Another Season Forfeiture

[Bison-Vikes #1]

Something that can be achieved by participating in any sport

but all the other stuff you mentioned could be done playing other sports.

This is very true not just for sports but basically any extra-curricular activities. You can also participate and do those activities for the rest of your lives. Contact football is different. Guessing 98% of ND high school kids will never put on pads again after graduating from high school. Can play bb, golf, baseball, softball, volleyball, run, play music, act, sing for the rest of their lives. Kids play prep football for a maximum of 4 years, probably competitively for 3 years max and will never play it again.

Some parents don't want their kids to play football, that's fine. Some parents don't want their kids to go into the armed services either, but hey, that's what's great about our country. Just don't take away the chance for kids that want to participate in football.

I don't know if your kids could have got scholarships

They were very fortunate and one chose college football and the other baseball, basketball

[Run4Fun2009]

Those kids that quit or don't play will never know that feeling of Friday Night Lights! The cold Fall Nights.... grass a little wet... 20-40 young boys knowing what it feels to be part of something bigger than them. What it is like to be part of something special.... being part of win or a loss. .. how to handle it and grow in life.

Something that can be achieved by participating in any sport

Thank You! Great point!

We just want students to be active...I could care less which sport they choose as long as they are active, having fun and making friends along the way; Football, Cross Country, Soccer, Hockey, Basketball, etc, injures are a risk in all, not just football...seen concussions occur in all sports.

[aNDkid91]

People are entitled to their opinions on everything. Just because you don't understand or agree with what people are choosing to do doesn't make them wrong. CTE is a real issue in our society and they've just reached the tip of the iceberg IMO. Kind of tough to tell kids that video games won't get them anywhere when:
1. A teen-aged kid just won 3 million dollars playing Fortnite
2. The California E-Sports state tournament sold out the Staples Center for 3 straight days
3. Colleges and Universities give out scholarships for E-Sports
4. E-Sports will be a NDHSAA activity next year (Some club teams this year)

Both my boys play video games.... nothing wrong with it. I can go on forever but I won't. Football is not for everyone.... but when kids that have played and enjoy playing quit because they are playing AA instead of A.... and yes... I know people from Stanley and yes.... that is basically the reason they all come back to.

CTE is a problem a small problem........ TExting and Driving..... Vaping... Drinking... Drugs... Unproctected sex.... Child predators..... that stuff is the real problem.

I know kids (and families) from Stanley as well. Kids worried about injuries when facing bigger schools and how critical and unnecessarily hard people have been on the kids and the football program are the main reasons kids did not go out for football this year.

Those of you saying CTE is a small problem or that the concussion issue is overblown really need to research CTE/brain injuries. CTE/brain injuries are a huge concern affecting athletes on all tiers of sports, in all kinds of sports, and our military personnel. I completely understand why kids don’t go out and play in contact sports.

[magic man]

I agree that CTE is not a small problem, but where I'm coming from is that CTE is not solely related to football, as the media wants you to believe.

The concussion movie.. the old NFL players that came out talking about CTE.. etc.. Has scared a lot of people..

And actually, I think that it has been a good thing, because it's made the old school football guys take a look at how the game is practiced and played. The game is coached WAAAAAY different than what it was even just 5 years ago. There is far less contact in practice, and the coaching/teaching of tackling has been improved to help eliminate head injuries.. heck, injuries period.

Yes, you can gain something from participating in any sport, but it's not the same as playing football.. I'm sorry.. I've played multiple sports, but that grind and reward from football, far outweighs the feeling I got from any other sport.. but that's just me..

If CTE was soooo important to parents, they wouldn't let their kids play soccer and/or hockey.. Period..

People are entitled to their opinions on everything. Just because you don't understand or agree with what people are choosing to do doesn't make them wrong. CTE is a real issue in our society and they've just reached the tip of the iceberg IMO. Kind of tough to tell kids that video games won't get them anywhere when:
1. A teen-aged kid just won 3 million dollars playing Fortnite
2. The California E-Sports state tournament sold out the Staples Center for 3 straight days
3. Colleges and Universities give out scholarships for E-Sports
4. E-Sports will be a NDHSAA activity next year (Some club teams this year)

Both my boys play video games.... nothing wrong with it. I can go on forever but I won't. Football is not for everyone.... but when kids that have played and enjoy playing quit because they are playing AA instead of A.... and yes... I know people from Stanley and yes.... that is basically the reason they all come back to.

