As I was on my lunch break I did as I always do. I ate my lunch and then got on sports illustrated's website. While on the site I came across a story called " Is Football Too Dangerous ". Now, obviously football is dangerous. You have 22 men on the field at one time just pummeling each other. But the question in the article was whether it was so dangerous that kids should not play the game. As a hardcore fan of football this question scares me, if kids aren't playing the game then the game would stalemate and come to an end, and let's face it if we take football away from kids in school it would be just as the great Vince Lombardi said " A school without football is in danger of deteriorating into a midievil study hall". For many kids football is an escape from the outside struggles of life.
While many view the game as extremely dangerous, it's not. Just as anything, if you don't do it right it is dangerous. For example, if you are not taught how to drive, than obviously you are a danger on the road to yourself and others. This is the same in football. There is a proper way to tackle; head up, shoulders square and facemask in the opponents chest. There is also a certain way to run the ball, and block. If these things are not done right then it puts everyone in the game in danger.
You have just as good a chance to get hurt in football as you do in every other sport. Basketball and cycling rank ahead of football in injuries per year. And football is only ahead of trampolines and soccer by 100,000.
Last year there were .13 deaths per 100, 000 in football, in drivers there were 48.2 deaths per 100, 000. Does this mean you should also prohibit your teens from driving? Just to put it in perspective 31 people died from dog attacks in 2008 (not counting pit bulls) so should you just not own a dog.
Lets not get crazy about this whole "is football too dangerous?". We know it is dangerous, but rather than avoiding kids playing, let's instead try to teach them the right way to play the game. Don't punish the game just because some coaches and parents aren't teaching the game properly.
