Have your parents ever tried to stop you from doing something you love? Guess what. You’re not alone. Millions of parents across the country are stopping their children from playing football because it’s “dangerous.” Read up, Mom, because soon it’s gonna be football season and little Timmy will be asking to play for the third year in a row, hoping for a different outcome from last year. While there have been many warnings issued by concerned parents, the benefits of playing might outweigh the risks by a huge margin, and little Timmy is going to be so happy when he finally is allowed to get dressed up in his long awaited uniform. To all of you mom’s out there, there is a case to be made that football is portrayed to be way worse than it really is.

For instance, playing football can have a surprisingly large health benefit for kids. It gets them moving around and keeps them in shape so they aren’t sitting around playing video games like Apex Legends all day. It also puts them on a better diet, and it makes them want to get up and be more physically active with their lives. They also learn to get stronger because they go to the gym and lift, so if little Timmy is getting bullied, he can stand up for himself. According to Dr. Michael Behr, “You do a lot of different types of training when you participate in football from sprints to distance to interval training and weight lifting, so it’s really a good overall health benefit to someone in any age group.”

Football teaches you hard work, sportsmanship and resilience. This comes from a Stanford medical researcher named Ed Riley, and he shows a study that proves that the people who play high school football have the same amount of a neurological risk as the kids doing glee or choir. He also says “You learn time management, you learn discipline,” says Dr. Behr. “You learn how to deal with losses and disappointments. And those types of things are all really critical to youngsters as they get older and have to apply that to real-life situations.” Football even helps improve your focus. Dr. Behr says that “It forces you to focus on what you’re doing,” explains Dr. Behr. “Otherwise you can be a casualty. So you can’t afford to let down your guard.”

Another benefit is that it also makes kids more social because they can talk to their friends outside of school. They will see them at practice, at the gym and at the games so they aren’t just sitting home, with the only people they are talking to is their random squad in Fortnite. Parents are always complaining that their kids don’t go out to play as much as they should, so this is a great way for kids to get outside and be with other kids.

The biggest problem with football is the worry about injuries, especially concussions.  Many people are worried that kids can be injured for life, but according to some professionals, the game can -- and should be played safely. Teaching kids about tackling without using your head, and letting them know the signs and symptoms of concussions is a good way to prevent major problems. If it isn’t played safely, the opposing team that isn’t playing safely will be punished. It’s a win/win situation! By changing some rules for kids, parents can make sure that they are not going to get hurt as badly and they will be protected from life-long injury.

CDCP studied 3400 professional football players that played from 1959-1988 and found that just 3% of them developed any neurological disease, compared to the general public where it is 1%. However, these professionals have been playing in a much more dangerous environment because back then they didn’t have the same kind of gear that we have today. That stuff barely even protected you, plus kids learn how to safely tackle these days and not lead with your head. There are many other factors that contribute to the dangers of playing football in that time period and still there was only 2% more chance of having neurological problems.

Football can be unsafe. That is, if the opposing team decides to play illegally. If the opposing team decides to make a play that is not allowed, people can get hurt. But why would they want to do that if they are gonna get punished for it? Besides, they would also be putting themselves at risk of being injured. Doing illegal plays will hurt the team doing them, just like doing illegal things will put you in jail. There is absolutely no benefit to doing illegal plays, and they rarely ever happen in football because everyone is worried about major injuries these days.

So, Mom, have you changed your mind yet? I can hear little Timmy begging all the way from my house, and it’s kinda annoying while I’m trying to sleep. Please, let him know the good news so he can be quiet and I can get some rest!