CTE is a problem a small problem........ TExting and Driving..... Vaping... Drinking... Drugs... Unproctected sex.... Child predators..... that stuff is the real problem.

I know kids (and families) from Stanley as well. Kids worried about injuries when facing bigger schools and how critical and unnecessarily hard people have been on the kids and the football program are the main reasons kids did not go out for football this year.

Those of you saying CTE is a small problem or that the concussion issue is overblown really need to research CTE/brain injuries. CTE/brain injuries are a huge concern affecting athletes on all tiers of sports, in all kinds of sports, and our military personnel. I completely understand why kids don’t go out and play in contact sports.

[classB4ever]

I agree that CTE is not a small problem, but where I'm coming from is that CTE is not solely related to football, as the media wants you to believe.

The concussion movie.. the old NFL players that came out talking about CTE.. etc.. Has scared a lot of people..

And actually, I think that it has been a good thing, because it's made the old school football guys take a look at how the game is practiced and played. The game is coached WAAAAAY different than what it was even just 5 years ago. There is far less contact in practice, and the coaching/teaching of tackling has been improved to help eliminate head injuries.. heck, injuries period.

Yes, you can gain something from participating in any sport, but it's not the same as playing football.. I'm sorry.. I've played multiple sports, but that grind and reward from football, far outweighs the feeling I got from any other sport.. but that's just me..

If CTE was soooo important to parents, they wouldn't let their kids play soccer and/or hockey.. Period..

Good post magic man. I agree it's a problem. Have researched it. Yes, players have gotten bigger, stronger and faster. But the equipment has also gotten much, much better. Believe CTE is much more of a problem with professional athletes who play many more months out of the year, against much bigger, faster and stronger opponents over a much longer period of time. Boxers, bull riders, NASCAR drivers. It should certainly affect all of them as well.

Have been following ND sports for 50+ years. Have seen kids get concussions in every sport. However, after all these years and all the athletes I personally know, I cannot name 1 non-professional athlete who has been diagnosed with CTE. Not 1 athlete out of 1000s. Yes it's real, but also believe the media is using it as a scare tactic against "football only" as well.

One last thing. CTE research is really in its infancy. Will take many more years to come up with better data and evidence. However, there is also ongoing research that cell phones may cause brain cancer and or accelerate brain tumor growth. It will take many more years of research to prove just how bad it is. Will cell phones bans get the same traction?

[ND Sports Fan]

Completely agree with magic man on this one.

My point in saying the "Concussion issue is overblown", is that I believe it to be a convenient way to diminish the sport of football. I KNOW concussions and CTE are very real. My point is, they are very real in other sports as well, but not the same hyper-focus. I also was making the point that I have seen far more injuries to knees, ankles, shoulders, fingers, etc, in my years following the sport than concussions, but it is the concussions that get focused on.

I find it interesting that those of us pointing out these things are told to do some research, while nobody is doing research to provide factual data on the # of concussions in football versus other sports, or the number of ACL injuries in football versus concussions. This seems to be an emotional argument vs a factual, data driven argument.

I agree that CTE is not a small problem, but where I'm coming from is that CTE is not solely related to football, as the media wants you to believe.

The concussion movie.. the old NFL players that came out talking about CTE.. etc.. Has scared a lot of people..

And actually, I think that it has been a good thing, because it's made the old school football guys take a look at how the game is practiced and played. The game is coached WAAAAAY different than what it was even just 5 years ago. There is far less contact in practice, and the coaching/teaching of tackling has been improved to help eliminate head injuries.. heck, injuries period.

Yes, you can gain something from participating in any sport, but it's not the same as playing football.. I'm sorry.. I've played multiple sports, but that grind and reward from football, far outweighs the feeling I got from any other sport.. but that's just me..

