NFL and Congress should mandate that contact football starts in the 7th grade.

irish_buffalo

Well-known member
Many problems solved by doing so.

Kids, who are not yet mature enough hitting each other is no good. Also, kids mature at different rates and I have seen countless kids who have dropped football because of that very fact. Many of these kids grow to become big mature kids. Many of the little 'studs' do not.

Play flag through 6th grade. Work on throwing, catching, running, moving your feet, etc...Heck, give em helmets for 6th grade so they can get used to it for the next year.

This also solves the majority of coaches at the 3rd through 6th grade teams giving their one big stud 38 pitch tosses a game.
 
 
The NFL has no control over youth football and Congress? Well they should focus in more important issues than pee wee football. It's a parental decision, stop trying to take those away.
 
Many problems solved by doing so.

Kids, who are not yet mature enough hitting each other is no good. Also, kids mature at different rates and I have seen countless kids who have dropped football because of that very fact. Many of these kids grow to become big mature kids. Many of the little 'studs' do not.

Play flag through 6th grade. Work on throwing, catching, running, moving your feet, etc...Heck, give em helmets for 6th grade so they can get used to it for the next year.

This also solves the majority of coaches at the 3rd through 6th grade teams giving their one big stud 38 pitch tosses a game.

The NFL and Congress should mind their own business.
 
What's next then? Mandate that tackle football can't start till high school? And in and on.....no I think congress has bettt things to worry about.
 
The NFL has no control over youth football and Congress? Well they should focus in more important issues than pee wee football. It's a parental decision, stop trying to take those away.

Why would you think that the NFL could have more limits than any other well-heeled lobby ?
 
Sometimes parents do not make the best decisions for their own kids. Mandate contact football start in the 7th grade.

My kids loved playing tackle, as did I, but I think it's a tremendous idea.

By forbidding it, and removing the argument that "our kids are going to fall behind", we could be doing a real favor for developing young brains.
 
cabe, few people understand where I am coming from.

Grandfather played pro, dad played college, I played college, my oldest step-son decided not to play in college due to concussions and acl tear, the youngest will probably play college. I've been around. I know what I am talking about.

My dad started me in the 3rd grade because duh, the sooner you start, the tougher you will be, etc...It did me no good. I'd a been the same player had I started in the 7th grade or 3rd.

The community I live in started flag football when my youngest was in the 3rd grade (we did not start tackle until 5th and 6th grade). They offered flag for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. It was amazing. Participation was through the roof and when it came time to start tackle (5th grade - you had option) it was the largest numbers our community had ever seen. After all, every kid gets to be a RB, QB, WR, TE, DB, LB, or blitzer. It was great. Then about two years later some real tough guy dads, you know, the ones that MAYBE played some pee-wee football themselves and now have tattoos and a goatee ;) thought it was all sissy and needed to start a 3rd grade tackle team. Once that happened, many other dads believed their kids would fall behind if they did not play football so they joined as well or simply did not play because the kids remaining in flag would certainly be 2nd class in school. You know, whimps. Now numbers are back to being low. You have the one kid who is done growing as a 6th grader getting the old pitch toss 38 times a game. Tackling is bad, blocking is worse. Kids lead with their heads (dropped usually). Most kids bodies are not yet developed (they don't have that 'man' skin yet). Now you have ONE qb, and ONE rb, and have pushed kids away.

Some people get it, some don't. But I'm telling you it would be the best for everyone if they would start tackle football in the 7th grade and play flag up until that point.

Many people know this to be true (coaches, rec directors) but have no power over preventing a group of dads from starting a 3rd grade pee-wee tackle team.
 
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^ Great input.:( This is not about the government and what you hear about the government from your TV.

This is about child safety and putting a better product on the field AND expanding numbers.

I'm not a big government guy either but I do agree with laws that protect our children from themselves and sadly, sometimes their parents (smoking and seat belt laws to name a couple).
 
Bad idea.
Not the whole tackle football thing until 7th grade, but having congress and the NFL mandate this.


YOuth football is not a prerequisite for a good HS football team.

