Should Football Be Allowed In High School

High school sports are an important aspect of a young person’s life because it could decide their college, careers, and determine their social circle. High school football is a time where a fellowship occurs, not only with students, but the community also. There is on going issues with contact sports such as should there be rule changes or eliminate the game completely because of head injuries occurring too often. The problem is deciding whether the risks of playing these sports are worth it in the end. Are the risks of football worth the entertainment or should should football be banned for safety reasons? Doctor Anne McKey stated that if anything, we should have rule changes and equipment changes because it’s not worth the risk (CNN, 2012).

This essay discusses why high school students shouldn’t play football. Students Playing football in high school are treacherous because students' brain are not matured, it could cause a large amount of damage to the brain. High school students have a high chance of having C.E.T. Also they don’t have a doctor that have experience on the sports field. I do not agree for high school student to play football.

I think that kids shouldn't play football because it is too dangerous. People get concussions every day when they play football. After repeatedly bashing their skulls football players get concussions, caused by the spongy tissue in the brain hitting the hard skull. It is very painful to get a concussion, and leaves permanent damage to the brain. As well as being excruciatingly painful, and possibly never being the same, with many issues. "In milder cases, athletes can be left with lifelong pain, memory lapses, aggression, depression, personality changes, and many other issues."(Shotz[11]). This sport just keeps getting more and more dangerous, manifesting on itself, becoming more and more brutal as players become more competitive. There are

1,085,272 Students participated in high school football in the 2015-2016 school year. In high school football, a study shown that one in fourteen players will suffer from a head injury during their time playing (Burns). Another study shown that students are three times more likely to suffer from any type of injury than any other major sport. High school football is too dangerous of a sport for teenagers who are still growing mentally and physically. Football has and will continue being a very lethal sport for high school students. Not only is high school football lethal, but it takes away from time in the classroom, which means time away from learning. When reviewing the details of football and what it does to students on the field or in the classroom, you will never get a good outcome.

High school sports such as football, should be banned because it causes continuous concussions that result in brain damage. A concussion is a brain injury caused by a hit to the head or a rough shaking of the head and body. Concussions in high school sports especially football are very common and the impact injures the brain. The article, High school Concussions, conducted a

Additionally, the injuries to high school students are greater than in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football players. If there are concerns with high school football players getting too many concussions, then they should have them train differently. “There are ways to reduce the number and severity of football injuries through targeted intervention. Because we observed high levels of ankle and knee injuries, we recommend increased conditioning by the ankles and knee rule changes aimed at protecting these vulnerable body sites.” (Source 1) What Christy Collins, MA, research associate in CIPR at Children’s Hospital and co-author of the study says about increasing conditioning with ankles and knees is a good example of what they should do with the high school football players. Increase the time and add on to exercises that would help teach the high school players how to be more careful or not at getting concussions. By training more can deduce the number of injuries high school players get.

Blankets are put down at 4 p.m. to reserve a seat. Streets become deserted and restaurants empty just before 7:30 p.m. kickoffs” (B. 12). While football is one of the most loved sports; it is also one of the more dangerous. Many football players will endure bone fractures, ankle sprains, and knee injuries, which are very common; but the injury high school football seems to attract the most is head injuries.Head injuries can have a lasting effect on high school players and tend to be very common. Some people consider the players at fault, while others will blame the helmet manufacturing, coaches, or even the parents. High school players are almost always overlooked and many problems can arise. Therefore coaches, players and parents need to take more responsibility and see that there are solutions to prevent concussions and eliminate such a common problem among high school players.

What is wrong with football? It is written in the pain on Greg Hadley 's face. The senior from Colgate University, a two-time all-conference linebacker on the school 's football team, is sitting in a Bedford, Massachusetts laboratory staring at shattered brains of dead football players (cite). Imagine a child on that football field and after that one devastating hit that made the crowd gasp in shock imagine that child being unable to get up. There are parents who had actually been through something as scary as their kids dying on the field. For as long as football has been a sport it has always had too many injuries inflicted on the players such as concussions, torn ligaments, twisted ankles, and popped out joints. The players can also suffer from the long term damages such as Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, dementia, and Parkinson 's Disease. Not only is it in professional football, it has also been in High School football, where young players are getting injured or dying, broken necks, and lacerated spleens. Football is dangerous because it causes too many injuries, long term damages, and young players are getting hurt or dying.

Football is, in a sense, an amalgamation of what we perceive our nation 's values to be: teamwork, dedication and self-sacrifice. These values can be attributed to most any team sport though it is football that has become our favorite, satiating our lust for brutality. While this is not inherently a bad thing, the sport poses a much greater risk of concussions that other sports, more specifically to high school students. These injuries have previously had unknown long term effects but are now linked to dementia, depression and irritability and a wide range of other medical issues. Most players whether in high school or the NFL are painfully unaware of the risks that concussions may have on them. While banning football on a professional level is implausible, football should be removed from high school as the risks are insurmountable, especially when the same athleticism and character building can be found in most other team sports.

According to Infographic, a website that tells of the pros and cons of football, they state that, "Where does football rank among the top 10 sports in which head injuries are common among children ages 14 and under? 2nd. Football is 2nd with 21,878. First is bicycling, which has 40,272," This shows that football may not have the most head injuries, but it has a very high amount of head injuries. Even worse, football is more dangerous for children, but that's when a lot of kids start to play.

It has been estimated that a 9 - 12 year old playing tackle football can take between 240 and 585 hits to the head each season (Brainandspinalcord.org). This can later lead to mental problems in the future and or death. Speaking of death. According to the New York Post “ At a football game versus Cactus High School, Carlos Sanchez, a starting junior linebacker and running back for his school Moon Valley High School in Phoenix, died due to “blunt force trauma”. His head was driven to the ground during a tackle and was unresponsive.

Football is often labeled as a dangerous, unsafe sport, but there are many good things that come along with playing football. In the past two weeks I have learned about the risks that accompany football. Many kids suffer with concussions and face injuries from the sport, which scares many people away. But, despite the risks and the unsafe label, I would allow my child to play football because it promotes health, builds friendships, and helps gain toughness.

Injuries associated with participation in sports and recreational activities account for 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among children in the United States, this makes participating in sports very dangerous. Youth sports are harmful because they put pressure on kids, cause lots of injuries, and derives attention from other activities. The articles, Are High School Sports Good for Kids?, What in the Name of High School Football?, and Are High school Sports Good for Kids? all explain how they are harmful.

With football being the most competitive sport in the nation, many people have debated of whether this sport should be banned in high schools due to the major injuries it may cause. Football is known to have the highest concussion rate, next to boys ice hockey. However, the amount of money football makes for both high school and colleges, (it may not be the best idea to completely ban this sport). High school football should not be banned because if techniques were taught correctly many injuries could be prevented,athletes can benefit from athletic scholarships, and the money football raises benefits the schools. It may be true that the sport of football can cause physical and psychological damage to high school athletes.

Football has been a major influence on Americans for some time. Teams and games bring people excitement everywhere in the U.S., but within all this lurks a danger that is harmful to all players, damage to the brain. These types of injuries can have a lasting impact on a person for the rest of their life, making it difficult to live the life that they once had. The main issue is that kids start playing football at a young age. They do not realize the damage they are doing, and some of this can only be caught once someone has died! Making this a more substantial danger than it already was. Though sport deaths to this type of damage is rare, it does not replace the fact that playing football at a young age is harmful and can damage the brain in the long run.