If CTE was soooo important to parents, they wouldn't let their kids play soccer and/or hockey.. Period..

People are entitled to their opinions on everything. Just because you don't understand or agree with what people are choosing to do doesn't make them wrong. CTE is a real issue in our society and they've just reached the tip of the iceberg IMO. Kind of tough to tell kids that video games won't get them anywhere when:
1. A teen-aged kid just won 3 million dollars playing Fortnite
2. The California E-Sports state tournament sold out the Staples Center for 3 straight days
3. Colleges and Universities give out scholarships for E-Sports
4. E-Sports will be a NDHSAA activity next year (Some club teams this year)

Both my boys play video games.... nothing wrong with it. I can go on forever but I won't. Football is not for everyone.... but when kids that have played and enjoy playing quit because they are playing AA instead of A.... and yes... I know people from Stanley and yes.... that is basically the reason they all come back to.

CTE is a problem a small problem........ TExting and Driving..... Vaping... Drinking... Drugs... Unproctected sex.... Child predators..... that stuff is the real problem.

I know kids (and families) from Stanley as well. Kids worried about injuries when facing bigger schools and how critical and unnecessarily hard people have been on the kids and the football program are the main reasons kids did not go out for football this year.

Those of you saying CTE is a small problem or that the concussion issue is overblown really need to research CTE/brain injuries. CTE/brain injuries are a huge concern affecting athletes on all tiers of sports, in all kinds of sports, and our military personnel. I completely understand why kids don’t go out and play in contact sports.

[ballaholic#3]

From the Ohio State University College of Public Health

[b]Concussions[/b]

Many of the sports played throughout high school and college have high concussion rates. However, as shown in the chart to the right, the sports with the highest rates are football, ice hockey, wrestling and women’s soccer. Particularly in high school football has a commanding “lead” in concussions per 10,000 games and practices. In college, though, wrestling skyrockets while football decreases significantly but still remains one of the highest offenders. According to a study done by the Sports Concussion Clinic, Division of Sports Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston, football accounts for just under 57% (shown to the right in the pie chart) of concussions in high school athletes. These rates of concussions are alarmingly high for high school in particular and given that football is also one of the most popular sports played in America the volume of high school athletes who experience concussions is also extremely high. This is a very important time for brain development as well and these concussions could lead to various problems later in life such as CTE which, according to a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, was found in 3 of 14 high school players or 21%. That same study shows the rates of CTE in college and the NFL to be 91 and 99 percent respectively. So, even if the athlete was to escape high school unscathed and continued to pursue football then the likelihood of getting permanent head trauma skyrockets.

Youth Football

These rates of injury in football are also prevalent in youth football. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association reports that more than half of all emergency room visits by children aged 8 to 13 are due to sports-related concussions. In these ages in particular many times an appropriate medical professional, such as a nurse or athletic trainer, is not there to properly diagnose concussion symptoms so parents are left to guess what to do. This furthers the damages presented by concussions by not acting quickly enough or in some cases the child back in to “walk it off”.


My two cents... Football can be an awesome sport to teach team building, character, and resolve. As mentioned, other sports can do the same thing. Football just isn't for everybody, but I don't believe it should go away. Football, unlike other sports, is absolutely miserable if your team isn't any good. So, you're going to continue to see kids get away from football if they see the writing on the wall about how good their team is. Many of you would argue that they should then work at it, but if your school is filled with 140 lbers along with zero tough lineman, then what can you do? Avoid the potentially devastating injuries (besides concussions) and play other sports which don't involve you getting steamrolled 30+ times a game.

[ND Sports Fan]

From the Ohio State University College of Public Health

[b]Concussions[/b]

Many of the sports played throughout high school and college have high concussion rates. However, as shown in the chart to the right, the sports with the highest rates are football, ice hockey, wrestling and women’s soccer. Particularly in high school football has a commanding “lead” in concussions per 10,000 games and practices. In college, though, wrestling skyrockets while football decreases significantly but still remains one of the highest offenders. According to a study done by the Sports Concussion Clinic, Division of Sports Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston, football accounts for just under 57% (shown to the right in the pie chart) of concussions in high school athletes. These rates of concussions are alarmingly high for high school in particular and given that football is also one of the most popular sports played in America the volume of high school athletes who experience concussions is also extremely high. This is a very important time for brain development as well and these concussions could lead to various problems later in life such as CTE which, according to a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, was found in 3 of 14 high school players or 21%. That same study shows the rates of CTE in college and the NFL to be 91 and 99 percent respectively. So, even if the athlete was to escape high school unscathed and continued to pursue football then the likelihood of getting permanent head trauma skyrockets.

