Kids, Sports, and Concussions

Both of my daughters are soccer players.  My oldest has expressed little interest in other sports.  She refused to play softball and basketball.  She did give gymnastics a try and liked it but liked soccer much better.  This is all fine by my wife and I.  We'll allow our kids to play and/or participate in whatever activities they like as long as they are not over-scheduled with activities.

I've often asked myself what I would do if we had boys.  Would I allow them to play football?  There are girls who play football, but the chances of my daughters wanting to play football are slim to none.  They could surprise me, but I highly doubt it.  But would I allow boys, if I had one, play football?  I'm not really sure.

There's more and more evidence (in fact, it is quite clear now that playing football leads to long term health effects) that football leads to life long disabilities.  Give the constant stress up on the body through vicious hits, many former football players walk with limps, have knee problems, and/or have on-going back problems.  These are just a few of the long term health effects.

The worst effect is the damage done to the brain.  It's very common for football players to have had multiple concussions.  A concussion is basically the sloshing around of the brain inside the skull due to a strong hit.  Although concussions lead to long term effects, most players have likely experienced many smaller concussions that were never diagnosed.  Every hard hit sloshes the brain a bit and this damage builds up over time.  Long term effects from concussions lead to several mental disabilities.

NFL Concussion Research

Anyone can get injured in any sport and those injuries may have long term health effects.  However, research is very clear that football is more damaging on the brain than most other, if not all sports.  I don't have boys, so if I did, I'd have to think about this in much greater detail, but I lean toward NOT letting them play football.  I emphasize, however, that I would need to do much more research before coming to a conclusion.

Having said that, soccer is not a concussion free sport.  Heading the ball is a key aspect in the game and it is possible for concussions to occur.  Each hit has the potential to slosh the brain around a bit.  There isn't nearly enough research in this area as there is in football, but there are more studies looking into soccer and concussions.  My daughters are not at the age of heading the ball yet, but will soon be.  Studies do show that soccer is the sport in which females are most likely to receive a concussion.

I admit to being bit fearful of my daughters receiving concussions as a result of playing soccer.  Am I being a good parent by allowing them to play soccer if it increases their risk of a concussion?  Am I being a good parent by not?  All sports can be dangerous.  To put it simply, I just don't know.  As a parent I have to think about what is best for my daughters that is reasonable.  I can't wrap them in bubble wrap to keep them safe.  Life and sports come with risks.  The key is minimizing those risks. Much easier said than done.  

To conclude, being a parent is hard!