degree of sportsmanship, consideration for safety, and love for the game, was evident. It didn’t seem mean or violent. Everyone went to The same after party after the game. Maybe I’ll let my daughter play football instead of my son. 😉
Kelly says
I agree wholeheartedly. My boys spent their youngest years in British Columbia. I wouldn’t allow them to play hockey and got a lot of grief about it for the same reasons you will take heat here. I now will not allow them to play football either. It’s not just concussions; it’s aggression, brutality, hyper-masculine behavior in a sport that excludes women (nearly completely). I am very pro-sports with the exception of these two and the boxing arena. My boys are black belts in Taekwondo and play other team sports year round. But the key to sports is learning to play hard, practice hard, observe rule-of-play, respect the coaches and umpires. And all the other sports out there have women and girls playing on the next field, if not competing directly with boys. That gives kids a more balanced appreciation for life, in my opinion.
I have many friends who allow their boys to play these aggressive sports and I keep my mouth shut about their decisions. But if they ask why mine don’t, I let them know. We all have to make the best decisions for our kids based on our own beliefs.
Soccer Mom says
I agree whole heartedly with Wendy that the news is appalling and Football a violent sport. I would worry about my children playing the sport as well. My husband, who is a big college football fan, would I’m sure tell me I worry too much. I’m also hopeful (but maybe naïve) that this begins some sort of revolution of the way the game is played currently.
I can also say that this certainly does not just happen in this sport. My oldest son plays soccer competitively and although our coach does NOT promote injuring other players that we compete against we have played plenty of games against teams who clearly HAVE received this type of coaching. And we’ve seen plenty of kids get hurt in those games.
And my son is only 13. I hear from parents of kids on the older teams that it just gets worse.
I also do not disagree that kids are having overuse injuries because of the new year-long format; my son has had several as he plays soccer all year. I can also say that he loves to play and he does really well. If we chose not to have him in the program that he is in it would be MUCH harder for him to move forward in the sport given the new focus. So what is a parent to do?
We have struggled with the best decision and ultimately decided that for him we
will stay the course. I’m not sure the format of year long sports is going to change anytime soon, and we do not want to lessen his opportunities as a result. So we try to make sure that he gets breaks when he can, that he eats well and we pay attention to injuries as they happen.
Thankfully we DO have a coach that teaches them how to be a team, play well, learn more, respect each other and themselves, dig deep and win because of skill…not because they can hurt another player.
Wendy Sue Swanson, MD says
Soccer Mom,
I suspect there are all sorts of competition/sports agendas that I don’t agree with and they occur in sports from anything as “benign” as cross-country running to wrestling to hockey as is mentioned. The reason I wrote the post was that I hit a tipping point of sorts. Between the evolving information about longterm health risks from repeated head injuries, to the violence in the sport, to the number of concussions, and then to the NFL stories as of late—and more—how the public was informed about them, I just felt like my decision to say no to football was cemented for now.
My hope is not that the sport dies, of course, but that the sport takes responsibility to correct the issues that face our boys and current and future serious players so that my “for now” can change. We all want it to feel safe enough that it’s exciting to so send our boys off to the field from the very beginning.
Becca says
Oh, my. I have always had a hard time with letting my 11 year old play football. It makes me very nervous, but I let my son and husband make the call, since I tend to be a little overprotective. So far, he’s had more injuries in basketball than football, but I still don’t like it. Reading your blog post makes me even more nervous.
Wendy Sue Swanson, MD says
Hi Becca,
The post wasn’t intended to make you more nervous. And wasn’t really about injuries as much as it was about leadership and ethics. As Kathy points out below, injuries can happen in ANY sport. Can even happen while we play on the playground….
If you feel your son is on a good team with great leadership and you and your husband have a good game plan, you’re likely in the right spot. Your team should have a conversation about how to inspire healthy competition and how to protect themselves and how to protect themselves from causing serious harm to their teammates and opponents. I bet they already do lots of this!
