“Football players with goals succeed because they know where they are going.”-Walter Payton. There are thousands of young boys and teenagers in the US who play football every year, and there are thousands being taken out of the sport they love because of the fear of contact. Boys who love football, who shed blood, sweat and tears for football. The same boys  who grow up wanting to play in the NFL one day, get taken out by their parents. They say to their kids “Yes I know you worked hard, but I don’t like contact so no more football for you”. Here’s why parents take their kids out, some concussion facts, how to prevent them and then sum it all up about why parents shouldn’t take their kids out of football.

It’s no secret that concussions are out there. Concussions can happen to anyone, doing anything. Parents have a thing called Maternal Instincts, which is a bond between a mother and her child that can only be seen through actions of the mother. It’s what causes a mother to put her arm across the passenger seat when her child is up front and they almost get into an accident.  It’s what causes mothers to be so protective of their child in every possible way. A thing a lot of parents don’t realize is that they only see the worst of concussions. They don’t take into account of all the concussions in other sports, or the kids who don’t get concussions. They only look at the bad statistics.

I know for a fact that most parents think that football has the most concussions. There are those who don’t, but for those who do, are wrong. According to Head Case a company that monitors concussions, there were more significantly concussions in girl’s soccer last year, than high school football. Girls soccer, doesn’t have hitting or tackling, yet it had more concussion. In football because people don't run and try and hit the ball with their head like soccer players do. In 2011 ,Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, a professional football team, said  “Football is one of the harder sports to get concussions in, if the players play right, because no one is ever taught to hit someone or something with their head. The players get penalized if they do” .Concussions are complete accidents, and there are ways to prevent those accidents.

The very best way to prevent those accidents is to teach the player how to play correctly. USA Football is doing a program called “Heads Up Football”. Heads Up Football is a way of playing football safely. It teaches kids how to tackle without smashing heads. It’s very similar to “Hawk Tackling”, the tackling style used by the Seattle Seahawks, and now many high school football teams across the country.  Players and coaches can go to their website and become Heads Up certified and prove they play safe. People play how they practice, so when players and coaches practice safety, then that will show on the field.  Another good way to help stay safe is to learn the symptoms and effects of a concussion. Learn why people get concussions, and just be knowledgeable about concussions and the sport.

Parents should know more about the sport in general just like the players should.  A lot of parents don’t realize how much football actually helps kids, not hurt them. The NCAA did a study in 2012, looking at the GPA’s of students in various college campuses around the US. The study showed that student athletes had an average GPA of 0.3 higher than students who were not in a sport. When they asked the student athletes what helps them relax and relieve stress, most of the students responded with the sport they play, such as football, volleyball and baseball. Football helps kids relax and concentrate on the tasks they have off the field. It gets their mind working, noticing a motion on the offense, or watching the linebackers shift and figuring out who they have to block now. Kids learn respect on the field, and in practice, and because of all the things going on it helps keeps kids focused. Football isn’t just another sport, football is a way to make more friends and for a lot of kids, learn what family is like. Players on a team aren’t just a team, they’re a family that always looks out for eachother. There is no other feeling like the feeling football gives a person. If they kid loves football, parents should never take them out of something they love.

In conclusion, parents should not take their kids out of football just because of concussions. I showed why parents do, some concussion facts, how to prevent them and just why parents shouldn’t take their kids out of football. Like Walter Payton said, football players will succeed because they know where they are going in life. Football players love the game of football and every bit that comes with it. From the two a day practices, to playing under the lights in the rain and cold. Parents should ask themselves how they would like it if their parents took them out of something they love before they take their kid out of football.