Imagine you saw a child getting punched in the head by their parent 389 times. Would you try to stop it?
Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) shows youth tackle football players average 389 hits to the head each season. A child’s brain can’t tell if it is being hit by a football helmet or a fist—the effect on their brain tissue is the same. Repeated hits to the head cause traumatic brain injuries called concussions, and, according to the C.D.C., they can also cause the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (C.T.E.), which is associated with aggressive behavior, depression, and paranoia, and can cause dementia.
It’s not fair to enroll kids in an activity that causes C.T.E. before they can understand and accept the risk. Most sports recognize that children should be protected from unnecessary brain damage and have changed rules to eliminate repetitive head impacts. USA Hockey banned checking until age 13, and U.S. Soccer banned heading before age 11.