Mike Ditka says if he had a young son now he wouldn't let him play football

[BeyondGeography]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/hall-famer-mike-ditka-wouldn-son-play-football-article-1.2083355

Mike Ditka was a Hall of Fame tight end and a legendary coach, but if he had a young son now, he wouldn’t want him to enter the family business. Ditka said he wouldn’t want a child of his now to play football on an episode of HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” that will air on Tuesday.

The coach’s opinion came out during this exchange with Gumbel in which the host also says he wouldn’t want his children to play football:

Ditka: “If you had an 8-year-old kid now, would you tell him you want him to play football?”

Gumbel: “I wouldn't. Would you?”

Ditka: “No. Nope. That's sad. I wouldn't. And my whole life was football. I think the risk is worse than the reward. I really do.”

The episode is about the 1985 Bears, whom Ditka coached, and the lasting effects that medications and playing through pain has on those that were on the team. Ditka advocates that the commissioner and owner ought to do something to help the former players.

In the episode, Jim McMahon said he struggles so much sometimes that he will just lay in his bed and stare at the ceiling fan for days or weeks at a time.

He's right. America's favorite sport causes brain damage.

[MohRokTah]

1. The masses must have their bread and circuses.

Think about it. This is really organized gladiatorial combat in the arena.

The masses demand their blood sport.

[marym625]

2. wow!

That had to hurt. Seriously. I can't stand Ditka as far as politics are concerned but he's a decent person and was an extraordinary football player/coach.

[BeyondGeography]

4. When you've lost Ditka...

The Frontline doc on football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which aired in October of 2013, is really all you need to see about how risky this game is.

[marym625]

6. yep. no doubt. sad. really sad.

[Jamaal510]

3. My dad

was trying to get me to play football as a defensive player in high school and for the last few years, but I didn't do it. I feel bad about turning him down and dashing his dreams, but at 5'8" and 165 pounds, I don't think I'm big enough. Plus, I would've needed to get an early start on it when I was a kid in order to beat out the competition. I know that's how it was when I played baseball, at least. I played tee-ball when I was little, but I took a break from baseball during my pre-teen years, and I struggled when I got back into it at my high school.

[rhett o rick]

5. What about boxing? Who allows that? Why don't we allow knife fights? nm

[Major Nikon]

7. MMA fights make boxing look pretty tame

A few years ago here in Texas a guy died from blunt force trauma to his head after a fight.

[Lobo27]

8. I like both but if I were to compete in one.

I'd choose MMA. I'd rather get once and go down. Then get hit 200x on the face and not go down. Don't get me wrong they are both dangerous, but I guess MMA is the lesser of two evils.

[Major Nikon]

11. Certainly people get killed in boxing matches

However, in MMA you can find yourself with someone on top of you pounding your head into the mat, which has a much higher level of force.

[eggplant]

18. The difference is that the purpose of MMA and Boxing is to bea th hell out of the other person.

Football couches it in the form of a game, rather than just combat. There isn't the same coverup of permanent damage in MMA that is so pervasive in football.

[Bad Thoughts]

9. I guess the Reagans' Anti-Drug Messages had no real effect. eom.

[gopiscrap]

12. Too much money to be had

[moondust]

10. Brett Favre also.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24623256/brett-favre-reiterates-he-wouldnt-want-son-to-play-football

[C Moon]

14. eeek! "His favorite senator" (from your link).

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24593005/watch-brett-favre-now-doing-political-commercials

[moondust]

15. Well...

didn't it turn out that Cochran was a better option than his bagger opponent, and one of them was inevitable due to voter demographics, so maybe Favre helped avert another bagger disaster.

[Reter]

21. The Tea Bagger was against wars and wanted to repeal the Patriot Act

So I would prefer him over Cock.

[tblue37]

13. And arthritis, as well as other forms if crippling damage.

Last edited Mon Jan 19, 2015, 02:23 AM - Edit history (1)

I have collected articles about former pro players who say they' would not let their kids play. I use the topic sometimes as one of the final exam essay options in my English 101 classes.

(I would never have considered allowing my son to play, either, but fortunately he had no interest in the sport.)

[elzenmahn]

16. There's a loooong list of great players who suffered permanent physical damage...

...when their playing days ended.

Johnny Unitas, alongside other health issues, developed hand issues so severe he had trouble writing. Charlie Krueger and Jim Otto had trouble walking because of the knee injuries. Remember Daryl Stingley? He wound up in a wheelchair for life after a Jim Tatum hit. And, of course, the concussions: Jim McMahon, Chris Miller, Steve Young, possibly John Mackey and Junior Seau, and a host of others.