Youth Football

These rates of injury in football are also prevalent in youth football. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association reports that more than half of all emergency room visits by children aged 8 to 13 are due to sports-related concussions. In these ages in particular many times an appropriate medical professional, such as a nurse or athletic trainer, is not there to properly diagnose concussion symptoms so parents are left to guess what to do. This furthers the damages presented by concussions by not acting quickly enough or in some cases the child back in to “walk it off”.


My two cents... Football can be an awesome sport to teach team building, character, and resolve. As mentioned, other sports can do the same thing. Football just isn't for everybody, but I don't believe it should go away. Football, unlike other sports, is absolutely miserable if your team isn't any good. So, you're going to continue to see kids get away from football if they see the writing on the wall about how good their team is. Many of you would argue that they should then work at it, but if your school is filled with 140 lbers along with zero tough lineman, then what can you do? Avoid the potentially devastating injuries (besides concussions) and play other sports which don't involve you getting steamrolled 30+ times a game.

Thank you

[classB4ever]

From the Ohio State University College of Public Health

Good info/post. Many good reports out there and strongly suggest everyone read them. Believe it or not, in numerous reports, % wise, girls suffer more concussions than boys. Can see that this will be one of those topics that people are going to agree to disagree. Good debate and input from each side.

[aNDkid91]

From the Ohio State University College of Public Health

Concussions
Many of the sports played throughout high school and college have high concussion rates. However, as shown in the chart to the right, the sports with the highest rates are football, ice hockey, wrestling and women’s soccer. Particularly in high school football has a commanding “lead” in concussions per 10,000 games and practices. In college, though, wrestling skyrockets while football decreases significantly but still remains one of the highest offenders. According to a study done by the Sports Concussion Clinic, Division of Sports Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston, football accounts for just under 57% (shown to the right in the pie chart) of concussions in high school athletes. These rates of concussions are alarmingly high for high school in particular and given that football is also one of the most popular sports played in America the volume of high school athletes who experience concussions is also extremely high. This is a very important time for brain development as well and these concussions could lead to various problems later in life such as CTE which, according to a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, was found in 3 of 14 high school players or 21%. That same study shows the rates of CTE in college and the NFL to be 91 and 99 percent respectively. So, even if the athlete was to escape high school unscathed and continued to pursue football then the likelihood of getting permanent head trauma skyrockets.

Youth Football
These rates of injury in football are also prevalent in youth football. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association reports that more than half of all emergency room visits by children aged 8 to 13 are due to sports-related concussions. In these ages in particular many times an appropriate medical professional, such as a nurse or athletic trainer, is not there to properly diagnose concussion symptoms so parents are left to guess what to do. This furthers the damages presented by concussions by not acting quickly enough or in some cases the child back in to “walk it off”.

My two cents... Football can be an awesome sport to teach team building, character, and resolve. As mentioned, other sports can do the same thing. Football just isn't for everybody, but I don't believe it should go away. Football, unlike other sports, is absolutely miserable if your team isn't any good. So, you're going to continue to see kids get away from football if they see the writing on the wall about how good their team is. Many of you would argue that they should then work at it, but if your school is filled with 140 lbers along with zero tough lineman, then what can you do? Avoid the potentially devastating injuries (besides concussions) and play other sports which don't involve you getting steamrolled 30+ times a game.

Thank you for this information. Very telling statistics.

[magic man]

You all are correct . This is very telling data...

But what is failed to be mentioned is that most of this data was taken from the 2008 - 2009 academic year...

