Football is a dangerous sport. That much people have known since its inception over a century ago. It’s physical, violent and taxing on the human body. Suffice to say not everybody was made to play it. At the same time increased awareness over the damage it can do to the brain is a hot-button topic of late. Much of this due to the discovery of CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Recent information reveals that repeated blows to the head, with football being among the biggest sports involved, can lead to degenerative brain issues later in life. Illinois and other states are trying to find solutions to this problem.
One of the revelations that stands out most rests on when people start playing the game. It’s believed that some of the most severe cases of football-related CTE came in those who started playing the game at a young age. At least under 12-years old. As a result, there is a legislative movement in effect to get youth football banned. If passed it would mean kids could not get into tackle football until middle school.
“Illinois would ban tackle football for children younger than 12 under a proposed state law unveiled Thursday.
State Rep. Carol Sente, a Vernon Hills Democrat, introduced the Dave Duerson Act, named for the former Bears player who took his life in 2011 at age 50, at a Chicago press conference.
After his death, Duerson was found to have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to repeated head trauma.
Many other ex-NFL players have suffered a similar fate. Given such tragedies, and the risks Sente claimed are magnified for those who play tackle football under age 12, a legislative fix is needed, she said.”
The law holds plenty of merits but is hardly popular everywhere
Rest assured this issue isn’t going to go over well everywhere. Illinois has never been considered a hotbed for football talent anyway. Not like Texas, California, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Getting such a law passed will be far more of a challenge in communities where football is a way of life. Nonetheless, the law has plenty going for it.
The idea isn’t to erase the game completely. It’s trying to protect kids from themselves. Being so young their brains have yet to reach full maturity and can be sensitive to any sort of trauma. They also can’t fully grasp the concepts of proper coaching on tackling techniques that would help protect them against such injuries.
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There’s no reason to think football will die through an act like this. The hope is it’s a step towards making it safer. The less trauma a person endures playing it, the better off they’ll be in the long run. Not everyone will embrace it though.