Shelly says
This post kills me. It would take me way to much time to write up all the positives of football for young boys. What you should do is write about something dangerous like the number one kill rate sport in the US: Cheerleading. Did you know that football ranks almost the lowest on that list. It even comes AFTER bullriding. I’m sorry, but this almost infuriates me that as a peditrician your trying to steer parents away from helping thier children learn focus, drive, and sportsmanship. Its acutally quite sad and unprofessional.
Kathy says
I guess different stats for different folks. There is no mention of bull riding on these lists (probably because it’s not very common across the US as a whole; the numbers of boys doing bull riding are very small compared to those who play football), and I don’t know many boys participating in cheerleading (although yes, it is the most dangerous sport done by girls).
This site lists the 5 most dangerous sports for boys as Football, Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, and Lacrosse.
https://www.greatschools.org/students/extracurricular/slideshows/4295-5-most-dangerous-sports-boys.gs
This is an older article but…
“In 2005, the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated the highest numbers of sport-related injures were reported for basketball (409,799), football (376,115) and bicycling (317,041), says Arlene Flecha, a CPSC spokeswoman. That’s not counting minor injuries that didn’t require medical attention. The deadliest: riding an all-terrain vehicle, according to the CPSC. The sport accounted for 740 deaths in 2003, one-third of which were children under 16.”
https://www.forbes.com/2006/11/15/sports-injuries-fitness-forbeslife_cz_cs_1114dangersports.html
Or here:
1. Basketball
More than half a million kids went to the ER in just one year with injuries sustained playing hoops. Damage to the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is a common injury and any sport involving twisting, jumping, pivoting, squatting, or making sudden stops puts kids at risk. Proper coaching is a must.
2. Bicycling
Yes, that favorite pastime sent more kids—485,669 to be exact—to the ER than football. Wearing a helmet greatly reduces risk as does educating children about the dangers of riding in traffic.
3. Football
This sport sent more than 418,200 kids to the ER. Sports injury statistics vary based on methodology, and the Center for Injury Research and Policy found football to be the leading cause of sports-related injuries among kids.
4. Soccer
The ball is soft, but the sport can be dangerous, with about 175,000 soccer-playing kids seeking aid at an ER. One culprit is portable soccer goals, which should be securely anchored to the ground.
5. Baseball
Today’s kids train hard and hit the ball hard, which is why some 155,000 Little Leaguers ended up in emergency rooms. Children should wear proper protective gear and be taught how to safely slide into bases and other fundamentals. With all warm-weather sports, heat exhaustion is also a threat.
Via https://www.divinecaroline.com/22113/64786-ten-most-dangerous-sports-kids#ixzz1rl7krpsj
I think the important thing to remember is that football is probably one of the most popular sports for kids to play across the US. LOTS of kids play football. Also, kids are just that — kids. With fragile growing brains and growing bodies. Kids nowadays are starting to get involved with sports much earlier than a generation ago. Sports, in some communities, can be much more competitive than in other communities. Differences in coaching methods can impact the safety of the game. Kids are mostly LARGER and HEAVIER than they were a generation ago. If you have a “normal sized” kid, it can be pretty scarey to see the Bigger, but same aged kids on the field with them.
So yes, there are many reasons for WHY so many kids get hurt playing football. While I agree that injuries and deaths do happen in all sports, the lessons learned in football can be learned in many other sports too: sportsmanship, team work, strategy, fitness, health-seeking behaviors…without the aggression and violence that football encourages.
And as the pps also said:
“Every sport is a contest of wills, and, as such, offers valuable life lessons. If you can compete successfully…and sometimes even if you’re not successful, you will have conquered fundamental problems, learned the value of perfecting certain physical skills, self-discipline, teamwork, physical endurance, motivation, strategy, never giving up, resourcefulness, not to mention sportsmanship, fair play, integrity, and forgiveness.
Heavy on the forgiveness part. You need to forgive your teammates sometimes, as well as your coaches, and certainly yourself.”
The difference I see among sports is in the likelihood of getting seriously injured, and clearly football is one of those sports that has a higher chance of resulting in serious injury.
