Time To Ban The Header

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/new-worries-about-heading-the-soccer-ball/?ref=health

 

Oh my God. See what you've started Goodell?
You know, this is a path these athletes choose and why they get paid a lot of money as professionals. They know when they start playing that concussions are a risk they might have to face - just as cops know they risk getting shot on the job or firefighters facing the risk of burning to death. Yet they still took those jobs.
It's time for sports leagues to recognize that their athletes are highly rewarded, monetarily, for the risks they face and stop trying to legislate injuries out of their games because that is an impossible endeavor.

 

But what about the children? Does a league have an obligation to set a good example?
Is it a good long term business decision since those kids are their labor pool down the road?

 

Do 12-year-olds know the risks?

 

Deflate the balls a tad. Most competitive youth games I've seen, the ball is a frigging rock.

 

Banning them until high school, same with tackle football, would solve the problem. In this case it would make better soccer players too. A lot of coaches, once they see the magic of the header they kind of forget footwork.

 

I was surprised to see the coaches had our 12-year-old exhange student and his teammates practicing headers just last night. It's a recreational city league, not some traveling club team where everyone thinks they'll get a D-I scholarship offer in the coming years. Of course, I've only coached my son's 5- and 6-year-old team, so I don't really know at what age they normally introduce heading.

 

Seems irresponsible for any coach to introduce headers in this day and age.

 

Soccer players should be banned from leading with the feet, too.

Shins could get bruised. Everywhere!

 

If you told most 6-year-olds playing sports would bruise their brains and give them headaches and make them forget things like Grandpa, they would lose interest.

 

I guess this is an instance where you really can blame soccer.

 

Wussification of Amurrica! How dare you mess with our games! In my day, we didn't allow ourselves to get concussions!

And every other ridiculous comment made in response to attempts to protect athletes from brain injuries.

Now that we've got that out of the way, can we have a serious discussion?