Concussions. Football. These two words are synonymous in some minds, but now that’s not true. Because it is a safer game now and it teaches discipline, football is a good sport for youth to play.

In light of all the controversy on concussions, football has changed the way that youth are taught to tackle, keeping their head out of the equation. According to the Seattle Seahawks main website, “The philosophy takes the head out of the play and increases safety, all while maintaining the toughness and physicality that makes the game great.” By not leading with their head, players reduce the risk of concussion or brain injury, but that doesn’t mean that they have to sacrifice how hard they hit.

I’m not saying that players will never get another concussion again. Not all injuries can be 100% prevented. A few seasons ago I made a tackle, and in the resulting pile, was hit in the head. I felt dizzy and had some headaches. But by using correct technique risk of injury is reduced.

Anyone that’s heard of the NFL knows about CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Over 95% of retired NFL players have CTE, but compared to the fact that only 1.6% of high school players make the NFL, and the average career of an NFL player is only 3 years, according to thepostgame.com, then the damage is relatively minor.

Still some parents won’t let their kids play. They’d rather that their little ones play safer sports, but hockey, rugby, and even basketball have high concussion rates as well. The fact of the matter is that sports and injuries go hand in hand, no matter what the sport.

Some would then argue to end football all together, but then you would lose the other benefits of football. For example, football teaches great teamwork and the skill of working together. “Build for your team a feeling of oneness, of dependence on one another and of strength to be derived by unity,” as Vince Lombardi states. This means that football players have to work together, trust each other and be strong by working together.

Another thing that football teaches well is respect for your superiors. In football, if you do something wrong, such as talk while the coach is talking or, heaven forbid, talk back to the coach, you get to run, do push-ups, or up-downs. None of these are fun when you are  in full pads, so most kids learn a bit of respect.

The final reason why football is good for you is through the sport, you get to meet people and make friends with people that you otherwise wouldn’t have known. Where I used to live, there weren’t too many little kids. When my mom signed me up for football, not only did I have friends at school, I now had friends on my team.
Football is a great sport that teaches tons of lessons that are used later in life. Plus, moms love it when their kids come home to tired to do anything but eat whatever is on their plate and shower before bed.