Just say no to tackle football for kids

Thanksgiving weekend is full of blockbuster football games: a full slate from the NFL, colleges — including a match-up between the undefeated squads of Michigan and Ohio State — and the Illinois High School Association state championships downstate in Normal.

At the risk of breaking up all the gridiron fun, we want to remind parents of the dangers head injuries pose — even to the youngest tackle football players.

And, yes, the risk of concussions also exists in other sports such as soccer, hockey, wrestling and especially boxing. But participation in boxing has waned, which leaves us with tackle football as a sport with heavy participation in which violence is prevalent and celebrated. It is the most popular sport in America.

All this came to mind when we saw a New York Times article last week about young people who started playing tackle football as young as 6 and died in their teens and 20s. After their deaths, they were diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition commonly known as CTE. It is a progressive brain disease that doctors believe is caused by repeated head injuries. It can only be diagnosed by an autopsy after someone dies.

Hundreds of former NFL players have been posthumously diagnosed with the disorder. Dave Duerson of the 1986 Super Bowl champion Bears, Junior Seau and Aaron Hernandez are some of the most recognizable names.

The New York Times article cited a study by researchers at Boston University who studied the brains of 152 contact-sport athletes who died before they turned 30. Most hadn’t played after high school or college. The study found more than 40% had CTE. Forty-eight of 63 people who were diagnosed with CTE had played football.

Those are startling numbers. They tell us the risk is real for players of all ages.

“We’re seeing the beginnings of this disease in young people who were primarily playing amateur sports,” Ann McKee, director of the Boston University CTE Center said some months back in an article posted to the university’s website.

Parents whose sons were later diagnosed with CTE shared heartbreaking stories with the New York Times of personality changes in their children, some of whom died by suicide. According to the Mayo Clinic, possible symptoms of CTE include memory loss, trouble thinking, difficulty carrying out tasks, depression, emotional instability and suicidal thoughts. Boston University researchers said substance abuse is common.

The view of this Editorial Board has been that boys and girls should wait until they are teenagers to play tackle football. To be clear, parents should never force the game on children at any age. Teenagers, though, are more aware of the risks and better able to decide for themselves whether to play.

Doctors have been divided about kids’ participation in tackle football, but we’ve been on the side of those who say kids should avoid it. We’re glad to see that flag football, which doesn’t involve tackling, is on the rise. Girls increasingly are taking up that sport. And flag football will be added as a sport in the 2028 Olympics. We hope it continues to grow.

At all levels — whether it be the NFL, NCAA, high school ranks or youth leagues — steps have been taken to make tackle football safer. Yet, players continue to suffer head injuries. It’s the nature of the sport. And we shouldn’t subject kids to it.

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