Should High School Football be Dropped?

Where do you stand when it comes to high school football? Are you at every Friday night football game, or could you care less about who scored the most touchdowns this week? In this essay I will be discussing the issue that has up roared here recently. You may be thinking to yourself, what issues could cause such a problem in an activity like this? In the article, What's the Likelihood a High School Football Player Will Get Injured? it states, If a teen plays four years of high school football, chances are pretty good they'll sustain an injury of some sort. In fact, a high school football athlete is about three times more likely to get hurt than competitors in other major sports. In addition, injuries occur more likely to their head and face. It's also far more likely that the injury will happen during a game instead of practice. Injuries in high school football are now a rapidly growing dissidence between people. Which has now begun the question of Should high schools drop football because too many players are getting injured. What are your thoughts on an issue like this?

What kind of injuries are occurring that is causing individuals to think of such a thing? While observing the article, "Information about common football injuries, Information states that Football is still an intense, rough sport even though you are protected by helmets, pads, braces and supports. Injuries are a common part of the game. The combination of the size of players, the speed of play, and physical nature of the game makes football injuries quite common. While listing a few of the common injuries that football players are experiencing, let's not forget that some of these injuries are extremely painful that they may even cause permanent pain that could affect the player for the rest of their life. The following injuries may include: sprains, strains, fractures, turf toe, achilleas tendonitis, ankle sprain, ACL tear, torn cartilage, hip pointer, concussions, burners and even spinal injuries.

When someone is so in love with what they do and the sport they play, do they really give up after a situation like this occurs? No, generally players re-injure themselves because they are too eager to get back on the fields after sitting out for so long after an injury. In the article Sports Injuries Statistics, It provides us with the fact that Almost two-hundred and fifteen thousand injuries occur around the ages five to fourteen were treated in hospitals for football-related injuries. This number is absurd and should not be this high. Normally, when football injuries you come to mind you just think a handful every season and that it is just sprains, and mild concussions every now and then. But as I stated above it is much more than just that. I would have never thought that there would be two-hundred and fifteen thousand injuries players!

To transition to the next topic, what would Friday nights be like without a game of football? The sport of football is surrounded by love, laughter, and friendships. Imagine what people would do on a chilly, fall night without some high school football! Not only does football bring fans into the stadiums but also, this sport is a building block to relationships. When a player is accepted on to a team, nine times out of ten the whole group does not know one another. With that being said, the team works together, gains one another's trust, builds a relationship, and creates a bond. In the article Benefits of being a High School Athlete, it states these wonderful bits on information that I would love to touch bases with. There are many benefits to being involved in athletics in high school. The personal traits someone develops as a high school athlete are: teamwork, perseverance, responsibility, physical endurance, commitment, time management, and personal and emotional health. When a student decides to join an athletic team, a commitment is made to attend all practices and to give 100% effort. The student athlete learns to work well with others. Teammates rely upon and support one another so they can perform to the best that they can. A student athlete shows loyalty to teammates by being dependable and responsible, showing up for all practices and putting forth his/her best physical and mental effort.

The wellness benefits for the student athlete are that emotional and physical health are developed and maintained. Practices occur on a regular basis where drills are practiced, and physical energy is used for maximum performance for games. The athlete develops large amounts of stamina to be able to be prepared for competition. Emotional health is developed through athletics in many ways. One example of how emotional health is increased is the number of endorphins that are released during physical activity. When these endorphins are released, a natural high occurs and the athlete feels good which increases emotional wellness. These endorphins also help fight off depression and will reduce stress. When adrenaline is released due to physical activity, the flight or fight response kicks in, and when the student athlete's fight response kicks in, his/her performance is elevated.

Another benefit of being a student athlete is that one is forced to maximize his/her use of time. Time management skills are put to the test because the student athlete not only is a full-time student, but now has an additional time commitment. Because of this additional commitment, in order to be both academically and athletically successful, self-discipline must be used to control one's use of time. Research has shown that when a person has more responsibilities, s/he is forced to take control of how his/her time is used and that person winds up accomplishing more and maintaining a high-performance level in both academics and athletics." This whole article couldn't have spoken on this topic any better! Everything in this article just pulls everything together.

In closing, although there is a high injury rate that is rising within the sport, I believe high school football should not be ended! It is a great way for people to come together and build relationships with each other. Now, I do believe maybe some stricter rules could come into play, but injuries will forever occur.

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