Time To Ban The Header

[Boom_70]

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

 

[RonClements]

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.

 

[Boom_70]

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?

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

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.

Do 12-year-olds know the risks?

 

[poindexter]

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

 

[LongTimeListener]

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.

 

[partain]

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.

 

[Boom_70]

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

 

[Riptide]

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

Shins could get bruised. Everywhere!

 

[Versatile]

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.

 

[mpcincal]

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

 

[outofplace]

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

Shins could get bruised. Everywhere!

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?

 

[spikechiquet]

Deflate the ball a bit and make these mandatory:

<img src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2004/11/27/sports/27soccer.1844.jpg">

Not that I am in favor, but those are suggestions.

 

[outofplace]

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.

Agreed on football and soccer. Making it mandatory for every school district to have a very specific protocol for dealing with concussions, and to have minimum requirements for those plans, is also important. New York already has that, but I'm not sure what other states do it.

 

[Shoeless Joe]

I have had one concussion in my life, and it was from heading a soccer ball. It was my fault. It was January, and the ball was hard as a rock. I was playing in the back, and a long ball out of midfield came into the box. I jumped straight up to meet the ball with the top of my head instead of my forehead. I rung my bell at the time, and for the next 4-5 days it felt like someone was driving a spike through my head.

That doesn't mean I'm for or against banning headers, and I'm sure as hell not in favor of those stupid headband helmet things. I'm just saying it can happen.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

I played for years. In all that time, I only knew of two or three people suffering concussions while playing. Every single one was from running into the post.

 

[SpeedTchr]

I, too, have suffered only one lifetime concussion -- running full speed across the back yard to catch a football, I stepped on a *** and took the handle right between the eyes. Good night, Irene.

Football is dangerous. :-}

 

[fossywriter8]

I was told I tried to ice skate off the front porch when I was in junior high.
I remember saying I would, then I remember waking up -- in between is just a blank.

 

[Football_Bat]

The bigger danger from headers is from bumping noggins with an opponent when going after a 50-50 ball.

 

[Tom Petty]

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

yeah, that topic only is like two years old, but good work:


http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/mar/16/heading-taking-lot-blame-concussions-increase-socc/