What Are We Teaching: Youth Sports and Responsibility of Parents

“Pop Warner has put in place the most stringent concussion rules in youth sports and we will continue to find ways to ensure football is safe and fun for our young athletes.’’ This was part of the statement given by a hearing committee in response to a Pop Warner game played in Massachusetts that resulted in concussions for five players ranging from ages 10-12. My question is how responsible are the parents, coaches, and officials and who is the most responsible for this game that resulted in five concussions from a 52-0 route? Also should youth sports even involve contact that is required in sports like football when it is immensely easier for children this young to receive concussions. Symptoms usually do not show up instantaneously and it is hard to diagnose a concussion unless you are in their shoes. According to Chris Nowinski, president of the Sports Legacy Institute, which has devoted its work to concussion prevention and diagnosis, “there is almost no hope of diagnosing a concussion in a child at the time of injury unless it is obvious because they are knocked out.’’ If we know this to be true how can Pop Warner officials say that they are ensuring that football is safe? It doesn't matter how many rules and precautions are taken, unless contact is taken out of the game there is no way of preventing the danger that these children face. Injuries such as concussions also have long term impacts and may not fully affect a person until later on in life as cognition decreases. If development is stunted by concussions then this decrease in cognition can be felt earlier and more severely. Yes officials had an obligation to stop the game due to the leagues implemented "mercy rule", but could the parents and coaches not have done the same? Wife of the winning coach, who is also the mother of one of the players, stated that she did not think her team should have been hit with suspensions because it was the officials fault. If her son had been one of the injured ones then I believe her stance would have been different. On the team's website there is a banner that says "Are You Tough Enough". The ideology of being tough and playing through pain is obviously prevalent at this age ad is most likely perpetuated throughout practice by the coaches. I believe that anyone and everyone at the game is responsible. The comparison between football and war has been made time and time again and if children are not sent to war why are they put on the football field. We should not be teaching youths that it is okay for them to fight against each other, as this mindset can easily socialize them into acting in this manner through other aspects of their life. 

Matt W.
Kin 332i (T/Th 2:00)
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/2012/10/20/one-pop-warner-game-results-five-concussions/nkJydxoAsEGOF0jPjimtWK/story.html