My 10-Year-Old Girl is Playing Football?

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I remember seeing a YouTube video of Sam Gordon, the smallest player in her tackle football league. She fearlessly ran down the field, dodging boys left and right all the way to the end zone for a touchdown!

I loved watching that little girl run down the field. It validated everything I've believed since day one of my career in the field of sports. And that is, if "sports are the classroom of life," then sports should be an equal opportunity for boys and girls alike, period!

Then there came the following news:

A study of 42 NFL players published by Boston University in January found higher levels of brain damage in players who started playing before age 12.

Remembering my days as a high school football coach in Wilmington, Delaware, it was that experience that made me come away saying to myself that football is a tough game for tough people -- and only tough people should be out there on the field playing this game.

We've all seen our share of brutal hits by young people playing football, who seemed to be born with the desire to "knock someone's head off."

Last month, Dr. Robert Cantu, a noted neurosurgeon of Boston University was on an episode of ESPN's Outside the Lines about the risks of playing tackle football before age 12. He stated that it was "ridiculous" for girls below the age of 12 to be playing tackle football. In the episode, he discussed research to back him up. His point was that girls' necks at the age of 12 do not have the strength to withstand the blows that are given in tackle football, thus the dangers of concussions and other injuries.

On the other side of the issue, however, was a representative from USA Football, debating that it was OK for girls below the age of 12 to play tackle football. Dr. Cantu, in my opinion won the debate, hands down.

That debate seemed to me like not agreeing with my oncologist telling me that a series of tests has shown that I definitely have cancer.

But what has surprised me during all this debate going on about the issue of not only girls playing tackle football, but boys as well, is that there has been no discussion of what I believe to be the two most important issues of all: the issue of early maturing and the competence of youth coaches.

When watching the Outside the Lines episode I couldn't help noticing the disparity of the sizes of the girls playing tackle football. There was one scene that showed a girl scoring a touchdown. What most might not have noticed was that the girl in question was almost a foot taller than the others. Obviously, children mature at different rates. We've all seen prepubescent girls who while the same chronological age, one may be taller, the other shorter, one bigger, the other smaller. So when girls play tackle football I have yet to see a league that puts all similar sized players on the same team.

So what's the problem?

Well it's not only the height and weight of the girls or boys but the strength that comes along with the early maturing. And that is where the concern of concussions comes into play.

There is one scene in this Outside the Lines episode where a smaller girl gets bowled over by an early maturing girl and lays on the field, dazed by the collision. This is typical in youth football because coaches love to see their big strong kids (boy or girl) run with the ball. One comes away from this scene believing Dr. Cantu really has a point.

The other area of concern is the competencies of those people coaching the kids. The representative from USA Football said the coaches are trained. Does that mean that it is a requirement or else they don't coach? I doubt it. And who is there to admonish them if they don't follow what they are taught about safety?

The overwhelming majority of youth coaches are moms and dads who get roped into coaching so their kids will have a chance to play. If they didn't coach, the league would probably fold. These people come from all walks of life. Most are good, caring people, but far too many are the same people you see at your favorite pro football arena screaming and hollering and acting like jerks. They picture themselves as a pro coach and treat their young players as such.

That's the worry about youth football. I know. I was a youth sports administrator for an organization with 15,000 kids for several years and have seen coaches who would do anything to win with kids under 12 years old.

Sure kids can get injured falling out of trees, riding their bikes or doing other kid stuff, but most parents I know don't allow their kids to climb to 50 feet up the tree or ride their bikes on a well-traveled street.

The point? If you're thinking I've made some good points, why not sign up your football-loving girl, or boy, for touch football before the age of 12. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.












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