If I had a son, I would advise him that:
1. The typical professional football career (I'm including the NFL, CFL, and Arena Leagues) lasts four years, at best;
2. Many, if not the majority, of these players sustain lasting damage to the bodies which they spent decades developing and perfecting for their chosen sport;
3. This damage isn't just over their pro careers - it's cumulative over their time in Pop Warner, High School, and College ranks, as well;
4. He may very well be shortening his life span as a result of participating in this sport.

The message: know exactly what it is you're getting in to. Unless you're supremely gifted at the sport or various aspects of the sport (and can you be completely and brutally honest with yourself as to whether or not you do - and can you listen to people looking out for your best interest - like myself and any potential coach worth their salt), I would advise against it, especially in the early years like Pop Warner and even High School.

[Divernan]

17. Thank god for the pediatrician who cautioned me back in the 70's.

My macho then-husband volunteered to coach my son's Little League team with the intent to make my son the pitcher. My pediatrician cautioned me of the damage this could cause at that stage of development to my son's shoulder, so I nixed that and he played infield. Shortly thereafter I filed for divorce (multiple other reasons) and moved to a different school district where soccer was big. So my son (& his two sisters) played that sport. He ended up named to the all-county all-star soccer team and went on to play varsity for Yale. One sister also played college soccer (University College, Dublin) and the other sister was on her college track team. Sports are great activities for kids - but parents need to be aware of present dangers and the long term effects. And yes I know kids have been injured playing soccer, but it's rare. The sport itself does not promote repeated and/or violent contact.

[AndreaCG]

22. What about hitting the ball with your head?

And no helmet? Seems that could result in brain damage. A friend's son had a bad concussion just from getting hit by a football in casual play. The soccer ball is hit off the head on purpose. Seems pretty risky to me.

[Divernan]

23. You raise an interesting and valid point

No incidents of concussions among my kids or their soccer-playing friends, but on just now researching it, I found this:

A player heads the ball an average of six to 12 times a game, reports neurological surgeon Alejandro M. Spiotta of the Cleveland Clinic and colleagues in a 2011 article, "Heading in Soccer: Dangerous Play?," published in the journal " Neurosurgery." . . . .
While athletes in American football, boxing and hockey risk sudden impact or contact to the head, soccer athletes may face problems from a less violent action but one performed quite frequently.

Concussions

Head injuries in soccer tend to be concussions, which arise not from heading the ball purposefully but rather from a player colliding with another player, the ground or a goalpost. This is because even a fully inflated ball traveling at 70 mph is not as hard and damaging as, for example, another player’s elbow. Still, 12.6 percent of concussions in soccer do arise from heading the ball, according to one study in Spiotta’s literature survey. He reports that a second study of U.S. college soccer players found no instances of concussion from purposeful heading; concussions arose only from accidentally being struck in the head by a fast-moving ball.

I do believe that if I'd allowed my 7 year old to be a baseball pitcher, it is very likely he would have injured his shoulder/arm. So I'm still thankful to Dr. Leibowitz - a great pediatrician, for his warning.

I'm relieved that none of my kids suffered injuries on the soccer field. My now 40-something soccer playing son now plays Ultimate Frisbee and goes ocean kayaking, mountain biking and hiking - that gives him great workouts but minimal possibility of injuries. My daughters are now into yoga and dressage riding respectively - the latter with a very sturdy helmet.

I started scuba diving at the age of 60 and have had some great adventures - wreck diving (on sunken Japanese ships from WWII), night diving, drift diving, cave diving - with the thrills of encountering sharks and rays and eels. I had good training and well maintained equipment - but still the ocean can be a dangerous environment. At this stage of life, with no one depending on me, my philosophy is to balance the risk against the reward. As a parent of growing children, however, that is not a responsible philosophy for either the parent or the children. Yet another way in which it is tough to be a parent. Perhaps one guiding principle is to help a child develop skills in a sport he or she will be able to pursue beyond the high school/college years. Like tennis, swimming or skiing. My kid brother, now 66, still plays in a "senior" men's soccer league. I expect there's more huffing and puffing than heading the ball for that bunch.

[Lobo27]

19. A lot of it is the macho culture, and I suppose the want to be a Champion.

I'm a Cowboys fan, and some of the stuff Tony Romo has played with is crazy.

These last two years, fractured vertebrae, broken ribs and punctured lungs. This season he got pain injections before every game. Romo has gotten a 60mil and 100mil contracts, so I think he will be fine when he retires. His body however, I think, will be a total mess.

They asked once why he plays hurt, and the answer was we all play to reach the top.

Now a real big worry to me is the players that don't make Tony Romo money. Running Backs have a shelf life of 3 years, are used up and then discarded.

[enough]

20. My public high school ended the football program in 1960

after a player suffered permanent brain damage during a game. The school turned to soccer and never looked back. (I do wonder sometimes about the effects of soccer on the head also.)