Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
August 15 , 2003, Washington Post

Are You Ready for Some Football?

"Hey, Mom, may I play football?"

This time of year, lots of kids ask their parents this question. And lots of parents say, "No way."

I'll bet those moms and dads say no because they are thinking about the bone-crunching blocks and tackles you see every weekend in the National Football League and in big-time college football. Probably every time a blitzing linebacker slobber-knocks an NFL quarterback, some kid misses out on the chance to play football.

But kids' football is nothing like the NFL. I am going to tell you something that may surprise you. Organized football among 5- to 15-year-olds has fewer injuries per player than organized soccer for the same ages. That's right, fewer injuries. And organized football is a lot safer than activities that kids do all the time, including bike riding and skateboarding.

I got these statistics about youth football from the folks who run the Little Scholars Program at Pop Warner Football. Now, I know what you're thinking: Sure, the people at Pop Warner are going to say that football is safe. They want kids to play football.

Fair enough. So check this out. Last year, the Mayo Clinic (a very famous hospital) published a study on injuries in youth football. For a season, the Mayo doctors studied 915 players (on 42 teams) between the ages of 9 and 13. The doctors found that the risk of youth football injuries "does not appear greater than the risks associated in other recreational or competitive sports." Most of the youth football injuries are "mild." Stuff such as bruises and muscle strains.

I should warn you, the Mayo study also found that older players, and certain positions such as running back, suffered more injuries. Football does become more dangerous when the kids get bigger, faster and stronger. But that might be a reason why kids should start playing football when they are younger and smaller.

"It's important for kids to learn the proper way to block and tackle and how to protect themselves when they get hit," says Steve Willertz, a former University of Notre Dame football player who coaches the Severn Seminoles, a 65-pound team in the Anne Arundel County Youth Football Association. "I really think if kids start playing earlier, they will be safer later."

Okay, does this mean that you won't get hurt if you play youth football? I didn't say that. Football is a tough game at any age. Kids can get hurt. Unfortunately, some kids get seriously hurt. That's why if you play, you should always wear the right protective equipment, make sure you drink plenty of water and use the safest techniques to block and tackle.

Kids can get hurt playing almost any sport. All I am saying is that kids' football is safer than a lot of people think. And I think that any kid who really wants to play a sport, even a rough sport such as football, shouldn't be kept from playing the sport just because there is a chance that they might get hurt.

No way.