Many towns and cities around the united states have leagues for pee wee football, that includes tackle football for elementary and middle school age children. Due to the love of football around the country, approximately 2.8 million children are active in theses pee wee leagues participate in the sport after school and on the weekends.2 As in any sport or physical activity there are injuries but are there other factors that parent should consider other than the possibility of some bumps, scrapes, bruises and broken bones? Also, is there an age that is too young for children to be playing football? If so what age should parents start considering the sport for their child?
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A study published in the medical journal Neurology by the Boston University School of Medicine looked at the relationship between exposure to head impacts through tackle football prior to the age of twelve.1 The study took forty-two former National Football League players and divided them based on the age they were first exposed to tackle football. They then ran a battery of test to evaluate their cognitive abilities. The results of the test concluded that the group that was exposed to tackle football prior to age twelve showed greater cognitive impairment.1
From reading this study, I question what age children should be exposed to tackle football. However, I also question if the results of this study stand up to a larger pool of individuals and individuals that did not go on to be professional football players?
Regardless, if you think children under twelve should play tackle football or not; we can all agree that the safety and well-being of our children is the utmost importance to parents and others in the community. We should always strive to do what is right for them and promote studies that will help us become more educated on issues such as this.
Sources
1Stamm, J. BS, Bourlas, P. MA, Baugh, C. MPH, Fritts, N. BA, Daneshvar, D. MA, Martin, B. MS, McClean, M.ScD, Tripodis, Y. PhD, Stern, R. PhD (2015). Age of first exposure to football and later-life cognitive impairment in former NFL players.Neurology March 17, 2015 vol. 84. Retrieved from http://www.neurology.org/content/84/11/1114
Youth football participation drops. (2013). ESPN. Retrieved September 27, 2015, from
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