Argument Synthesis

Preston Wilson
Should kids be allowed to play football? Its a hot debate in the media and on the internet.
While nearly every source available admits to the benefits of allowing a child to play, the risks
are widely debated. On one hand, claims are being made that the sport should be banned for
minors. On the other hand, the risks are being portrayed as inaccurate and overblown. Let me
show you why I will let my son play football if he so chooses.
Its only logical for a parent to have concerns about their kid playing football, but after
doing some research these concerns seem mostly over exaggerated. Dr. Bennet Omalu, chief
medical examiner of San Joaquin County, Calif., and professor of pathology at the University of
California, Davis, who was portrayed by Will Smith in the movie Concussion said, it has
become clear that repetitive blows to the head in high-impact contact sports like football, ice
hockey, mixed martial arts and boxing place athletes at risk of permanent brain damage. Dr.
Omalu furthered his stance in his New York Times opinion article, as a society, the question we
have to answer is, when we knowingly and willfully allow a child to play high-impact contact
sports, are we endangering that child? (Omalu) In other words, Dr. Omalu thinks society needs
to evolve and stop allowing kids to give each other brain damage in the name of a game.
However, Chairman of Neurosurgery at the North Shore Neurological Institute and
mentor of Dr. Omalu, Dr. Julian Bailes counters with, the risk of Chronic Traumatic
Encephalopathy comes from pro football players slamming into each other thousands of times
over the course of years, and not from the kinds of hits that children inflict on each other in a few
Pop Warner seasons (Smith). In addition Michael Kirkwood, a pediatric neuropsychologist at

Children's Hospital Colorado, wrote Concussions are no more frequent today than they were 20
years ago, even if we are better at identifying them. Although they are relatively common in
youth sports, they are not inevitable. Football is one of the highest-risk sports, but only about 5
percent of high school athletes sustain concussions each season. It seems that for young kids
playing football is not all that dangerous. One thing that all of these doctors agree on is more
research needs to be done. What we can be confident about is that no reasonable scientific
evidence exists to indicate that concussion in youth sports causes suicide or late-life neurologic,
cognitive, or emotional problems (Kirkwood). Therefore the concussion risk is not what it is
made out to be by the media. Unless a kid has multiple concussions over a short span, there
doesnt seem to be much to worry about.
Furthermore the way football is coached, officiated, and played is constantly getting safer
with each passing season. Programs are emerging that are designed to eliminate head to head
contact as much as possible. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends officials and
coaches must enforce the rules of proper tackling, including zero tolerance for illegal, head-first
hits (AAP.org). An example of this is how the NFLs Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carrol
is teaching his players to take their heads out of the tackle by tackling like rugby players. He
calls it Hawk Tackling. This method is safe enough to practice without a helmet or pads. Along
the same lines, USA Football has developed their own method called Heads Up Football, also
designed to take the head of a player out of the tackle. According to Dr. Bailes Recent rules
changes made at all levels of football mitigate many of the risks associated with the sport
(Smith). The game will continue to evolve into a safer sport as more coaches, leagues, and
parents keep pushing for safety.

Admittedly, Football is still a little bit dangerous, but the risk is no more so than any
activity, the chances of death playing football are 1 in 50,000, according to
besthealthdegrees.com. This website compares football to other dangerous activities such as
riding in a car 1 in 6,700, mountain hiking 1 in 15,700, dance parties 1 in 100,000, and
computer games 1 in 1,000,000. (besthealthdegrees.com) That makes football roughly 7.5 times
safer than riding in a car and three times safer than mountain hiking. It is only twice as
dangerous as a dance party and 20 times more dangerous than computer games. A parent should
not be concerned about their kid being killed on a football field.
Every parent who lets their kid play football needs to be aware of the risks, but for me the
rewards far outweigh the risks. Football helps kids develop relationships with other kids from
diverse backgrounds. Teams can have anywhere from 15 to 120 players, providing a large group
of potential friends. Players have to cooperate with 10 teammates on every play to succeed. This
teaches kids how to work together to reach a common goal. One of the biggest things football
does is it creates common ground giving kids something that they can relate to with former
players of any age. For me this is especially true, football helps me to relate to older co-workers,
family members, friends, and strangers. For many people watching football becomes a lifelong
hobby that creates a sense of identity and community. In fact the NFL is so popular that
according to USA Todays Chris Chase, Seventy percent of people with a television watched at
least part of one NFL game in 2014, which comes out to 205 million. Furthermore, In 2015,
the top 20 and 45 of the 50 most-watched shows of the fall season were NFL games. (Chase)
That is a whole lot of bonding time for many Americans.
Football helps make kids stronger both physically and mentally. There is nothing more
embarrassing than to see an elite athlete like Paul Peirce in the 2008 NBA finals act like his knee

has been snapped in two, get carried off the court, ride a wheelchair to the locker room, then jog
back on the court 1 game minutes later. This wouldnt have happened to someone who has
played football. It teaches kids the difference between hurt and injured. Participation in youth
sports is associated with innumerable benefits. These include healthier lifestyle habits and
reduced obesity. (Kirkwood) Modern kids need more activities that get them out of the house
and being physically active.
Football helps give kids motivation. How many young boys wouldnt graduate high
school if they didnt have to maintain a certain grade point average to be eligible to play the sport
they love? Personally, in junior high school I had a 0.32 grade point average and didnt care until
I found out I had to have a 2.0 to be eligible for high school football. By the time I was in high
school I had the grades to play.
Football teaches kids life skills. Mike McCann, an Author, Entrepreneur, Football Coach
and Philanthropist, wrote an article for USA Football, 15 life lessons from football that should
not be overlooked. These life lessons are how to: compete; be disciplined; work (really) hard;
lead; follow; be accountable; push others; sacrifice; accomplish something bigger than oneself;
control what I can control; stand for something; finish something you start; be selfless, the value
of practice, and that there are no shortcuts. Another life lesson that should not be overlooked is
learning to fail and recover from failure. Football teaches this lesson on a weekly basis.
While the decision on to allow a kid to play football or not should be made on an
individual basis by that kids parents, I will allow my kid to play because the rewards far
outweigh the risks. Football needs to be seen more for all of the life skills, motivation, toughness
and people skills it teaches its players, instead of a game that will hurt kids down the line.

"The American Academy of Pediatrics Tackles Youth Football Injuries." Aap.org. The American
Academy of Pediatrics, 25 Oct. 2015. Web. 05 May 2016.
Chase, Chris. "The NFL Is Insanely Popular on TV, in 17 Highly-rated Facts." USA Today. USA
Today, 13 Nov. 2015. Web. 05 May 2016.
Kirkwood, Michael. "Guest Commentary: In Youth Sports, Rewards Outweigh Risks." The
Denver Post. The Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2016. Web. 05 May 2016.
McCann, Mike. "15 Life Lessons from Football That Should Not Be Overlooked." USA
Football. N.p., 10 Dec. 2015. Web. 05 May 2016.
OfficialCeltics. "Paul Pierce Amazing Return to the Game after Bad Injury Game 1 Finals 2008
Vs.Los Angeles Lakers." YouTube. YouTube, 17 Jan. 2012. Web. 05 May 2016.
Omalu, Bennet. "Dont Let Kids Play Football." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06
Dec. 2015. Web. 05 May 2016.
Smith, Michael David. "Dr. Julian Bailes Sees Little Risk of CTE from Youth football."
Nbcsports.com. N.p., 8 Dec. 2015. Web. 05 May 2016.
"Your Chances of Dying." BestHealthDegrees.com. BestHealthDegrees.com, n.d. Web. 05 May
2016.