Comment by lj3
10 years ago
> there are sports which will cripple your health in long run, almost guaranteed. many contact sports, it football comes to mind.
Did you play football? The danger of permanent crippling injury has been blown way out of proportion by helicopter parents and the news. Of all the kids I played with and all the kids I coached (volunteer), only one of them ever wound up partially crippled. That kid in particular would routinely do daredevil stunts in his spare time. By the time he injured his knee, he was missing teeth, had blown his eyebrows off three times, and messed up that knee at least twice before stepping foot on the field.
Football is a safe sport, considerably safer than not playing. I hear on the news about concussions and crippling injuries, but I never see it in real life. Those things are pretty rare, especially when compared to vehicle accidents. I've seen far more lifetime permanent injuries come out of the soccer camp, to be honest.
Well, football ain't bull ridin' for sure. There's just something gladiator-exploitative about the whole mess.
Another anecdote: guy I know has a kid that's like a high school... sophomore and in order for this kid to continue to add value as a basketball player, he apparently can't afford to play HS varsity ball. It's a distraction. His other (older) son is approaching 7 feet tall and is totally over organized sports altogether, and is pointed at engineering.
> There's just something gladiator-exploitative about the whole mess.
In what way?
> It's a distraction.
From what? That's the weirdest sort of reasoning I've ever heard.
You're using anecdotes to counter statistics?
What statistics? Nobody's provided any at this point in the conversation. If you have some, feel free to share. Otherwise, I'm going to downvote your comment as unproductive.
The statistics underpinning the fears of parents as to crippling injuries from head injuries in football are well documented, easily Google-able, and far more relevant than your anecdotal experience.
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