We have 6 HS teams in the county. The three with youth football before seventh grade has zero titles and rarely make the playoffs.

The three schools that start football in 7th grade (all public) have a combined 17 state titles and likely 1 more this year.....all since the early 90s and most since 2000.
 
Government has no place butting into this. Many communities have options for both at the youth level; let the parents decide.

The main qualm that seems to be against youth football, young kids hitting each other, is vastly overblown IMO. The majority of kids in these youth leagues aren't aggressive and/or physically mature enough to hurt somebody else (or themselves) in a collision. The big problem is poor technique which can be solved to the best it can by youth organizations mandating youth coaches are "heads up" certified. Youth teams can and should hit every day in practice to instruct and perfect technique. I don't see any good reason why a kid should have to wait until 7th grade to learn to tackle properly when it can be taught in 3rd-4th grade.
 
^ - this is not about the government. It so ultra vogue right now to be anti-government (as long as it does not involve the military).

It is NOT best mandated by youth organizations.

As I said before, there are certain laws or guidelines in effect to help kids because sadly sometime the kid or his parents cannot make the right decision (smoking, seat belt, movie ratings).

3rd grade flag football actually helps develop more football skill than 3rd grade tackle.
 
Anytime it involves the government making decisions for people, thus taking it out of their hands, it does become about the government.

If people feel flag football helps develop individual skills (footwork, route running, catching, etc.) better than tackle football they will make that choice on their own. I can see an argument either way.
 
Yeaaaaa! I love this idea it is so great! But why stop there?!

We should ban all forms of baseball till the age of 13. Before that everyone must play wiffle ball. For many reasons this make sense. A baseball can do significant damage to the human body. Children should not be swinging around metal bats that could lead to someone getting hurt. Also get rid of the competitive play. We should not be keeping score in youth sports as it ends up hurting children s feelings/emotions. We should ban all sporting equipment tied to youth sports from major retailers to provide better enforcement on childhood safety. NFL.COM should have the same age restrictions as porn websites. And any form of marketing done by the NFL must include a banner underneath informing of the injuries one could incur much like tobacco. And finally you should go vote for Hillary Clinton so that our entire male population by 2050 is a bunch of self absorbed, metro-sexual, pacifist. That way our country can be invaded because no one here would ever have the guts to do anything about it because "well I might get hurt"

Its called life bub! You get scratched you break bones, but it makes you tougher. Are there things in youth sports that should be handled in a better manner yes. But shoot I remember playing youth football and doing the bull in the ring drill. Every kid out there turned out just fine!
 
Bad idea.
Not the whole tackle football thing until 7th grade, but having congress and the NFL mandate this.


YOuth football is not a prerequisite for a good HS football team.

We have 6 HS teams in the county. The three with youth football before seventh grade has zero titles and rarely make the playoffs.

The three schools that start football in 7th grade (all public) have a combined 17 state titles and likely 1 more this year.....all since the early 90s and most since 2000.

I have to revisit my post from last fall. Two of the 3 county schools who dont have FB until 7th grade added TWO state champions last year, and another just outside the county who also starts in 7th grade also won a title.

Reiterating once again.....youth football is no pre requisite for a good, hell, great, HS team
 
Congress has other things they need to be doing than telling people how to raise their kids or checking baseball players for steroids. If I want to feed my kid chocolate cake for breakfast and let him drink Mountain Dew all day while he practices juggling chain saws that's my business.

America is quickly filling up with brain dead commies who look to to the government teat for everything.
 
^ - this is not about the government. It so ultra vogue right now to be anti-government (as long as it does not involve the military).

It is NOT best mandated by youth organizations.

As I said before, there are certain laws or guidelines in effect to help kids because sadly sometime the kid or his parents cannot make the right decision (smoking, seat belt, movie ratings).

3rd grade flag football actually helps develop more football skill than 3rd grade tackle.

Why do you only care about the brain health of kids under 13? Acceptable risk for kids over 13? Is a 13 yo kid able to make a good decision concerning their health? Are 17 yo? How about 25 yo? If I want to drive without my seatbelt, that's my business. But the government has decided to correct it. What if I want to play college ball? Same risks. Should the government ban football all together? At what point do you think individuals can be permitted to make decisions and live their life as they see fit? 13????
 
