Home » Partners & Parents » Parents of Athletes » Safe Sports

Safe Sports

© Sue Poremba

There is an episode of the Brady Bunch where Mrs. Brady goes ballistic because Greg wants to play football (apparently, she had forgotten that they let Peter play football years earlier and he got to meet Deacon Jones, but I digress). Mrs. Brady claims that she doesn't want Greg to play football because he could get hurt.

A friend of mine has a son who wanted to play football, and my friend is going through the same fears. She listed a number of injuries that she is worried about and doesn't believe the reports that football is one of the safer sports to play. I've tried to explain to her that football is safe, but she has decided that this is one of those areas where we'll need to disagree.

Truth is, in all the years I've been around football (ie, my entire life), the majority of injuries were hamstring pulls and sprained ankles. Sure, some broken bones and concussions. Concussions get the headlines these days because of the high-profile players who've had them. But the protection does, in general, make football a safer sport.

Any sport is going to be prone to injuries, but there are some ways to prevent them. First, make sure your child is in a good program, with people who know what they are doing. Frankly, there are some sports that are fine being run by "dad coaches," and there are sports that need experienced coaches. Parents need to question if their child's football or hockey or wrestling program is sanctioned by a larger body, rather than a thrown together league, whether there are coaches who have been involved in the coaching end of the sport for a while, whether there are solid safety practices in place.

Second, make sure the kids are learning to play the sport properly. I'm not just talking about the rules of the game. Parents need to be aware of how their child's growth stage fits into the game they are playing. Young baseball players should not be throwing breaking balls; they risk ligament damage to their arms. Young soccer players should not be doing headers; their skulls are not as developed and headers could cause concussions.

Third, understand that so many injuries come not from the game itself but from horsing around. Kids tend to get silly or try things they aren't ready for in practices. Or they let their guard down. Parents need to teach their athletes to take practice time seriously. Let the coach teach you the proper way to make a move or throw a ball. Don't just do it to show off.

The copyright of the article Safe Sports in Parents of Athletes is owned by Sue Poremba. Permission to republish Safe Sports in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.