<p>hops- My son’s classmate who died was the one who was tackled- not the tackler. It was a legal hit, but caused a brain stem injury.</p>
<p>MoWC, ok? 
</p>
<p>I’m just wondering why that was directed toward me. </p>
<p>Players duck their heads in all aspects of the game- both on offense and defense.</p>
<p>If anybody wants to see a video on football head and neck injuries, go to Youtube and search for “NATA Heads Up”</p>
<p>"Barnie, it seems like you are arguing my point for me. My point is that head gear should be worn by soccer players. Your point is that it is not, because the fields are too hard. If the fields you use are so hard, that is more of a reason to use head gear.</p>
<p>The literature is full of the effects of repetitive head injuries on brains of any age. There is a movement (A BIG ONE) to remove heading from the sport of soccer completely. I am sure you can find it by googling."</p>
<p>No actually I was pointing out your arguement that “heading the ball” causes concussion. I disagreed from practical experience the field, other players and the posts are a greater risk than heading a ball. </p>
<p>I also pointed out that the headgear resembles a head band, and as such doesn’t really protect the chin, top of the head, back of the head or nose. As such it is a limited device, far less protective than a rugby scumcap (around much longer), which pads the entire head and hides those “tasty” ears. If you want to shill a product by all means do so. It is not just me who is skeptical of the padded headband as a safety device. But I certainly just as FIFA, the USSF and other soccer organizations will not stop you from buying one. Just learn what the real head injury risks are to the sport. </p>
<p>“There is a movement (A BIG ONE) to remove heading from the sport of soccer completely”</p>
<p>And no there isn’t. Sorry. A few moms in America aren’t going to change the world’s most popular sport. You might have a league or two ban something. Heck some leagues play quarters… but you call me when FIFA or USSF or NFHS institute this law change. 
</p>
<p>“U.S. Soccer Federation Statement on Use of Padded Headgear”</p>
<p>An emerging issue in the world of soccer is the use of padded headgear by players. USSF has received a number of inquiries from its members about whether use of headgear is either appropriate or recommended.</p>
<p>FIFA Laws of the Game, Law 4, “The Players’ Equipment,” does not include headbands in its list of basic compulsory equipment. However, under the “Safety” clause of Law 4, players who opt to use padded headgear should be permitted to do so, so long as the referee confirms that the equipment is not “dangerous to [the player] or another player.”</p>
<p>While players should be given the option of using headgear, it is not permissible for any USSF member or affiliate to require use of headgear by players. USSF Bylaw 104 states that FIFA Laws of the Game shall apply to soccer games that occur under the purview of USSF. FIFA Laws of the Game, Law 4, provides a specific list of mandatory equipment (including jersey, shorts, socks, shoes, and shin guards). Headgear is not on this list, and it is not within the authority of USSF’s members to amend the Laws of the Game in this way.</p>
<p>It is important to point out that there is much to learn about headgear. A recent study sponsored by FIFA’s sports medicine committee concluded that headgear provides no measurable benefit in head-to-ball impacts, but does provide “measurable benefit” in subconcussive head-to-head impacts. However, there are still many unanswered questions – most importantly, the extent to which this sort of headgear diminishes the risk of concussions, if at all. USSF’s Sports Medicine Committee continues to monitor the available literature and push for further research on such questions as whether decreasing impact force translates into decreasing concussions and whether use of headgear creates a false sense of security among players or causes them to play more aggressively.</p>
<p>It is also important to remind players, coaches, and parents that headgear is not a substitute for proper medical evaluation and treatment of concussions. Consultation with a doctor is always a best first step after suffering any sort of head injury.</p>
<p>USSF and its Sports Medicine Committee will continue its efforts to stay educated in this area and to update USSF members when appropriate.</p>
<p>cheers.</p>
<p>“Soccer - yep dangerous. I have seen many injuries - our hs keeper one year was kicked in a sensitive area and nearly became sterile. He was hospitilzed with trauma to the testicle. Fortunately removal was not required but it was a serious emergency.”</p>
<p>Used to have to talk to older boys coaches about the hs aged boys desire to wear boxer shorts and the issue of “tortion of the testicle”. Thank goodness compression shorts have worked their way into the game. We had instances were several “free rangers” ended up in emergency rooms after practices. </p>
<p>;)</p>
<p>Barney, studies by medical authorities (neurologists) and the dates of the studies are the ones you need to cite. </p>
<p>Too bad about your testicles! Ouch! I am more concerned about brains.</p>
<p>Soccer fields today are lined with sand to drain the water, under a thick layer of grass. I’ve never seen the type of injury you are describing on such a surface.</p>
<p>ha ha ha</p>
<p>Here we have mud ( compacted dirt in summer) " artificial turf" &
grass like substance and dirt.</p>
<p>My daughters home field for soccer had puddles so large you couldn’t get the ball over, it just stuck in the middle! They had a great time- and then you had the bunny hazards.</p>
<p>In high school track team- they didn’t have a track to practice on.
