Youth Sports: Children Turning to Tackle Football

In my American Sport in the 21st Century class we learned

about the risk of children playing football due to the many head injuries that are caused by playing the sport. My class discussed how many 

Concussions are
75% more likely in tackle football than any other
 sport in the country.

parents are forcing their kids to play alternative sports so the risk of injuries is not as high. One of those alternatives are flag football. In an article wrote by Sarah Mackulin on February 15^th, 2016 for pghflagfootball.com shows how parents are frightened by their children playing tackle football. In this article Mackulin shows that one parent puts their son into flag football because it teaches him the game and doesn’t have him injured by the age of 8. Some parents also stated in the article that their children are too small and this sport keeps them active without the high risk of injuries. Mackulin also states a study done by the Sports Concussion Institute in which they say that concussions are 75% more likely in tackle football than any other sport in the country. That statistic alone is terrifying those parents whose children want to play youth tackle football. If I have a son in the future I know I will be hesitant when it comes to him playing tackle football. I would not want my child to have significant injuries that could hinder his life in the future. It is scary for the youth in today’s society and it is scary for football as a whole because if more kids play football then more of them could obtain injuries and gravitate to different alternatives as we discussed in class. Throughout my class I learned that concussions are a scary thought especially if you are a sport manager because the youth is our future. You can read Mackulin's full article by following the link below:

http://www.pghflagfootball.com/news_article/show/612183?referrer_id=187103

Should youth tackle football be age restricted? Yes.
Should flag football be a more publicized sport for youth athletes? Yes.
Are concussions hurting the sport industry? Yes.

Why do children participate in sport? Look at the model that we learned about in class below.

Genetic Make up of Parents -> Childs Genetic Make Up -> Socialization via Socialization Agents ->
Motivation to Participate in Sport -> Participation in Sport

Sport and Education: College athletes missing out on education

College Athletes are putting more importance on athletics then education

On February 18th, 2016 my American Sport in the 21st Century class learned about Sports and its reflection on education. As talked about in class high school athletes play sports in hopes to obtain a scholarship and their parents share the same dream as well. Obtaining money for college helps teens coming out of high school today, but some high school athletes are taking the money then playing one year in the NCAA for basketball or only three years for football as we discussed on February 25th, 2016 in class. I know if I received a full ride scholarship I would be thrilled because then I would not be in a lot of debt in the future and I could obtain an education for free. In an article wrote by Jim Tucker for the Sports Business Journal on January 11th, 2016 he shines a light on the one and done athletes of the NCAA and the football players who only play a three year college career then go straight to the NFL. He shows how college athletes are not focusing on their academics and instead focusing on athletics which is an abuse among intercollegiate sports as we also discussed on February 25th, 2016. I tend to agree with him when he states that college athletes are missing out on an

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers PG,
played only 1 year a Duke

education. Unfortunately in the world today universities are not only looked at for their academics, but for their sports programs as well. This at the division one level is very accurate when you look at coaches salaries as we discussed in class. In todays society you either have an education or the talents to be a professional athlete. Tucker also feels as if some athletes think that sports are going to take them everywhere in life and that some athletes throw their education out of the window. Athletes need to realize that there is a world outside of sports and that they should get an education so that they can obtain a job in the future. Tucker has many more good points regarding this issue and you can read them by following this link:
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2016/01/11/Opinion/Jim-Tucker.aspx?hl=Sport%20and%20Education&sc=0

Should education be important to college athletes? Yes.
Do universities stress education as much as they should for college athletes? No.
Is there too much of a focus on athletics if you are a college athlete? Yes

What are the abuses of intercollegiate athletics? Below are abuses we discussed in class.
- Easy Majors and Academics
- Illegal Recruiting
- Exploitation of Athletes
- Pressure to win
- Pressure to make money