There are a plethora of people who love playing football all over the world. This not only includes adults but also children of all ages as a reason to why this form of the game is included in the school’s academia, where children are trained and schooled on how to play this game efficiently. Football is a sport that deals with first-hand interaction with other players on the field. Different techniques like tackling, sacking, blocking or defending, if played non-cautiously, can put the players in grave danger. Many types of research and surveys have revealed that American football has the highest number of concussions in the field. The brains and bodies of children are still under development at a young age, and sports like football can expose them to various clinical conditions like depression, headaches, behavior that is convulsive and long-term clinical conditions which might include chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s. On the other hand, different associations, leagues and authorities are taking expedient actions like incorporating protective gear, coach’s training and other different defensive and safety measures in order to make the sport of football as safe as possible for children. This paper will focus on the Rogerian Argument on children playing football.
Many healthcare professionals, parents and other sports critics have a consensus on the fact that football is a dangerous game, especially for the developing brains of children. Their biggest and foremost concern is the head injury or head concussions associated with it. These concussions, if left untreated, can lead to life-threatening conditions like CTE or Alzheimer’s disease. Many experts are adamant about banning youth tackle football because of the rising number of injuries in players like sprain, strain, fractures or concussions. Coup countercoup injuries in football can lead to irreversible brain damage causing memory loss with time, hence restraining parents from encouraging their children to enter the game. Moreover, since football is a competitive and highly pressurizing game, it can lead to low self-esteem and depression in children at times when they are unable to win the game. Similarly, athletic children who play football develop a superiority complex in context to other non-athletic students, therefore staining their personalities in a negative way(O. Faude et al.).
While there are circumstances where parents and healthcare professionals can stand corrected, the positive impact and implicit influence that football has on young minds can neither be ignored as well. It is an agreeable factuality that football is a high-impact game that can lead to concussions and other head injuries but if players are well-trained by coaches, for example, during tackling, if they are taught to use their shoulders instead of their heads, the consequences of injuries can be reduced to a much lesser extent. Athletic students are treated and coached differently in order to enhance and brush their capabilities and talent, therefore, teachers and coaches can work cohesively to make sure they stay down to earth as much as possible. There is no sport in this world that does not pose a risk to the players, but there are authorities and leagues such as NFL’s Concussion Management Policies and Procedures, that have imposed rules and regulations to safeguard the players’ safety as much as possible(Oliver Faude et al.).
Football is one of the most loved and highly practised games in the world with so many advantages for young children. While parents and guardians are fearful regarding their children playing football, children should be supported to pursue their career in this game if they are passionate about it, as this sport is a great way to infuse positive self-esteem in the growing minds of children and builds a sense of cooperation in them. It helps in building strong friendships, develops teamwork and cares for others(Harrell et al.). It not only helps children to understand how to accept defeat and triumphs with sheer optimism but also abets them in acquiring physical and mental fitness.
Although football has its negative impacts on the health of young children, it should not be banned altogether, negating its positive impacts completely. Different measures can be taken in order to safeguard the physical and mental health of children, for example, by using protective gear like helmets, pads, mouth guards and chest protectors that can protect them from any direct impact. Children have a free will to either practice football or not, but if they do want to pursue football, then different program units should be built in order to train them how to tackle the ball without head-on collisions, how to wear the protective gears properly and when to report if there are any signs of concussions or not(Moreno et al.). However, it is not necessary to always play a game with competitive intentions only, children should be taught these precautionary measures even if they play football just for fun.
While health concerns regarding football are certainly unavoidable, football cannot be discouraged altogether, as millions of people all around the world would want this game to thrive for decades to come. If schools, colleges and training centres imply these protecting and safeguarding policies, learn about proper gear fitting and use safer game techniques, then football can be a safer game to play. They should incorporate better diet plans, strengthening and stretching exercises and positivity in the field of play so that there is no aggression during the practice or in the field. Allowing children to play football with great passion and enthusiasm would not only help them to better their personalities but also help to achieve self-confidence altogether.