It might be a good idea but neither the NFL nor Congress has any authority to "mandate"any such thing.
 
although irish buffalo inartfully drew his original post:

I agree: pee wee football is the dumbest idea ever.

However, it would not be necessary for Congress to get involved.

irish buffalo or any other person could prohibit organized football before 7th grade in his own City and School district.

its called Ohio Article 18 Constitutional Municipal Home Rule.

https://www.lsc.ohio.gov/documents/reference/current/membersonlybriefs/128municipalhomerule.pdf

he or any citizen could propose said law in his city using the initiative petition process.
 
Why do you only care about the brain health of kids under 13? Acceptable risk for kids over 13? Is a 13 yo kid able to make a good decision concerning their health? Are 17 yo? How about 25 yo? If I want to drive without my seatbelt, that's my business. But the government has decided to correct it. What if I want to play college ball? Same risks. Should the government ban football all together? At what point do you think individuals can be permitted to make decisions and live their life as they see fit? 13????

triggered much?
 
How about we ban all organized youth sports until 7th grade? Football, baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming, track, etc... Let kids play.
 
As parents you have the right to sit your own out if you dont want them to play. Leave the kids alone that enjoy the game.
 
In my county......

We have 5 high schools, all public. The two that still have youth football rarely make the playoffs and have zero titles. The 3 that start in 7th grade have 22 titles. The one school had it for awhile, and a few yrs after getting rid of this they started to become a playoff team and won a title.
Participation in JH and HS is extremely high and kids are ready to play FB after getting burned out on other sports as a kid

Youth football is not a prerequisite for a good hs team
 
Many problems solved by doing so.

Kids, who are not yet mature enough hitting each other is no good. Also, kids mature at different rates and I have seen countless kids who have dropped football because of that very fact. Many of these kids grow to become big mature kids. Many of the little 'studs' do not.

Play flag through 6th grade. Work on throwing, catching, running, moving your feet, etc...Heck, give em helmets for 6th grade so they can get used to it for the next year.

This also solves the majority of coaches at the 3rd through 6th grade teams giving their one big stud 38 pitch tosses a game.
Science and studies have been done and show that children prior to puberty have little to no chances of head injuries due to brain not being fully developed and the brain having the ability to shift. If I can find the study, I will post it. I was completely surprised by the results as well. I once was in the same belief as you. However, everything I have read research wise, says otherwise.

For a development stand point, I dont think its a bad thing. Its completely subjective and you can gain different positive attributes. However, no one should stipulate one being a requirement over the other.
 
Science and studies have been done and show that children prior to puberty have little to no chances of head injuries due to brain not being fully developed and the brain having the ability to shift. If I can find the study, I will post it. I was completely surprised by the results as well. I once was in the same belief as you. However, everything I have read research wise, says otherwise.

For a development stand point, I dont think its a bad thing. Its completely subjective and you can gain different positive attributes. However, no one should stipulate one being a requirement over the other.

Was it this one?


Here is one - tackle vs. flag. Results are what one would expect.


Here is one that is prescriptive in how to best prevent.


I think a couple things to consider. Not many studies have been done and the ones that have been done take a small sampling. From my experience kids in 3rd and 4th grade have zero business playing contact. Not so much because of injuries but for a couple other reasons.

1). It can deter. I know many kids who quit or do not go out because they are not developed enough. They would play flag if it was the cool option but once tackle is started at such a young age you drive many kids away which is the last thing you want at such a young age (creates bottleneck).

2). Tackle at the age of 3rd and 4th grade creates a VERY poor product. Think of how the game has changed in the last 20 years. What good is it having the one more developed kid take 25 pitch tosses a game as the rest attempt to block? I'd MUCH rather see kids playing flag and getting reps at positions of skill. After all, a HS coach has NO clue who his future QB/RB/WR will be so I want as many kids playing multiple skill positions as I can. I want them having fun. I want them coming back.
 
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