Obama: "If I had a son, I wouldnt let him play football"

[The NFL Shield At Midfield]

You know those articles that come up every now and then about some former NFL player with debilitating neurological issues who is suing the league? Everyone who comments immediately comes in with a, "well you knew the risks when you started playing, of course running around and hitting people hard is bad for your health."

This is a pretty normal response to that.

according to convoluted internet tough guy logic, you're a pussy and hypocrite if you choose not to play football or try to dissuade your loved ones from doing so for fear of long-term damage.

but you're a dumbass who "knew what he was getting into" if you do in fact suffer from brain injuries.

[WilmyWood]

When you have a kid you may think differently.

If you don't have kids, you really can't add to this discussion.

My thoughts exactly. Your outlook on life and what matters changes completely once your a parent.

I will encourage my son to play sports, but football will not be one of them. I don't think I would enjoy watching anymore if my kid was out there playing. I'd be a nervous wreck.

[rayzor]

according to convoluted internet tough guy logic, you're a pussy and hypocrite if you choose not to play football or try to dissuade your loved ones from doing so for fear of long-term damage.

but you're a dumbass who "knew what he was getting into" if you do in fact suffer from brain injuries.

lol pretty much.

[rayzor]

When you have a kid you may think differently.

If you don't have kids, you really can't add to this discussion.

agreed with this.

it's a real game changer. quite a lot about my mindset about being a parent changed when i actually became one, and it wasn't like i was some naive kid either, i was well into my 30s.

theres all kinds of things that i did when i was a kid that i don't want my kid to do and its not a bit hypocritical. you learn stuff as you get older and one of those things is the long term effect of things i did that just weren't ultimately worth it.

just because i like watching football doesn't mean i should be willing to let my kids play anymore than watching resevoir dogs means i should be willing to change their names to some color and get involved in some big heist that turns bad and everyone gets killed.

its entertainment.

[SCMunnerlyn1]

Football isn't violent at all compared to what it was so maybe his kid should stick to knitting?

[tiger7_88]

BAN CHEERLEADING!

http://www.livescience.com/2775-girls-dangerous-sport-cheerleading.html

[Snake]

What's next tighter restrictions on Football.

[Zod]

BAN CHEERLEADING!

http://www.livescien...eerleading.html

I'm fine with that. Prefer ladies dancing to cheering.

[tiger7_88]

I'm fine with that. Prefer ladies dancing to cheering.

I'd be fine with banning competitive cheerleading too.

Not for health reasons though.

It's just those cheerleading competitions on ESPN full of those caked-on-makeup little princesses piss me off.

The PAC 10 (i.e. USC, Oregon, UCLA, etc.) have the right idea about cheerleaders.

[philw5289]

football is becoming less dangerous than it ever was. now would be the time to let your kids play

[Salescall]

I normally don't post on here, but had to put my thoughts out there. I have a 12 year old son who is an exceptional athlete, and football is his passion. He currently plays QB and Cornerback. He was the fastest kid in our league last year and scored as many touchdowns running as passing. He played so well that he is being recruited by a few private schools to play QB for them on their JV team (full scholarship). I've been told by several former professional athletes that he has the potential to play at the college level if he continues to progress as he gets older. As a parent, I am excited for him and love to see the success and enjoyment he has on the field. Unfortunately, it also scares the crap out of me as well. He has already had one concussion and a broken collar bone. As much as I hate how our current administration is taking away more of our freedoms, I can certainly understand the concern for a child's safety and their future health. To me it's a great discussion to have. Do I continue to encourage my son to play a sport that he loves and excels in, or do I try to use my influence as a parent and push him into other sports where he may excel as well? Do we want to have our government involved in youth sports in the name of safety, or do we want to make those kinds of decisions for ourselves? I'd like to think I'm smart enough to make a good decision for my son, but right now I can't figure out what is the right thing to do.

[The NFL Shield At Midfield]

BAN CHEERLEADING!

http://www.livescien...eerleading.html

oh so this is going to descend into a football version of the gun control debate where one of the counter arguments du jour is "oh yeah well XYZ activity is dangerous too why don't we ban that!" even though it's a non sequitur given that it does not address the original quote.

which is this, by the way:

"I'm a big football fan, but I have to tell you if I had a son, I'd have to think long and hard before I let him play football," Obama told the New Republic.

http://www.latimes.c...,0,989787.story

[CRA]

No parent should ever tell any of their kids they cant play a certain sport. It always should be you can do whatever you put your mind to.

Disagree. Boxing, MMA, football....all 3 would be a struggle for my child to gain my support/permission

[rayzor]

I normally don't post on here, but had to put my thoughts out there. I have a 12 year old son who is an exceptional athlete, and football is his passion. He currently plays QB and Cornerback. He was the fastest kid in our league last year and scored as many touchdowns running as passing. He played so well that he is being recruited by a few private schools to play QB for them on their JV team (full scholarship). I've been told by several former professional athletes that he has the potential to play at the college level if he continues to progress as he gets older. As a parent, I am excited for him and love to see the success and enjoyment he has on the field. Unfortunately, it also scares the crap out of me as well. He has already had one concussion and a broken collar bone. As much as I hate how our current administration is taking away more of our freedoms, I can certainly understand the concern for a child's safety and their future health. To me it's a great discussion to have. Do I continue to encourage my son to play a sport that he loves and excels in, or do I try to use my influence as a parent and push him into other sports where he may excel as well? Do we want to have our government involved in youth sports in the name of safety, or do we want to make those kinds of decisions for ourselves? I'd like to think I'm smart enough to make a good decision for my son, but right now I can't figure out what is the right thing to do.

i think you probably are smart enough. just remember that you are the parent. he's not the vessel that you are to live vicariously through, neither is his life predetermined that you need to funnel all his energies toward. your main job isn't to be his friend, but it's also not to insulate him from all harm...at least at that stage, but there is a responsibility to try and insulate them from unnecessary harm, and i think thats where the decision gets difficult.

look at the cost vs. benefit of this as well as the likelihood of success vs. long term damage. allow him a chance to make up his mind on this, but also let him know about other directions his life could take and let him know that true satisfaction in life can come in whatever direction you take and at this point in time there's little sense in limiting his world to just this.

i know two guys who had college and even pro guys looking at them as basketball and baseball players who had made their lives all about their sport who ended up walking away from it once they figured out that they were missing out on life and didn't like that their destiny had already been decided upon.