[The Schwab]

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-11- ... brain.html

This article mentions football and hockey as well as military, and it's from November 2018

[magic man]

I'd still like to know when this data was captured.. It doesn't really say that, just that it was presented in Nov 2018.
At any rate, going with the notion that this is from last year, it mentioned Hockey and the military..

I don't see parents, who are so concerned about head injuries, pulling their kids out of hockey at an alarming rate..
People not going to the military for that reason?

That's my point with the parents. They've been scared into believing that football is the only sport that has these types of injuries.

Girls hockey and soccer, are right up there in terms of head injuries and knee injuries.. We need a movie about that.. especially hockey..

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-11-high-school-football-teenage-brain.html

This article mentions football and hockey as well as military, and it's from November 2018

[maddog1971]

From the Ohio State University College of Public Health

Concussions
Many of the sports played throughout high school and college have high concussion rates. However, as shown in the chart to the right, the sports with the highest rates are football, ice hockey, wrestling and women’s soccer. Particularly in high school football has a commanding “lead” in concussions per 10,000 games and practices. In college, though, wrestling skyrockets while football decreases significantly but still remains one of the highest offenders. According to a study done by the Sports Concussion Clinic, Division of Sports Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston, football accounts for just under 57% (shown to the right in the pie chart) of concussions in high school athletes. These rates of concussions are alarmingly high for high school in particular and given that football is also one of the most popular sports played in America the volume of high school athletes who experience concussions is also extremely high. This is a very important time for brain development as well and these concussions could lead to various problems later in life such as CTE which, according to a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, was found in 3 of 14 high school players or 21%. That same study shows the rates of CTE in college and the NFL to be 91 and 99 percent respectively. So, even if the athlete was to escape high school unscathed and continued to pursue football then the likelihood of getting permanent head trauma skyrockets.

Youth Football
These rates of injury in football are also prevalent in youth football. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association reports that more than half of all emergency room visits by children aged 8 to 13 are due to sports-related concussions. In these ages in particular many times an appropriate medical professional, such as a nurse or athletic trainer, is not there to properly diagnose concussion symptoms so parents are left to guess what to do. This furthers the damages presented by concussions by not acting quickly enough or in some cases the child back in to “walk it off”.

My two cents... Football can be an awesome sport to teach team building, character, and resolve. As mentioned, other sports can do the same thing. Football just isn't for everybody, but I don't believe it should go away. Football, unlike other sports, is absolutely miserable if your team isn't any good. So, you're going to continue to see kids get away from football if they see the writing on the wall about how good their team is. Many of you would argue that they should then work at it, but if your school is filled with 140 lbers along with zero tough lineman, then what can you do? Avoid the potentially devastating injuries (besides concussions) and play other sports which don't involve you getting steamrolled 30+ times a game.

Thank you for this information. Very telling statistics.

You can get hurt doing anything.... the real problem is
Teen Texting and driving cause 9 deaths a day (391,000 accidents a Year)
teen suicide that number is horrible
Drinking and driving
Drug overdose
Obesity

You can take your CTE excuse some place else. Let's address the real problems that sports can help.
CTE is real and it is horrible but it not even a spec of dust in the real dirt in these children lives.

[The Schwab]

From the Ohio State University College of Public Health

Concussions
Many of the sports played throughout high school and college have high concussion rates. However, as shown in the chart to the right, the sports with the highest rates are football, ice hockey, wrestling and women’s soccer. Particularly in high school football has a commanding “lead” in concussions per 10,000 games and practices. In college, though, wrestling skyrockets while football decreases significantly but still remains one of the highest offenders. According to a study done by the Sports Concussion Clinic, Division of Sports Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston, football accounts for just under 57% (shown to the right in the pie chart) of concussions in high school athletes. These rates of concussions are alarmingly high for high school in particular and given that football is also one of the most popular sports played in America the volume of high school athletes who experience concussions is also extremely high. This is a very important time for brain development as well and these concussions could lead to various problems later in life such as CTE which, according to a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, was found in 3 of 14 high school players or 21%. That same study shows the rates of CTE in college and the NFL to be 91 and 99 percent respectively. So, even if the athlete was to escape high school unscathed and continued to pursue football then the likelihood of getting permanent head trauma skyrockets.

