Interesting question/topic, Jon.
I actually did a research paper that touched base on this issue a little. However, the paper was looking at the bigger picture and the sports world/culture/society as a whole so I never really thought about this question in particular.
I remember a thread a while back that had a similar topic of discussion and I remember doing some researching on the matter and found that children end up in the emergency room from bicycling accidents more often than they do from football related injuries. In fact, the numbers were not even close--if I am remembering correctly.
Football was not #2 on the list either. I believe it was somewhere around #4 or #5.
Obviously, the statistics might not be as telling as they might appear at first glance, but they are relevant to the matter at hand. A few points/questions I took away from it:
1. What injuries occur in football that would lead you to take your child to the emergency room? I'm assuming it would be mainly for broken bones and I don't know how often that occurs in youth football. Most times, concussions are not something parents take their kid's to the emergency room for--most people are unaware of the dangers of concussions and fail to recognize the symptoms unless the kid is really struggling or if the kid begins to complain about it.
2. Bike accidents are usually pretty nasty. Most of the injuries that occur are deep cuts, requiring stitches, and broken bones. Of course, these are things that usually require immediate medical attention. Not to mention, concussions can also occur in a bike accident.
So while some parents are very concerned about their child playing football (or other sports for that matter)... How many parents get worried whenever their child goes outside to ride his bike with a friend in the driveway? Do the potential dangers cross their mind for more than a second? Did they have a long, thoughtful discussion when their kid said "I want a bike" ? Was there even a second thought when buying the bike?
My point is:
There are so many things that pose potential dangerous or risk of injury that people don't normally think about. In the winter, do you tell your kid, "Hey, you can't go sledding, you could possibly get hurt." or "hey, you can't go swimming, because you could drown." How many people have sticky mats in their shower? A kid can easily slip, fall, and hit their head in the shower. Do you allow your kids to go to their friend's house if they have a dog? The dog could attack your child. The friend might have a trampoline--which I'm fairly sends more kids to the ER than football--but do you tell your kid they can't go over to play with them?
The list goes on and on. I am not a parent, but I am an extremely cautious worry-wort. I pretty much think of any bad thing that could happen whenever I do anything or go somewhere--I consider every possible danger. (Btw, I have no idea how I will stay sane once I become a dad.)
The thing is, if you look, there are risks in just about anything you or your child does every day, but you can't live life in fear because of the freak accidents or what happened to some kid that your friend's co-worker's sister babysat when she was younger. You just have to use your best judgement and allow your kid to be a kid (within reason).
Of course, this is just my opinion. Who knows what I will be saying when I have my own kid--Although I am hoping he/she will be interested in playing the game of soccer more... Hopefully interest in football or any extreme sports like snowboarding won't be much of an issue.
The other thing that this thread reminded me of is when I tried playing football when I was younger...
It was AT LEAST 10 years ago, but I was told I should play football--so my parents signed me up--I believe it was the last year of flag football for my age.
I went through the tryouts (which I believe were evaluated by some of the high school coaches). I was put on a team and it was decided that I should be the team's runningback. I was ecstatic; I loved football and I loved playing RB. However, my happiness lasted only a few weeks (before I ever played a game).
The coach ruined it for me. He was the father of one of the players. His son was also a running back and was the main running back for his team in the past years. I constantly outperformed him in practice--in every drill. It was obvious to everyone that I was better and it ****ed him off. He would randomly grab me by my facemask, yank me around, and jerk my head--He never simply asked me to do something or told me where to go/stand... he always had to pull me by my facemask to my spot. My parents were not particularly fond of how he treated me and a few of the other players, but they didn't complain and I didn't complain--that's just how I was raised.
About 3 weeks into practice my grandpa passed away from cancer and my family was going to go down to Iowa to stay with my grandma. When I told my coach that I would miss the next practice and told him why... He said, and I will never forget this:
"There are no excuses. If you miss the next practice then you can't play runningback for this team. It is your decision, you either come to the next practice or you lose your spot."
Needless to say, I went to Iowa with my family--I did not have a choice and even if I did... my grandpa passed away... it isn't a hard decision.
I think this is just gives a glimpse into the bigger issue. The culture of sports is getting out of hand--becoming less about fun... and more of a job. Why should a 9yr old kid have to choose between: seeing his grandma after the death of his grandpa and doing something he enjoys? Why is that pressure supposed to be put on him? How can anyone expect a child to make that decision? Why can't two kids split time at the running back position? Why is flag football being taken so seriously and with such competitiveness even amongst friends/teammates? Is it necessary to jerk kids around by their facemasks and yell at them at that age? At that level? I realize this could be an unusual experience compared to many other kids... but my point remains the same...
If you want to play D1 football someday... that decision usually needs to be made by time you are able to walk... and your preparation begins by the time you are old enough to hold a football. Kids are being recruited/scouted at increasingly younger ages now. There is no time for fun or time to try out a bunch of other sports if you plan on playing D1 ball.
That is how the culture of sports is changing. Kids are bigger, stronger, and faster... and I think that directly correlates with the increasing danger and concern. Kids are hitting harder... and the kids that get hit and have concussions? They usually feel like they don't have a choice to come out of the game or tell their coach their hurt. "Play through it!" "toughen up!" Isn't that what they are told to do? Do coaches even say the words: "are you ok?" anymore?
There is so much pressure on them to play (and play well), that safety becomes an afterthought. Which is why so many people have concussions that go unattended to... and the thing about that is: once you have a concussion and don't properly recover from it... you are more likely to get another one... and it will likely be more severe. After the concussions start to pile up the damage becomes permanent and the outcome becomes increasingly bad. That is when you see these awful things happen to such young people.
There needs to be more awareness. As a soccer coach, I am required to take a concussion safety course and must turn in the certificate in order for me to coach. This should be required by all coaches of all sports--it needs to be taken seriously.
The other thing that needs to change is the culture of sports. Kids should not have to feel any pressure when they play sports at these young ages.
Obviously, high school is a different story. It is competitive and pressure goes along with it. But in some areas, kids are being trained/"bred" to be football players at such young ages. Some kids aren't given the choice or opportunity to play other sports they are interested in or would like. The decision is made for them. They are set on a track, a schedule, that is preparing them for the day they enter high school and play on the school team. Some coaches and communities go to such extreme lengths to make sure their local high school football team will be good and will win state, etc.
I can't help but think we are headed into an age where "fun" is no longer the concern or the reason for playing sports. An age where the life lessons are lost and the only thing that matters is winning on Friday night.
It is becoming something you HAVE to do, not something you WANT to do--It is becoming a job, not a sport.
EDIT: Sorry for such a long post... I got a little carried away while I was taking a break from studying for finals.
If you see this and say: tl;dr -- I don't blame ya.