So they ran on the sidewalk down to the UW and back up the hill.
Some times they would run through the neighborhood to the lake.
Not only is that nasty on your feet & makes shin splints, but as she attends an " inner city" school, some times there were dogs that were not under anyones control. Let alone having to watch out for cars that weren’t paying attention.</p>
<p>Then they got permission to use the track at another city school. Very nice track- however, after a few too many firearm related incidents ( not related to the school) on the campus, the principal said that they had to go back to running around the neighborhood.</p>
<p>Field Hockey- my D fractured another girls ankle with a hard hit up the centre of the field. And I saw a teammate get hit in the chin, it was scary especially since she was stupidly not wearing her mouthguard.</p>
<p>My D plays rugby and in her first team experience with a lot of newbies, it was amazing how many girls injured their shoulder/collarbone- mostly girls who had no history of being very athletic, they would fall and their tiny little unprotected bones snapped and separated. My DD, an athlete all her life has never broken anything, tackled harder and was tackled harder than the injured girls, but she had developed muscles and she, as a gymnast, knew how to fall. One girl got two concussions, and it was because she had no clue how to fall, an easy little fall and she would bang her head on the ground. It seemed like if you were athletic and fit then you did not get hurt except in extreme circumstances. Most people I saw get hurt were not physically fit enough for the sport and got hurt in situations that would not hurt a fit athlete.</p>
<p>But then, as a lifelong athlete you can start being hit with all the overuse injuries!</p>
<p>As as an AYSO soccer ref I have to admit I had never heard of soccer headgear, much less seen players wearing it. Googled it and there you go. Lots of advertising, and even a few studies. About half the studies thought it worked and half didn’t. The thing that surprised me is the Full 90 headgear protects your head in situations where the ball is correctly headed (where, from experience, it doesn’t hurt without the headgear) but doesn’t protect you from balls headed on the top of your head, or the side, or all the places I know it hurts when I misjudge the ball. So its pretty much meant for those folks who are good at heading balls.</p>
<p>“Full 90 headgear protects your head in situations where the ball is correctly headed (where, from experience, it doesn’t hurt without the headgear) but doesn’t protect you from balls headed on the top of your head, or the side, or all the places I know it hurts when I misjudge the ball. So its pretty much meant for those folks who are good at heading balls.”</p>
<p>Yup. That’s been my point, it’s a stylish compression headband. But hey, I used to wear compression ankle braces mainly for joint warmth (pacific nw cold and wet). I used to tape my wrists in the belief that it helped parry shots away from goal… so if you “think” it works, it probably does in some way. </p>
<p>It still does not replace proper skill developement.</p>
<p>"Barney, studies by medical authorities (neurologists) and the dates of the studies are the ones you need to cite. "</p>
<p>I’ll wait till my kid becomes a doctor and trust his opinion on the subject. He actually played the sport and has an idea of the level of contact. He actually scored more than half his goals with his head. Didn’t effect his cognitive skills all that much. He was taught from an early age on, how to head the ball correctly. </p>
<p>One point you may be lost upon is this headgear is NOT a replacement for proper training and skill development. there has not been a consistent conclusion on the subject of heading so far. </p>
<p>“Too bad about your testicles! Ouch! I am more concerned about brains.”</p>
<p>Mine have always been fine thank you. I’m an irishman… why do you think we drink and fight and sing sad songs? ;)</p>
<p>“there has not been a consistent conclusion on the subject of heading so far.”</p>
<p>Exactly! Better safe than sorry!</p>
<p>Data: <a href=“Head and neck injuries in soccer. Impact of minor trauma - PubMed”>Head and neck injuries in soccer. Impact of minor trauma - PubMed; (1994) shows soccer players have more head and neck injuries.