Youth Football
These rates of injury in football are also prevalent in youth football. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association reports that more than half of all emergency room visits by children aged 8 to 13 are due to sports-related concussions. In these ages in particular many times an appropriate medical professional, such as a nurse or athletic trainer, is not there to properly diagnose concussion symptoms so parents are left to guess what to do. This furthers the damages presented by concussions by not acting quickly enough or in some cases the child back in to “walk it off”.

My two cents... Football can be an awesome sport to teach team building, character, and resolve. As mentioned, other sports can do the same thing. Football just isn't for everybody, but I don't believe it should go away. Football, unlike other sports, is absolutely miserable if your team isn't any good. So, you're going to continue to see kids get away from football if they see the writing on the wall about how good their team is. Many of you would argue that they should then work at it, but if your school is filled with 140 lbers along with zero tough lineman, then what can you do? Avoid the potentially devastating injuries (besides concussions) and play other sports which don't involve you getting steamrolled 30+ times a game.

Thank you for this information. Very telling statistics.

You can get hurt doing anything.... the real problem is
Teen Texting and driving cause 9 deaths a day (391,000 accidents a Year)
teen suicide that number is horrible
Drinking and driving
Drug overdose
Obesity

You can take your CTE excuse some place else. Let's address the real problems that sports can help.
CTE is real and it is horrible but it not even a spec of dust in the real dirt in these children lives.

No one is arguing that those bold items aren't huge problems, they're terrible problems in our society. However, none of them are directly caused by a school sponsored activity.

Suicide is an epidemic that we need to do our best eliminate. Schools could play a role in that for sure, teaching more about physical and mental health and resiliency could help with a few of those epidemics (Suicide, drinking and driving, drug overdose and obesity). Texting and Driving is a risky behavior that we can teach kids about until the cows come home, but I don't know if it's going to change.

[aNDkid91]

You can get hurt doing anything.... the real problem is
Teen Texting and driving cause 9 deaths a day (391,000 accidents a Year)
teen suicide that number is horrible
Drinking and driving
Drug overdose
Obesity

You can take your CTE excuse some place else. Let's address the real problems that sports can help.
CTE is real and it is horrible but it not even a spec of dust in the real dirt in these children lives.

First, CTE is not an excuse and with the increase in cases being identified it’s not going anywhere.
Second, CTE can only be a confirmed diagnosis when the brain of a deceased individual is examined and until recently, those have been brains of NFL players. Very few brains from hockey have been donated by family for full research exams and even less of soccer players. This could very easily play into parents thinking as long as their child isn’t playing football they are safe from possible brain injuries. I believe when we start to see an increase in CTE being diagnosed in the brains of hockey and soccer players, that we’ll see more concern by those parents as well.
Third, any research on brain injuries and CTE from the last 20 years is considered current and relatively new because as someone else had pointed out, CTE is still in its infancy.
Fourth, those problems you listed are serious problems that we as a whole society absolutely need to address. You will not get an argument from me there and sports can play a positive role in decreasing the incidence of them occurring. But this post wasn’t created to address those issues but to complain about a team needing to forfeit their season due to lack of players and that those players are either lazy or not tough enough to put in the work or face a tougher opponent. Then, when someone brought up that maybe the concern over injuries could be a part of the problem, those who were critical of the Stanley boys became defensive. I just find that a little ironic.
With that, all that I have left to say is I wish the Stanley Blue Jays JV team a successful and fun season.

[classB4ever]

Texting and Driving is a risky behavior that we can teach kids about until the cows come home, but I don't know if it's going to change.

This statement brings to the forefront my point of this debate. Research, data and reports about many topics can be summed up in 3 words: Follow the money. The media is without a doubt using football as the evil villain in all of this.

In the above bold statement and also posted up thread concerning research on cell phones emitting radio frequency radiation, there is 1 common denominator in a very serious problem: Cell phones. To answer "I don't know if it's going to change," the simple answer would be to ban cell phones. Is it ever going to happen? Absolutely not.

It's ironic how some people are so quick to want to take away other people's liberties, just as long as it doesn't affect them.