Dr. Caroline Brown says
Very thought provoking post. After reading it, I immediately forwarded the link to your post to my father to hear his take on this subject. My dad, whom I adore, played college football at the University of Alabama (under the legendary Bear Bryant). He became a high school teacher/coach, himself, before obtaining his PhD in Education Curriculum and Instruction and becoming a principal and then superintendent of schools. I have always respected him immensely and was very interested to hear his take on this subject.
Below are his comments after reading your post:
The New Orleans Saints’ Bounty scandal is an extreme case which has outraged the NFL itself, and I believe that for every dark cloud there is a comparable silver lining.
In this case, I believe there will be reverberations throughout pro football and everywhere else the sport is played. College players tend to imitate the pro’s…high schoolers imitate the college guys…and middle school, the high schoolers…pee wee, the middle school guys, etc.
And their coaches do likewise because everybody likes to win, and if you use techniques the older guys use, you usually do pretty well…at least for a while.
Every pro sport is tough and dangerous. I used to be awed by the physical danger pro basketball players endure because they don’t wear pads and play so many more games than pro football. And John Grisham’s newest book, Calico Joe, deals with the dangers of pro baseball where pitchers can end a batter’s life with a 95 mile per hour beanball.
Every sport is a contest of wills, and, as such, offers valuable life lessons. If you can compete successfully…and sometimes even if you’re not successful, you will have conquered fundamental problems, learned the value of perfecting certain physical skills, self-discipline, teamwork, physical endurance, motivation, strategy, never giving up, resourcefulness, not to mention sportsmanship, fair play, integrity, and forgiveness.
Heavy on the forgiveness part. You need to forgive your temmates sometimes, as well as your coaches, and certainly yourself.
I once dreamed of being an All American football player, but in Tuscaloosa I eventually discovered that to be one I’d need to hit people with my face…and realizing that, when I do that, I hit my nose, which always makes me cry…I decided I didn’t need to do that to be happy.
My dream got altered, and I’m glad it did. But many of the lessons I learned have really paid off for me. The one I’m probably most grateful for is resourcefulness – figuring out different ways to take advantage of the cards I’ve been dealt. I suppose the one thing that sports emphasizes too much is that it often appears there’s only one way to succeed when that is actually untrue.
There are a myriad of ways to succeed…and being resourceful, determined, energetic, and motivated will help you succeed…in whatever you attempt.
So, no, I don’t think football is terrible. The many good people who play and coach it (even at the pro level) will take appropriate steps to see that it doesn’t revert merely to hurting others.
Wendy Sue Swanson, MD says
Wow, Dr Brown. Thank you so much for sending this onto to your father, and for sharing his incredible story filled with expertise and profound wisdom.
As I said in an earlier response, it is my hope that this stance helps make change. And that all those who take responsibility for football safety amidst the drive to win, do what is needed to protect our children and future non and professional athletes. I suspect they will. And this is just a stumble for the sport in an ever-evolving time.
Gayle Schrier Smith, MD says
Doctors Brown and Swanson,
The combination of both your heartfelt posts and the wisdom of Dr. Brown’s father helped me tremendously. Like you Wendy, the mother in me has a profound and visceral response to anything that places my children in a dangerous situation. Contact sports are well known to embody varying degrees of risk as Kathy lists above. Nonetheless, they are part of the culture of our boys’ adolescence. They would not remain a part of growing up if there were not some inherent value. As the mother of three sons, I have seen firsthand the value of a good coach, of mentoring and team sportsmanship, of the way a boy hears the exact words his parents speak when they come from the mouth of an admired coach.
Your post blends two very different issues for me, the inherent risk of sports with the unethical behavior of those supervising them. I would wager that God created mothers to be mindful and monitor both. You do a nice job of reminding all parents that we are called to pay attention to our children’s athletics and ensure that the benefit always outweighs the risk. Likewise, you contrast the horrible actions of one coach with the honor of those willing to expose him.
As a parent, if I allow my child to participate in any sport, I am called from the sidelines to be the one who holds coaches and spectators to a higher standard of right and wrong. It is then, maybe from the PeeWee Football sidelines, that I can hope to ensure that there will never be another Bounty Scandal. In my heart though, I know that it would be easier to simply say, “No…your father and I have decided you may not play.”
