Not long ago, a professional football player came out with a rather outrageous statement; he said he would never allow his kids to 
play football. The statement caused all kinds of comments from ridicule to support.
He made his living from football and he loved the game – he meant it no disrespect, but he would still not let his kids go out and participate in the sport. He was not the only professional athlete to make such a statement.
It turns out that his opinion and fears may not be all that wrong. If fact, they may be frighteningly right.
Boston University
After a major, long-term study, researchers at Boston University has found that when children play tackle football before they turn 12 have a higher likelihood of developing depression, and have an increased range of behavioral and intellectual problems. The study is based on a sample of more than 200 players, tracking the athletes from an early age through high school, college and in some cases the NFL.
The research study found that the risk to these children of developing depression and intellectual problems as adults were remarkably higher than children who did not play tackle football. In terms of behavior and learning they were twice as likely of having problems, and they were three times more likely of having depressed personalities.
The experts are strongly recommending that due to the fact that children’s brains are rapidly developing between the ages of 10 and 12, that tackling is very risky. This study comes on the heels of another study at the Wake Forest School of Medicine that used MRI technology to determine that young boys who played tackle football and had presumably been concussed had diminished functions in certain parts of their brains.
Football – Statistics and Worries
Many of us are aware of recent studies also by Boston University Boston University in that 110 out of 111 brains of deceased former N.F.L. showed symptoms of CTE. Though it is not an excuse of his violence, incarcerated prisoner Aaron Hernandez, the NFL tight end who committed suicide in his cell, was also found to have advanced CTE.
Whether an admission of problems – or not, the NFL has encouraged kids to play flag football as a safer alternative. While tackle football numbers are down in younger boys, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, in 2015 as many as 1.2 million kids in the 6 to 12 age group were still playing tackle.
Programs across North America, from the N.F.L. Pop Warner league to Ivy League colleges and even the Canadian Football League are changing practice rules including the elimination of tackling. It is worth it to mention that the N.F.L. Pop Warner league is currently facing lawsuits stemming from traumatic brain injuries and their after-effects.
What Does Professional Football Know?
While unrelated, the cigarette industry knew for decades the causative link between cigarettes, cancer and heart disease. There was the observation and conversation that the tobacco industry sold the only product known to guarantee that it would kill its customers. Is there a parallel with football?
The NFL is also selling a product, on and off the field. Children are aspirational. At some point along the continuum from Pee Wee football through Pop Warner leagues to high school and college, is there almost a certainty that a large percentage of players will develop behavioral, cognitive and medical issues? Our society has built an entire culture around football. Is that culture of toughness and strength nothing more than an unspoken cover-up for serious brain problems?
Ethically, suppose the NFL is fully aware of these problems and it is not offering full disclosure because they are fearful that it will damage its product? It calls to mind a situation no different than tobacco or alcohol.
Is tackle football nearing the end of its run and will ethics alter or stop it?
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