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View Full Version : A Neurosurgeon Recommends Something Radical for Youth Sports



bonarae
October 2nd, 2012, 07:31 AM
Crossposted from an FBS board I frequent (composed of former CSTV/CBSSN posters):


In his new book, "Concussions and Our Kids", Neurosurgeon Robert Cantu proposes the following changes to youth sports programs to reduce the risk of head trauma:

No tackle football before age 14.
No body-checking in youth hockey before age 14.
No "heading" in soccer before age 14.
Require chin straps in youth baseball & ban the head-first slide.
Require helmets in field hockey and girls' lacrosse.
Hold sports officials to a higher standard.

Dr. Cantu advises, "If your child is going to play a sport in which brain trauma is inherent with the activity, please start at a later age. Arbitrarily, I say 14 because that's when high school starts, and if you're going to play at the next level, you've got to start somewhere. Ideally, I wouldn't have them start until 18, because it would have them taking less brain trauma over the course of their lives."

Oh no. These are all radical to me. They are also too expensive to implement. How will Pop Warner survive? xsmhx