The Pros And Cons Of Tackling In Youth Football

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Tackling in Youth Football Should be Banned Imagine a nine year old boy who loves laughing. He is energetic, and it seems like he is always doing something. He is getting ready for the big football game later one afternoon. He has been waiting for this day for two weeks; it is finally here. Three plays into the game, he gets hit in the head. The boy comes out of the game for a couple of minutes, but eventually his coach puts him back in. A few plays later, he gets hit again, but this time he does not get up right away. When he does get up, he staggers off the field and falls, unconscious. Minutes later, an ambulance comes and takes the boy to the hospital. After hours of attempted treatments, the boy sadly dies. To prevent this common scenario from happening, tackling in youth football should be banned until kids reach early teenage years because it can cause detrimental head injuries, and many other future and emotional effects. Being less developed creates a higher risk for injury. The younger kids are, the less developed they are (Smith). Their heads and necks are weaker so when they are hit, it causes them to have more severe injuries (Smith). Since children are not fully developed, it is morally reprehensible to allow them to play such a sport in which they can possibly have life-changing or life-ending injuries. Far too many high school athletes get concussions from playing football (Watson 35). Approximately 100,000 high schoolers report concussions each year