Is Football Too Dangerous for Kids?

A broken finger. Two broken wrists. Stabbing heel pain. A broken spine.

These are the injuries Mark Mills got in the years he played tackle football, from ages 8 to 12. Mark, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, kept playing after every injury­—except when he hurt his spine. That’s when his doctor said he had to quit for good.

The number of kids playing tackle football has dropped over the past 10 years. Many kids are still playing, though. Roughly 1.25 million kids ages 6-12 play tackle.

Now even some NFL players say kids should only play tackle in high school. It’s time to ask: Is playing tackle football a losing idea?

A broken finger. Two broken wrists. Bad heel pain. A broken back.

Mark Mills got these injuries in the years he played tackle football. He played from ages 8 to 12. He kept playing after every injury, except when he hurt his back. That’s when his doctor said he had to quit.

The number of kids playing tackle football has dropped over the past 10 years. But many kids still play tackle football. Roughly 1.25 million kids ages 6-12 play tackle. Even some NFL players say kids should only play tackle in high school. Is playing tackle a losing idea?

The big risk of playing tackle: being hit in the head and getting a concussion. This is an injury that changes how your brain works. One study found that kids who played tackle before age 12 had more brain problems later in life than kids who didn’t play.

Another reason tackle is tricky: Kids can get broken bones, neck injuries, or back injuries from tackling.

Many experts say playing flag football is safer. There’s no tackling. Instead, kids pull a cloth flag from the ball carrier to get control of the ball. This is even more popular than tackle. More than 1.5 million kids ages 6-12 play flag.

The big risk of playing tackle football: being hit in the head and getting a concussion. A concussion is an injury that changes how your brain works. One study looked at kids who played tackle before age 12. These kids had more brain problems later in life than kids who didn’t play tackle.

There is another reason tackle football is tricky. Kids can get broken bones, neck injuries, or back injuries from tackling.

Many experts say playing flag football is safer. There’s no tackling. Instead, kids pull a cloth flag from the ball carrier to get control of the ball. Flag football is even more popular than tackle football. More than 1.5 million kids ages 6-12 play flag football.

Experts who want kids to keep playing tackle point out that helmets have become better at protecting against concussions. And coaches are teaching safer ways of tackling that cause fewer injuries.

Other people say that if you don’t learn to tackle when you’re young, you may get worse injuries playing tackle when you’re older. This is because you don’t have as much experience doing it.

Flag football is not always safer. In fact, one study found that more kids got hurt playing flag football than tackle football­. That may be because kids who play flag don’t wear as much protective gear as kids who play tackle.

Mark is now 14. Instead of football, he plays trumpet, guitar, and keyboard. He loves music. But he’d play football again. Still, he knows that risking injuries can be a tough choice for many kids who love the game. 

Which team are you on?

Some experts want kids to keep playing tackle football. These experts say that helmets have improved. Newer helmets are better at protecting against concussions. And coaches are teaching safer ways of tackling. These safer ways cause fewer injuries.

Other people say that learning to tackle when you’re young will give you experience. Without this experience, you may get worse injuries playing tackle when you’re older.

Flag football is not always safer. In fact, one study found that more kids got hurt playing flag football than tackle football. A possible reason: Kids who play flag football don’t wear as much protective gear. Kids who play tackle football wear much more gear.

Mark is now 14. Instead of football, he plays trumpet, guitar, and keyboard. He loves music. But he’d play football again. Still, he knows that kids who love football have a tough choice. Should they risk getting injured?

Which team are you on?