As families across America prepare to watch the Super Bowl, the safety of the game remains hotly debated in households across the country.
After mounting concerns about brain injuries plaguing older players who experienced repeated concussions, the NFL says it is making progress when it comes to keeping current players safe
The league says concussions in regular season games dropped 25% in 2014 from the number in 2013, and concussions caused by helmet-to-helmet hits were down 28% during the same time period, according to a newly released report.
But worries about concussions are just part of the reason why some families are having second thoughts about letting their children play football.
As we’ve learned more and more about the dangers of concussions and head injuries in football, including from research on the brains of professional players who died, we have seen a drop in the number of kids playing the game.
Participation in Pop Warner youth football leagues dropped 9.5% from 2010 to 2012, according to a report in 2013 by ESPN.com.
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What sport a child may or may not play is an individual parent’s decision — or an individual child’s decision. As Amanda Rodriguez told me, if a child is passionate about a sport or an instrument or some other activity, wouldn’t a parent want to nurse those passions?
And while there is definite debate over whether football has become too dangerous for our children knowing what we know now, it’s clear there’s agreement on a key way to help keep our kids safe: making sure safety is the top focus.
Louise Sattler, a psychologist, educational consultant and mom of two grown children in southern California, said her son played school and regional soccer for years, and suffered one concussion and several other injuries. While opposing coaches always urged him to keep playing, she praised her son’s “astute team coach” who was always cautious and would send him off the field and to the emergency room.
“As with everything in our lives, including football, soccer and other sports, common sense and safety need to prevail,” said Sattler, who is also the owner of a business providing sign language instruction.
“The lesson that we care about health and safety far outweighs the game.”
Would you or do you let your kids play football? Tell Kelly Wallace on Twitter or CNN Living on Facebook.