but this study says not:
<a href=“http://ajs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/24/2/205[/url]”>http://ajs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/24/2/205</a>
and Swedish hospital here in Seattle worries more about knees than concussion:
<a href=“http://www.swedish.org/17332.cfm[/url]”>http://www.swedish.org/17332.cfm</a></p>
<p>Thanks for the links dmd77. Note the dates of the studies. They are ongoing. I do agree that knee and other injuries are prevalent in soccer, but a brain is a brain! A permanent brain injury is a bit more serious. You can tear a meniscus and no longer be able to play soccer, but you have your mental capacity. Retinal detatchments are not uncommon.</p>
<p>Hops- I was replying to THIS part of one of your earlier posts: “But done correctly, it is safe to tackle. Shoulders down; Head up. See what you hit.”</p>
<p>I was pointing out that it isn’t necessarily safe to BE tackled.</p>
<p>MoWC, I didn’t say anything about BEING tackled. Of course it’s dangerous. Running and blocking carry the same guidelines: see what you hit. Players tend to duck their heads to protect their face. That sets up axial loading where enough force will cause spinal damage and could easily cause brain damage as well.</p>
<p>josiejoe,</p>
<p>“However, it is not the one hit. It is the multiple hits that your brain sustains over many, many years, and the jarring of the brain within the skull. This type of very injury is very common amongst boxers. Mohammad Ali’s condition was related to his boxing.”</p>
<p>Nice try. Again, you are incorrect on Mohamed Ali’s diagnosis. Unfortunately, his physicians forgot to check with you to obtain the “correct” diagnosis. Furthermore, the boxing analogy is interesting. When is the last time you ever saw someone in a boxing match get knocked out by being hit (even repeatedly) on the forehead? It doesn’t happen. Knockout punches are delivered to the side of the head. This is due to the geometry of the skull & brain, bridging veins, etc. As UCDAlum82 says, proper heading does not hurt. The head rotational accelerations associated with heading a soccer ball (which are what affect diffuse head injury such as loss of consciousness) are substantially below the threshold for neurologic deficit, including concussion. You can hypothesize until the cows come home, but the math and scientific data are contrary to your soccer heading concussion theory. Do you own stock in some company that makes that “girlie” soccer headgear?</p>
<p>Look; you all either have to realize and accept the fact that the proverbial stuff happens and that you either decide to take some risks in life or you don’t do anything in life and live like the boy in the plastic bubble.</p>
<p>Soccer is soccer. You get ran into; spiked legs; hard hits on the head from the ball; sometime collisions with other players; and the list goes on. Same with football, hockey, basketball, baseball, and many other sports. That is PART of the game. That’s the way it is. If you can’t handle that, then get on the chess team. </p>
<p>There is a balance between the game and safety. There is more than enough safety equipment and training provided for soccer, football, and many other sports. If you want your kid to wear some type of head gear in order to play soccer, then have at it. That doesn’t mean that it should be mandated for anyone else. Again, if you don’t like it, DON’T PLAY THE SPORT. Get on the debate team.</p>
<p>My job(s) for the last 30 years has been to weigh risks vs reward. Sometimes dollars were at stake. Sometimes people were at stake. That is part of life. There are risks to everything. It’s up to you whether the reward is worth the risk. I still ride a bicycle and I would NEVER wear a helmet. If I take a fall; OH WELL I’m also fortunate to live in a state where I don’t HAVE to wear a helmet on my motorcycle. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. That is the risk I take. OH WELL.</p>
<p>If you grew up playing sports, then you already know the answer to; “How safe are sports”? If you didn’t play competitive contact sports when you were younger, then ask you husband or wife if they have. If they have, they they know the answer to the question. If neither of you have, and you are trying to decide on whether or not to let you kid play a contact competitive sport, then I feel sorry for the kid. This is a forum usually for parents of kids thinking of college. So if your kid is in their teenage years and you are now just asking this question, then I have to assume that your kid probably hasn’t been involved in too many contact competitive sports up until now. If that’s the case, then your kid might get hurt. The worst thing I have ever seen, and it happens every year, is kids who have never played football in their life coming out for the high school football team in their junior and senior year of high school. They do it for their application to college. They do it because the team had a great season last year and they want the glory also. The safest thing as a coach we can do to make sure these kids don’t get hurt, is to NOT PLAY THEM. Except for that token minute or two in the game when we are winning or losing by a lot and there is a minute left</p>