Have spent plenty of hours doing testing, research, gathering data and writing reports. Let's put it this way, if someone wants to pay me an enormous amount of money to come to a conclusion that they want to hear, one can interpolate the data and write a report to prove a watermelon is a brick.

This topic has gotten a bit hi-jacked. Don't know the Stanley kids. I do know they are kids and one thing is for sure, they have their own reasons for what they are doing and personally it's none of my business and wish them the best of luck in the future.

What I will argue against is people using CTE with a broad swipe of the brush to essentially ban high school football in the future. Parents should certainly do their own research prior to letting their kids play. And last, everyone needs to remember that it's easy to take away "other" people's liberties. Last post on this subject. Great debate and good input.

[The Schwab]

I don't think that they should ban high school football, but I have a problem with people who say CTE isn't a problem. It's up to individuals if they would like to play. It is also up to individuals if they do not want to play. Neither group should be harassed for their decisions.

[Sportsrube]

I don't think that they should ban high school football, but I have a problem with people who say CTE isn't a problem. It's up to individuals if they would like to play. It is also up to individuals if they do not want to play. Neither group should be harassed for their decisions.

Exactly.

[ND Sports Fan]

I don't think that they should ban high school football, but I have a problem with people who say CTE isn't a problem. It's up to individuals if they would like to play. It is also up to individuals if they do not want to play. Neither group should be harassed for their decisions.

Generally agree Schwab, however, only one "group" is demonizing football. Maybe our choice of words is incorrect, but CTE is the "excuse" (sorry if that is the wrong word) for many parents to demonize football. I see a lack of recognition that there are many other injuries in football, or in other sports, but concussions remain the sole focus and football remains the sole sport scrutinized.

I am just looking for a little objectivity. I've seen too many parents, who are anti-football, call out the most severe, albeit few in number, cases of injury to get their kids not to play. Meanwhile, when their child is on crutches from a basketball injury it is passed off as "injuries happen".

[The Schwab]

I agree that we shouldn't demonize football. It teaches many valuable life lessons, as do other activities. The trend that is worrying me: youth tackle football. I personally wish that they would focus on skills and terminology at that level (maybe even through 7th grade and put pads on as eighth graders).

[Flip]

Generally agree Schwab, however, only one "group" is demonizing football. Maybe our choice of words is incorrect, but CTE is the "excuse" (sorry if that is the wrong word) for many parents to demonize football. I see a lack of recognition that there are many other injuries in football, or in other sports, but concussions remain the sole focus and football remains the sole sport scrutinized.

My first post ITT.

The biggest problem isn't the state or the coaches. The biggest problem is the game. The concussion issue is front and center, but who wants to break their leg or tear their ACL? A few years ago I had a parent tell me their son's ACL surgery was a $20,000 bill. What parent wants to potentially see that bill? There are a lot of parents that won't allow their kids to play and I'm sure there are only a few that encourage them to play.

Google "what sport has the most ACL injuries"

[magic man]

If one sport has 22 players out there at one time, vs 10.. Yes.. the sport with the higher number of overall players is going to have a higher rate of injury.

If you look at it from a "injury rate" perspective, I would guess that the numbers are a lot different.

The biggest problem isn't the state or the coaches. The biggest problem is the game. The concussion issue is front and center, but who wants to break their leg or tear their ACL? A few years ago I had a parent tell me their son's ACL surgery was a $20,000 bill. What parent wants to potentially see that bill? There are a lot of parents that won't allow their kids to play and I'm sure there are only a few that encourage them to play.

Google "what sport has the most ACL injuries"[/quote]

[magic man]

Google what sport has the highest head injury rate? And then tell me if parents are "anti" that sport?

[Flip]

If one sport has 22 players out there at one time, vs 10.. Yes.. the sport with the higher number of overall players is going to have a higher rate of injury.

If you look at it from a "injury rate" perspective, I would guess that the numbers are a lot different.

Are we still talking ACL? That number is crazy high for football I don't know how you could spin it in a favorable way for football.

Google what sport has the highest head injury rate? And then tell me if parents are "anti" that sport?

I suppose I missing your point, but it came back football.