Anyone NOT want their kids to wrestle or play football, or a another dangerous sport?

Sports medicine has come so far since I was in high school. I had 3 knee surgeries in high school all on my right knee. I have no problems with it today between PT and one last surgery my right knee it is stronger than ever. I would not give up those old sports memories. Sports taught me alot.

You can always play baseball, basketball etc after high school. Usually you will never play tackle football after high school.

 

There are some really good points for both sides of the argument, but I'm on the "let him play" bandwagon. I played from 4th-12th grades, mostly starting -as well as playing both ways up to the high school level. I never suffered a severe injury. I've had the occasional "stinger" and a concussion or two, but for the most part, I live only with the creaks and occasional aches & pains that I believe most people in their mid-thirties experience. I truly feel that the lessons and philosophies I learned in football provided me with the tools to do well in college, family, life, etc.. lessons of focus, discipline and hard/team work. These are tools that I'll continue to use throughout my life.

 

I wasn't allowed to play football growing up. (At least real early on) I wanted to play midgets when I was around 7 but my mom said no, and it was one of the few rulings dad couldn't overturn. I was a REALLY small kid so I kind of understand now.
By the time I got up to jr high/highschool where I could make my own decisions, playing a fall sport was the LAST thing on my mind because I was too far gone into bowhunting. The track coaches also coached football and wanted me to play, but like I said, nothing was keeping me out of the woods at that point in time.

 

I don't have kids....but I can tell you my body took a beating playing high school football. I busted my leg (tib and fib) in 10th grade (broken leg is 3/8 inch shorter than the other)....sprained each ankle at least once...separated my shoulder in 12 grade.

My younger brother was an all-state player in high school...had a great career...but now has a bad back from a hit he took in football which may be a problem for him the rest of his wife.

I loved playing the game of football but my body paid the price....if I had a son I don't think I would be disapointed if they did not want to play any violent sports...but If they decided they wanted to I think I would support them in what they want to do.

 

Hey VS do you miss playing? I know I do!

 

I would let him play. Ive seen tons of people get hurt playing basketball, baseball, and soccer. Both of my knees bother me and my hip is in trouble from playing soccer for 13 yrs. I've had surgery on my left knee and they wanted to do one on my right knee but I decided to quit after my freshman year of college. I won a National Championship in a Christian College Association and I would never give up my playing years. I am now 21 and still feel the pain but it reminds me of my high school days. If I have kids they can play whatever sport they would like and get my support. But they will be warned of what can happen and what they will feel like when they are older. Once they are old enough to decide on their own it is they choice.

 

Dawg, I miss it somewhat. I loved football for the 16-17 years I played it. I haved moved on to other things. Well my son had his first practice today. He is a young 7 so I think he was one of the younger kids out of the 50 or so out there today. They are forming three times based on skill level. The coaches seem very good but of course, they favor their little favorites. I dealt with the same thing each time I moved as a kid. Then after I was disrespected I began laying the wood and outrunning everyone.

 

I loved the game, still do. Football did a lot for me in life and yes I did get beat up a bit over my years in Jr.H, H.S. and College, but I have no regrets. The excitement, life lessons, friendships and mental and emotional toughness it taught me far outweighs the aches and pains. My boys love the game, I don't live in fear, I make sure they are as well coached, taught/educated and prepped, then I accept what could happen. It's part of it. No different than hunting.. you take risks period every time you go into the woods. Its the kids that fear the game or play with fear that often get hurt. I teach my boys to be smart and go 100 miles per hour if they are gonna play. The only way I wouldn't allow them to play is if they had a dipstick for a coach that put them in harms way or if they played scared. I also would not care one bit if my boys did NOT want to play. They both have developed a passion for the game though, so my wife and I do all we can to prep them for success and we never baby them or let them make excuses when it comes to playing the game and they eat it up. For now with the mentality that they have for the game I believe they will play through H.S. at least. If they want to hang it up someday for the right reasons. I will back them as well. I would not be surprised though if my boys don't both end up playing college ball somewhere.. someday.. They both love school and football and have some athletic ability to go along with it.

 

Good luck to your boys Troy! If I had a son I'd be writing exactly what you did here. Like you said, hunting Isn't no walk In the park either. I played football and hockey, loved them both. My daughter will have the opportunity to play hockey If she wants. I had a choice between 2 schools on where she will go to school. I choose the school that has the hockey program. As a kid I made my money helping farmers In the area. I think that was more dangerous then any of the sports I played. Valuable lessons were learned In everything I did.

 

