According to Dr. Shavi Khan of Peninsula Orthopaedic Associates, in the United States, there are currently about 25 million participants in youth and adolescent programs nationwide. These sports programs benefit the child in many ways and can have a positive impact on the child’s life. But many adults believe that these high contact sports are too dangerous for children, the most popular and controversial sport being football. Although it is considered dangerous by some, children playing football should be considered beneficial by society because it has become safer, develops teamwork, leadership, and obedience skills, and can assist in bonding between teammates or coaches.

To begin, children playing football can be beneficial because it has become safer to play over the past few years. “Coaches and teams have gotten better at monitoring the health of their players,” says Barry Sanders, a former NFL player, when explaining how the risk of injury has gotten lower over the past few years and how it has become safer to play football as a child. People are learning how to protect their players more effectively every day, whether it be by distributing safer equipment or establishing new rules. These all allow the children to feel safer and play more actively. Barry Sanders also states that as more years pass by, coaches and teams have improved on treating injuries, and with “dozens of rule changes to protect players, [there has been] a 35% reduction in concussions since 2012, according to NFL’s 2015 Health and Safety Report”. This shows that the new rules and precautions that are taken before playing football are effective and drastically reduce football concussions, which is one of the most common and dangerous injuries while playing. Also, Joe Frollo, a spokesperson for USA Football, talks about children and coaches being educated about more effective safety tactics while playing football in a program called the “Heads Up Program”, which is designed to teach coaches and children about football safety. He cites a “2014 study showing a 76 percent reduction of injuries in youth football leagues that follow the Heads Up Football curriculum”. This shows that when coaches and players are more informed about the issue and are taught about ways to prevent them, the information becomes extremely useful during a game or practice. Therefore, children playing football is beneficial because equipment and medical improvements have made the game safer and more playable.

Along with the fact that football has become safer, it also teaches children to be obedient with coaches and parents and develops their teamwork and leadership skills. Jennifer Shotz, a writer for the news magazine “Scholastic Scope”, football has many benefits when playing as a child, as “young athletes learn discipline, focus, [and] teamwork” from playing the sport, which is are very important skills that are nearly necessary for success in life. Also, a writer from the American Grandparents Association named Felisa Billet explains how certain skills that are developed at youth can affect a person’s personality in the future, and how “being part of a sports team helps kids develop [those] crucial… skills”. She goes on to explain how these skills that are learned in youth football can be used almost anywhere in life and usually result in only beneficial advantages for your personality and can influence people to label you as a positive person. As a professional, John Harbaugh, the head coach for the Baltimore Ravens team for the National Football League (NFL) claims that although football is tough, it builds strength and confidence while it also “demands discipline. It teaches obedience. It builds character.” As a coach for a professional team, he has had countless years of experience with football and personally teaches his players about these skills. Clearly, children playing football should be considered beneficial because the sport teaches important life skills that can be utilized in the future.

Finally, child football should be considered beneficial because it assists in teammates bonding with each other and players bonding with coaches. As children progress in playing football, they learn the important values of teammates. They begin to bond with their teammates and make new friendships that can last for a long time, all while learning “to lift our teammates – and ourselves – up together”, says John Harbaugh, a head coach for the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL. As players spend more time with their teammates and coaches, they learn more about each other and possibly spark friendships between the members of the team. These friendships cause better teamwork skills and communication skills. Also, Jennifer Shotz, a Scholastic Scope writer, explains how a connection between teammates is very common in sports such as football and how “players often form lasting friendships”. Players will benefit from developing friendships and will motivate each other as friends to do better, all while having fun. Peter Schwartz, an author for USA Football, comments on why children should play youth football. He claims that his own son plays because he finds it enjoyable and because “he’s making friends for life”. It is noticeable that the son is enjoying his youth football program and that he is benefitting from playing the sport. Therefore, youth football should be considered beneficial because it can create friendships within the team.

Bennet Omalu, a New York Times writer, explains how sports that require or tend to use physical contact to a bigger level and notes how it can “place athletes at risk of permanent brain damage”. With this risk, football is considered very dangerous to play, especially for kids. However, when children play any sport, they take a risk that is just as great as playing football. “There’s absolutely no doubt kids will get injuries in whatever they do. You take certain risks” says Doctor Shavi Khan of Peninsula Orthopaedic Associates while explaining the risk of injury in sports and how it is not very bad. Also, many football leagues have set rules and regulations to follow so that the amount of injuries taken by the players is minimal. Doctor Reginald Washington, who is a chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics, claims that if sports are done correctly, the injury rate should not be surprising and that “sports, if done properly, adhered to the rules and properly supervised [are safe].” Therefore, children playing football should be considered beneficial because football is becoming safer all the time.

Evidently, youth football should be considered beneficial by society. With improving equipment and rules for football, children should be able to experience their passions without the fear of being injured. Also, as children play football, they gain more respect for coaches and adults, which can be an extremely important skill for children to have in the future. They also learn and develop a sense of leadership and teamwork, which is useful when working to overcome hardships and certain situations. All these things that are taught are crucial to our children’s futures, and their choice truly matters.  If we do not allow children to have a choice in playing football, then the sport may never become a reality for children, and many may just not be able to pursue their biggest dreams.

Works Cited
Billet, Felisa. "5 Benefits of Youth Sports." Grandparents. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
Cooper, Tony. "Youth Sports -- Too Dangerous?" SFGate. N.p., 22 Nov. 2002. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
Fischer, Kristen. "Youth Football Can Be Safe Enough for Kids, Say Pediatricians." Healthlines RSS News. N.p., 25 Oct. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
Harbaugh, John. "Why Football Matters, By John Harbaugh  ." News RSS. N.p., 22 Apr. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
Omalu, Bennet. "Don’t Let Kids Play Football." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Dec. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
Schwartz, Peter. "3 Reasons Why Your Child Should Play Youth Football." USA Football. N.p., 12 Aug. 15. Web.
Shotz, Jennifer. "Should Kids Play Football?" (n.d.): n. pag. Scope.scholastic. Scholastic, Feb. 2015. Web.
Sanders, Barry. "Barry Sanders: Should You Let Your Kids Play Football?"USA Today. Gannett,          
         04 Feb. 2016. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.