Youth Football

There are however, doctors and parents who feel as though youth football needs to be eliminated all together. A particular doctor, Doctor Robert Stern, the lead author and professor of neurology and neurosurgery had worked on a study that focused on the aftermath on football player 's brains. She said, "They had problems learning and remembering lists of words. They had problems with being flexible in their decision-making and problem-solving." (Farrey). The authors concluded that incurring repeated head impacts in football between the ages of 10 and 12, a critical and sensitive window for brain development, may increase the risk of later-life cognitive impairment. During those early years, the brain is rapidly building connections between neurons

Robert Cantu, a neurosurgeon and colleague of Stern 's at Boston University who did not work on the study, said that young brains are more vulnerable to hits because they lack the coating on the nerve fibers, called myelin, that provides strength and helps transmit information. In 2011, Cantu began advising families with children to avoid tackle football and stick with flag football if possible through the age 14 (Farrey). These doctors have made good points on the subject, but how can parents tell their children they can 't play a sport that they love? A mother who 's son had a traumatic brain injury while playing youth football has no problem telling her other children no and spreading the word about the dangers of youth football. Debra Pyka wants children under the age of 14 to stop playing tackle football in youth leagues (Jones). She had even filed a lawsuit against Pop Warner Football for $5 million claiming that the nonprofit failed to protect its youngest players and warn them and their parents about permanent dangers of head trauma. "I don’t want kids to suffer the way my son suffered, the way my family suffered. It 's devastating. Young children should not be allowed to play tackle football until they reach high

Youth football is one of the major culprits when it comes to concussions in young athletes than any other sport in America. However, youth football leagues and doctors are taking the right steps in decreasing the number of concussions and keeping the young players safe. There are new rules on equipment fitting properly, coaches being certified and educated about concussions, and also drill modifications have been placed. All three of these important aspects are helping youth football become a safer sport for it 's younger athletes. Parents are also taking a step in the right direction by becoming more educated about concussions before their children are hurt and they know what symptoms to look for. The fact that parents are now educated is helping children stay safe. Also, knowing when a child should return to the game makes a drastic difference as well. Although football may still be considered an extremely dangerous sport to most, people are taking the right steps in order to make it a safer, all around sport. Everything children do could end badly and they could get hurt, so to keep them from a sport that they love would just hurt the child. There are always going to be people that want to end a certain sport or an activity all together but the fact of the matter is that it just wont happen. If we eliminate football than we have to eliminate other dangerous sports as well and the world could never do that. Youth football has come a long way and continues to become a safer