Football and What It Costs.

Terrific work here by Greg Bishop and Kris Jenkins.

www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/sports/football/kris-jenkinss-view-of-life-in-the-nfl-trenches.html?hpw

 

For those of you who have young kids, will you let them play football?

I used to laugh at parents did so. Now, I'm not nearly so sure. Closer to leaning the other way.

 

Agreed. Terrific work. Left me wanting more detail on some of morsels that Jenkins spoke of including his put downs of Mangini, John Fox, TO and Ocho Cinco.

Figured it would be usual fair of bitter former player banged up and unable to live his post player life. Not even close.

The NFL should hire Jenkins to run their new player indoctrination program.

Most insightful thing he said was how important that strength and conditioning was to a lineman.

 

As far as sports writing is concerned, Greg Bishop is consistently doing some of the best work of any newspaper guy working.

 

Taking this to mean you used to laugh at people who kept their kids out???

I know few people who will allow their kids to play. My son would be a good candidate -- he is 9 yo and weighs a fairly solid 110 pounds, lots of bulk and strength but he is so slow when he plays hoops, soccer etc. we would let him play in high school if he maintains this size, but we wouldn't let him play before then.

And I can honestly say that if you told me now he would end up with a Division I scholarship, I would not let him play now. Too much lasting damage on the body.

One very disturbing thing is, I have talked to a lot of youth and HS coaches who still think this concussion talk is much ado about nothing.

 

Yes. Thought they were being overprotective.

See, I might go the other way.

As little kids, the size and speed is unlikely to be enough to cause damage. By high school, the game can be pretty fast, and the collisions can do dome damage.

Obviously, it only gets faster in college, the players get bigger, and the cumulative effects come into play.

 

Not much ado about nothing but overblown.

If you wait until your kid is in HS he is at a disadvantage of not being used to contact. He will be going against players who already made peace with that aspect of game at age 8.

Year in and year out youth teams lose more kids to injury outside of football than in . Kids get more banged up in gym class and unsupervised playgrounds.

 

SI had an article awhile back about a researcher on Ohio who was finding that the cumulative effect of the thousand little hits of youth ball is greater than, and exacerbates the effect of, the big hits in high school.

 

I have a toddler the pediatrician says will be 6'4".
Built solid.
First word was ball.
Strangers look and him and remark, "Whoa, looks like a little football player!"
Around about junior high, the school coaches will come after him.

The answer is not no, but hells no.

Isn't basketball the most wonderful sport?

 

Headers in youth soccer are also damaging.

 

I know, and I don't teach them when I coach (10U to this point). Danger does not even approach that of football, though.