I Call Heads

This morning Malynn did her usual, "But I still need to do my homework!" after I gave the "time for the bus stop" bellow.  As we walked to the bus stop, we worked on her Scholastic News worksheets.  They had a two page spread on concussions in sports, especially football, but in the rest of them as well to a lesser degree.  The worksheet she was supposed to do had two sides.  They provided the problem (as stated in the SN) and you were supposed to come up with the solution (as stated in the SN).  One of the problems was this:  Over 140,000 children in the US suffer from sports related concussions per year. 
Maynn asked me for the solution.  I said "Stop playing these sports."  Of course, I don't know anything.  It definitely wasn't the answer she or SN was looking for.  Change the rules!  Only let the kids spend 1/3 of their practice time tackling and blocking.  Yes.  Those are the answers. 
I tried explaining to Malynn why I felt the way I did.  Let's compare it to when we make you wear a bike helmet when you ride a bike or ride on your scooter.  "Protect your computer!" we all say.  The likelihood of one of my kids getting hit by a car (although they try to change these statistics on a daily basis) isn't huge.  The bigger concern is that they will fall.  Even then, at the speeds my kids generate, a hit to the noggin isn't going to be super hard. 
Yes, kids wear helmets and pads during sanctioned practices.  No, their coaches aren't trying to hurt them.  Then I read things like this:
Recently, his wife said Karras' quality of life has deteriorated because of head injuries sustained during his playing career.
Susan Clark said her husband couldn't drive after loving to get behind the wheel and couldn't remember recipes for some of the favorite Italian and Greek dishes he used to cook.
''This physical beating that he took as a football player has impacted his life, and therefore it has impacted his family life,'' Clark told The Associated Press earlier this year. ''He is interested in making the game of football safer and hoping that other families of retired players will have a healthier and happier retirement.''
Clark has said he was formally diagnosed with dementia several years ago and has had symptoms for more than a dozen years. He joined hundreds of other former players suing the league.
''It's the same thing as back in the gladiator days when the gladiators fought to death,'' Mitnick, who represents Karras and hundreds of others in the suit, has said. ''Fans care about these guys when they're playing and they are heroes. But as soon as you're not a hero and not playing the fan doesn't really care what happens to them."   ~ Associated Press
I've had three concussions in my life, and none of them came from playing in sports.  The first one happened when I was sledding with my dad down a spectacular jump at some friends' house.  The tube flipped.  I hit the icy bottom head first and then my dad and the tube landed on top of me.  The second was when my dad was teaching me how to drive the big motorbike.  We crashed and my head smacked into my dad's face (breaking his nose).  The last was when I was trying to impress some guys and jumped the bottom 5 stairs in our house, forgetting that there was an overhang from the upstairs.  No sports.  My parents were there for all of them and in fact causing some of them.  Perhaps I should have used a special needs helmet for daily life. 
So, I understand that kids getting hurt can't be helped.  If you allow your kids to live and play, they are going to get hurt.  What I don't understand is when you pay money and send them in to do it knowing exactly what the sport entails.  "Sack that quarterback!  At-tack!"  or "Wow!  That ball was pitched at 80 mph" when that ball is being thrown at a person. 
Does changing the rules make a big enough difference?  I don't know.  The safety gear is improving and there are way more than 140,000 American kids playing sports.  Maybe there isn't a huge risk.  My kids probably won't ever experience a sports related injury because I just am not that mom.  I'm not going to sit in the rain to watch you kick, throw, or catch a ball.  I'm not going to make everyone in the family miserable so that one person can shine.  Well.  We are involved in band and choir, so there is some misery to be had as we listen to 6th graders stumble through "Hot Cross Buns".  But I'm not outside in the rain. 
I guess my soap box ran out of bubbles as I try to justify my view point.  Let your kids play sports or not.  Make sure they are safe.  Even if they don't play sports, beware of sledding, motorcycles, and overhangs.  All this thinking is making my head hurt........