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Should kids should spend more time studying and less time playing football?
• Injury statistics alone may answer the question
Sunday,
July 4, 2010
In a day and age when violence on TV, on the streets and in schools is on the rise - and more professional athletes are getting in trouble with the law - maybe it’s time to get our kids back to the books instead of having their heads and bodies collide dangerously in the name of pursuing a ball around a field.
After all, there are more effective means of staying fit with less chance of spinal injury or brain damage, especially during a time when healthcare costs are on the rise and American education is in decline.
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Losing the Northwest Broward Raiders as indicated in a recent Forum article might encourage young people and their parents to engage in more constructive activities and better support education in the home; this in an effort to combat the rapid decline in the overall intelligence of American children.
The quality of secondary education in the U.S. ranks behind that of Japan, Germany, Australia and the Czech Republic in areas of reading, science and math, reports parade.com., a sign that the U.S. academic stronghold in the global arena is fast eroding.
How dangerous is football for your child?
According to UAB Health System of Alabama, about 30 million children and teens in the U.S. participate in some form of organized sports every year, resulting in more than 3.5 million injuries to kids ages 14 and under.
Contact sports such as football result in a higher number of injuries than non-contact sports such as swimming or track, reports UAB.
According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics:
• Approximately 188,000 children ages five to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for football-related injuries in 2009.
• More than 775,000 children, ages 14 and under, are treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries each year. Most of the injuries occurred as a result of falls, being struck by an object, collisions and overexertion during unorganized or informal sports activities.
• Sports and recreational activities contribute to approximately 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among American children.
• The highest rates of injury occur in sports that involve contact and collisions.
• Most organized sports-related injuries (62 percent) occur during practice.
Although Margate City Commissioners have denied the Raiders access to Margate’s Oriole Field for games and practice, there is some indication that the topic may be discussed further at the July 7 Margate City Commission meeting.
Reader Opinion.
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