Yeah I have some concerns myself. My Daughter is going through a deal right now that really opened my eyes. She was in gymnastics since a tot to around 10 years old and did very well. She is just a born all around athlete. From then till now it has been fast pitch softball. She is a pitcher and its an all year round thing with lessons and practicing form. She is 18 now and will be a senior this year. She was starting pitcher as a freshman and was a small package of dynomite. She has also been with a travel team as well that has killed the competion over the years. Her back started bothering her awhile back and she was in and out of chiropractic doctors and regulator doctors. She was diagnosed with par's defect in her back (small stress cracks in her L5) Doc told us it is very common in teens that play hard sports and it would be her call on how she feels and what she could do. Keep in mind I said regular doctor told us this. We were in the sectional and doing well but she was not pitching her best that day. We had a lighting delay that day and were on hold. Lighting delay was over and she was warming up in the bull pen. Next thing we seen was her laying face down balling with people all around her. We went to see what happened, she said she was bent down taking a break when something poped and she went down. It took 20 minutes for us and the medical doc to get her to a spare dugout and laid down. She was done and in severe pain. I had to carry her in the house when we got home and to the doc the next day. They told us her stress cracks had went the rest of the way through so we decided to go to a specialst in a big city 3 hrs away that treats athlets. He imeadiatly did a CT scan and said her cracks had actually been there for along time and didnt just crack the rest of the way through. He told us that it had been scar tissue built up between them that had let go taking her down. He said she should have been wearing a custom made back brace to keep it aligned while scar tissue built up taking the bones place. The regular doc said she didnt need a brack and she needed therapy. Specialst said no therapy till she wears the brace for awhile to get her feeling better and scar tissue built up again. I fired regular doctor as he was an idiot. My daughter wants to pitch her senior year and specialist said if she does his program with brace and then therapy for 6 months that she would pitch pain free. She was almost a certain scolarship candidate for collage but thats not looking good. I dont care if she ever pitches again, I just want my baby girl to be healthy and pain free. My 12 year old son plays baseball but I wanted him to play football. He is built like a tank and a big boy. He dont want to play football but im thinking maby thats a good thing!!!

 

No kids yet but I know I will worry a lot. I wrestled from the time I was 5 up into D1 college. I'm paying for it now at the ripe old age of 28. Both of my knee's are screwed up. One surgery so far. They both sound like pieces of paper tearing every time i bend them and lock up while I'm sitting on stand. Our lives (2 brothers as well) revolved around wrestling while growing up. No doubt it helped form me into who I am today though.

 

I agree Fats about sports helping boys forge into men. I just hope my son does not hurt his knees like I did in college. I want him to not ache/age like I am doing.

 

This explains it all, great song.

 

Yeah it is a tough one. Sitting at a game or practice cringing at every collision your son is involved in. But in opinion the life lessons you learn in sports are invalueable. I have 3 boys and only one that is interested in a physical sport (lacrosse). I've never forced or persuaded them into playing anything. They all pretty much fell into the baseball/basketball/golf route. Now my middle son has been playing lacrosse for the last 3 or 4 years. I know first hand the physical nature of it and there is some ugly stuff that happens out there. But, I'm not going to hold him back from it.

They only thing I will say is i wont let him go down the road I went. I played varsity lacrosse since I was a freshman in high school. I think that's a mistake these days. Even though the skill may be comprable to a varsity player, the body development is not! I was pretty much a beating stick in practice and got my bell rung in a lot of games by 200+ lb defensemen. Simply wasn't developed at that age. BIG difference in body development between freshman and senior. The game is physical enough to begin with. However the experience of playing at a higher level is invalueable as well. But not worth the long term physical risk. i would say as long as he stays within his age group he'll be fine. You'lll always have a freak of nature kid or two in his age group, but it's better than being surrounded by them. And yes he's still going to get his share of dings along the way. But, will make him tougher and build character.

 

I was almost in the same boat. My parents probably would have let me played when I was younger but I did not have the desire. When I got a little older (12 yrs old), I started working for my uncle at his produce stand so that took up a lot of my spare time. In the fall after school, all I cared about was getting home so I could go hunt.

I somewhat regret not playing football. I had my entire life to hunt. Oh well.

 

I struggle with this one also, I played football and I know with my size going to the next will be very tough for my son. Looking back am I glad I played? Yes and no, I enjoyed playing on Friday nights, I was lucky have never been hurt and I have no issues from my playing days. I did get hit in the neck my SR year and strapped down and taken of the field(just a stinger I was fine). With other fall sports now avaible, I hope he chooses one, but he hates soccer and loves Flag Football, so I think I am dommed

 

I have a 15 year old son that I encouraged to try several sports when he was young, he loved baseball, hated soccer, tolerated basketball, enjoyed football and was indifferent to track. He played baseball up until last year when he decided riding the bench was getting old. He loved the sport but didn't excel at it. Football was ruined by a tough 8th grade year with a coach that didn't know the game and only gave reps to the biggest and strongest kids despite their athletic ability. He moved on to cross country and track going into high school and seems to really enjoy it. I've let him make his decisions on sports, I had my glory days and they are far behind me now, no parent should try to relive them or try to make up for what they failed to do. My daughter is just getting to the age that she has options for sports, her competitive spirit will be fun to watch as it grows.

I didn't play organized sports other than baseball until Junior High and had my share of injuries in 10 years football. Thankfully none were debilitating and I look at it as part of the game. Most could have happened in any sport or walking to a stand, only a couple were collision related. All and all I think I'm a better person for having played sports but others may argue that.

 

I was just sitting here thinking that I wouldn't have to deal with that problem since I have two daughters, both destined to be undersized, not as small as I am, but smaller than average. Then I recalled reading that cheerleading is more dangerous than any other high school sport.

 

My son is 6'1 and weighs 130lbs. He's playing football and getting the snot beat out of him daily in practice. He won't play baseball or golf and isn't very good at basketball. He's playing WR and has good hands, but seeing him get hit by kids 40-50lbs heavier is hard to watch. Do I wish he would quit? At times, yes. But he's having fun and is turning into a tough kid. I'm not going to stop him, but I'll never stop worrying about him getting drilled by corners at mach1 lol.

 

I watched him first day of full contact tonight. He tried hard but doesn't have a clue...hahahaha! Half the kids have played a full year and he is very young. The first guy he was matched up with tonight was at least 6 inches taller than him. He gave it his all. I talked with him after practice and showed him one tip and moved on so as to keep it interesting. Then, I asked wether his true strength came from his body or mind....he thought and thought, then he pointed to his head. Mission accomplished.