<p>Sports and safety go way beyond the equipment. I’ve been involved with soccer for about 35 years. The safest thing involved with the game is not the gear or the equipment. It’s teaching the kid the proper way to fall down. The proper way to take a dive. More injuries in soccer happen because of falls, slides, and dives. You go on the ground a lot. How you do it will determine if you mess up a knee, leg, etc… Yes, there is a difference between these injuries and the brain. If you don’t want to take that risk, then don’t play the game. It’s really that simple. Headgear in soccer is almost borderline silly. It’s great for an 8 year old who doesn’t know how to properly play the game and hasn’t physically fully developed. I can go with that. But not for high school and college players. Just like an athletic supporter is counter productive to a wide receiver in football and many soccer players. Some use them but many more don’t. The players know the risk.</p>
<p>There’s 2 kinds of sports; competitive and intramural or fun leagues. When you are dealing with the high school or college varsity level, that is competitive. That is not only a sport, but a way of life and part of their lives. The ultimate goal is to win. Yes there is fun; team building skills; maturity; and many other byproducts of the sport. But the main purpose if to win. That too is a desire in most human beings. Intramural is for fun and exercise and social interaction.</p>
<p>You have to determine the level of risk you are willing to accept for certain activities. Most of this doesn’t apply to the original poster. Their kid is already doing track and field and they are somewhat aware of the risk. It’s just that they have a concern over whether coaches are trained in safety. In basic first aid and such they are. In the safety of the sport, that’s hard to say. I would assume that the track and field coach did track and field themselves at one time and knows the sport and the risks that go along with it. I’d hate to think that the new football coach never played the game before.</p>
<p>“Exactly! Better safe than sorry!”</p>
<p>Err, OK. You’ve beaten me into submission. Unfortunately for me, I was not wearing my aluminmum foil headgear. I do believe your points have battered my noggin and I am confused… Or it could be the scotch talking. </p>
<p>cheers.</p>
<p>"josiejoe,</p>
<p>“However, it is not the one hit. It is the multiple hits that your brain sustains over many, many years, and the jarring of the brain within the skull. This type of very injury is very common amongst boxers. Mohammad Ali’s condition was related to his boxing.”</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.wbaonline.com/abc/muhammadali.asp[/url]”>http://www.wbaonline.com/abc/muhammadali.asp</a></p>
<p>pafather</p>
<p>This above link should clarify your misconceptions.</p>
<p>I never said there wasn’t an inherent risk in sports. My point was the risks are GREATLY DECREASED if the appropriate protection, gear, training, etc. are used.</p>
<p>The title of this thread was “how safe are sports.”</p>
<p>I offered information to make them safer. </p>
<p>If you choose to ignore common sense, scientific research, and injure yourself, feel free to.</p>
<p>josiejoe,</p>
<p>I followed the link you posted above. If you read your own link, you would have realized that (other than an inappropriate title) this link refers to the “Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act” whose stated purpose is “To reform unfair and anticompetitive practices in the professional boxing industry.” I don’t know why you are insisting that Muhammad Ali’s condition is due to boxing rather than Parkinson’s Disease. You might try looking at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center ([Muhammad</a> Ali Parkinson Center](<a href=“http://www.maprc.com%5DMuhammad”>http://www.maprc.com)) for accurate info.</p>
<p>Soccer (and basketball, for that matter) would probably be even safer if all players wore football helmets, shoulder pads, etc. But that is never going to happen. because it would affect the game too much. I was only pointing out that based on scientific and engineerirng principles, properly heading a soccer ball does not contribute in any appreciable way toward concussion. You are spreading false info. </p>
<p>Just as many other sports, soccer is associated with many injuries, especially leg injuries. But soccer players love the sport anyway, because the risk of injury is worth it. My kids have all participated in soccer. My youngest son, now a high school sophomore, tore a ligament in his ankle and also underwent other surgery for compartment syndrome in both legs, but he loves to play soccer and will likely end up playing division 1 soccer. In all of the thousands of hours he has practiced and played soccer at the highest levels on nationally ranked teams, he has had one teammate who was suspected of having sustained a concussion, when the ball was kicked into the side of his head from a few feet away.</p>