High School Tackle-football Does More Harm Than Good
CON (3 arguments)
Grabbers:
According to the Journal of Sports Medicine, there is an average of 12 deaths per year in high school tackle-football.
Among high school tackle-football players, 34 percent have had one concussion and 30 percent have had two or more concussions.
Define:
High school tackle-football - High school tackle-football is a type of football, where players are allowed and encouraged to tackle each other to force a turnover
Weighing Mechanism:
Whichever side proves that high school tackle-football does more harm than good or good than harm towards the players and the schools the players are at.
Refutations:
AT: Good values learned - While you're right concerning the values learned in it, I would disagree with your discounting other sports as being beneficial in those areas. For example, soccer has a web of players that will function most effectively if all are used. In a sport like baseball or basketball quick thinking and selflessness are developed in order to work as a team as effectively as possible. All sports include a grounding in a hard work ethic. What these sports don't include is the bodily damage. While there is phsyicality in them, it's not part of the focus of the game.
AT: Agree to take risks - While it is true, the football players don’t completely understand the risks that they take everyday they step onto the field. The reason why we ban alcohol and drugs is because students don’t understand the consequences of taking them. This same idea applies to high school tackle-football, because these students don’t realize the risks they are taking.
AT: Obesity - Drs Laurson and Einsenmann for the Journal of American Medicine Association found that 45% of American high school tackle football offensive linemen meet the criteria for obesity.
High school tackle football gives opportunities to players that otherwise may not have as bright a future. Football is something that these students love to do, and at the same time it is allowing them to get into better colleges and have educational opportunities than they would have otherwise. Not only is football a sport that these kids are able to enjoy playing, but it allows them to improve their lives and brighten their futures at the same time, which is a valuable tool that cannot be revoked.
At the Division 1A level, 237 universities have football teams. There are 85 scholarships available per team to be divided among the players. A total of 20,145 scholarships are offered in Division 1A football and most are taken. At the Division 1AA level, 120 universities have football teams. There are 63 scholarships available per team to be divided among the players. A total of 7,560 scholarships are offered in Division 1AA football.
At the Division 2 level, 164 universities have football teams. There are 36 scholarships available per team to be divided among the players. A total of 5,904 scholarships are offered in Division 2 football. This adds up to about 33,600 given out per year to high school tackle-football players. High School football players get college football scholarships and send people to college
The "Total for an average year at a Division IA school to $41,686." This means a D1 scholarship is worth about $160k to the student. This incentivizes students to go to college when they otherwise may not. This means these students, due to obtaining a college degree, are more likely to experience economic success in the future.
There are three main things taught by high school football: teamwork, perseverance, and hard work. Football requires a pretty unique brand of teamwork. When you’re a part of a football team sometimes with up to 90 other players, understanding your role and that of your teammates is critical. Trusting them to do their job is also of utmost importance. The emotional ups and downs that a team will experience help to build trust over time. Football requires the player to discipline himself and to work hard. There is also a beautiful life lesson in the scrutiny and evaluation process. From high school on up, every move in practice and games is evaluated by coaches and fellow players through film. This is a wonderful thing, because it allows for growth and accountability. This is like life, where if we hope to improve and grow, we have to take responsibility for that growth, and surround ourselves with people who can help. Football provides a variety of challenges that will test and help to build children’s perseverance. There are many things that will challenge your high school football players emotionally, and might tempt them to quit. But if they sticks with it, there will be a payoff in the end. All of these lessons are taught in football.
"I learned in high school how important a game plan is," said former San Francisco 49er and Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young. "It helped me become a better football player and also helped off the field."A 2011 study published in "Social and Behavioral Sciences" specifically mentions that football can help improve spatial reasoning skills. These skills can benefit players off the field. For example, a 2010 article in "Scientific American" emphasizes the important role spatial reasoning plays in math and science achievement.
This is pretty self-explanatory because when players are always moving out on the field, they are exercising each major body part. When siblings of high school football players see their older siblings playing, they are encouraged to go outside and throw the football around, imitating what they see. This leads to more activeness in younger people as well as those actually playing the sport.
High school tackle-football is a very physical sport, where students are constantly running. As a result, a normal high school tackle-football player loses 610 calories per hour, which is double the exercise of a soccer player or a baseball player. Like other sports, football provides plenty of opportunities for exercise. Unlike some, it encourages both cardiovascular exercise such as running and jumping and strength training. Strength training is a critical component even at the high school level. The book "Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Football" also notes that the constant motion required in football means extra exercise for the players. Preventchildhoodobesity.com cites that football is an activity that gets teens moving and prevents obesity.