Cara says
Ugh. This post just rips me up inside. I am the mother of a 2 1/2 year old boy. I LOVE football, I have been a season ticket holder for the Seahawks for 10+ years, my son yells “Go Hawks” and enjoys watching football with the family all ready. WATCHING football has been a part of my life since I was a kid, and it will be the same for my son.
When I heard about the New Orleans Saints bounty system, and the audio, my gut wrenched. It reminded me of when I was in Junior High….the caption under the football teams picture was always the same “Hit Hard”. I wonder what those junior high coaches told those boys back then…
I have always said I will not have my son play football unless he specifically asks to play, it terrifies me that he may choose it as his sport. As a parent, and him being young, I get to choose for now. But I would never tell him no if that is what he wants to play. How could I when I am one of the biggest fans of the sport? All I can do is make sure he is taught to play the right way, and that he knows right from wrong.
I think your post is honest and sincere and I like that. But a part of me can see Shelly’s point, injuries and deaths happen in all sports, and football can teach kids good things. I hope that the “bounty system” coming into the spotlight will hopefully change things within the NFL…
Kathy says
Good Info here, too:
https://www.safekids.org/assets/docs/ourwork/research/2011-sports-fact-sheet.pdf
Chris Johnson says
I’m a pediatric intensivist, so I see a lot of head injuries in my daily work. For example, it’s common for children experiencing a concussion to be admitted to the hospital overnight for observation. I’ve also seen more than my share of severe head injuries, and some have come from children playing sports.
To me it’s simple: I would not let my son play a sport in which repeated blows to the head are an expected part of the game. The data emerging over the past decade about the effects on the brain, even for someone wearing a helmet, of this sort of repeated impact are compelling. Ten years ago we didn’t know about that — now we do. I can understand why parents, and football lovers generally, would wish those data did not exist. But they do exist. Perhaps safety equipment can be improved to the extent that the risk becomes acceptably low. But we are not at that point now.
Logan says
I find it hilarious that you wrote this. i searched this because i like critiziting overprotective adults. i play football and the worst injury i’ve gotten so far is a hammy ( pulled hamstring ) and aching legs and feet. if you ask me, if your kid wants to play football, let them. it’s as simple as that. football pads are designed to protect you. it can’t guarantee complete saftey, and honestly we never can. steel armor in the medieval times. weak links. kevlar armor and steel helmets. still brakeable. and even tanks aren’t completely invulnerable. football is fun. the rush of running a hundred yards is fun. and football builds self-esteem. you will never, in all your time playing, make only wrong plays and mess-ups. every play counts, every hit recorded, and every moment saved. but if you only make one great or even only one decent play in your whole career, you’ll know that YOU did it. so, really, if you deny a kid like myself to play football, you deny them life lessons and even self-pride. if a person breaks a record, or makes one, they’ll live with the pride of knowing they came out on top through perserverence. they’ll learn you can pride yourself on what YOU did. that you showed that you CAN. they’ll know they did this before anyone else, and you fought for it.
P.S. your fingers wer shaking after you heard about the bonty system? that is SOOO weak!!! hits are part of daily life. not a day goes by that someone doesn’t stub their toe, or bump into something or hit there head. but really i think you were over-reacting with the bounty system. lmfao.
Rachel says
Obviously you are already brain damaged.
Kelly T. says
This is exactly why I moved away from Seattle. You people are psycho. The way that you micromanage your children to the point of not wanting them to be masculine is astounding. And not allowing them to even WATCH FOOTBALL on TV? Maybe your son will turn out homosexual and then you can brag to your friends about how “progressive” he is.
Sonia Rejino says
My 15 yr old was hurt last Thursday during a football game..his ACL & MCL were both torn & now we have to wait about a year before docs will perform surgery on him..his growth plates are still open & they won’t touch him until they appear to start closing..this is very hard because his love is playing Baseball & not Football & now he can’t play!!!