It is Unethical to Encourage/Allow Children to Play Football
For the Motion
Side Score: 7
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Against the Motion
Side Score: 16
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Children trust adults not to encourage or expose them to any activity which poses a risk to their short or long term health. American football, rugby and 'heading the ball in soccer, have all proven to be health hazards to the participants. With a few modifications the character building aspects of these , and other contact sports can continue. Side: For the Motion
@Antrim Good response. This falls in line with my general view of the matter as well. American football, rugby and 'heading the ball in soccer, have all proven to be health hazards to the participants. Yes, as well as boxing, ect. ect. This is highly problematic since at the ages these types of activities are being promoted, the children's brain are still undergoing development and are thus unable to understand how vulnerable they are as well as the strong potential for serious long-term consequences stemming from activities that may appear relatively benign at face-value (surface-level). With a few modifications the character building aspects of these , and other contact sports can continue. Agreed. It is not that I am opposed to contact sports or physical competition, rather it should be confined to healthy formats until such an age people reach full cognitive development/maturity and can decide whether or not the costs outweigh the risks for themselves (at which point I think a person can decide to participate in any such activity of their choosing). Also, I think contact sports can be instrumental in one's proper social development as is seen in other mammals with the importance of "play fighting". We should just be aware of how far is too far Side: For the Motion
Thanks for expressing your accord. Boxing is particularly good for acquiring many skills which can be applied in all aspects of life. It teaches self control and how to channel your natural aggression into the disciplines required to achieve your desired goal(s). Lose your composure in boxing and you end up on the canvas with a sore face. It also teaches not to take all of life's disappointments and aggression's on the chin. To survive the ''slings and arrows of a lifetime you have to learn that sometimes it is best to duck and dive and back pedal when in trouble. Or, as William Shakespeare's character Falstaff said ''discretion is the better form of valor''. Side: For the Motion
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Oh yeah silly me, I was thinking of soccer. I dont know much about the sport but after what i could find on the internet most kid that hurt didnt need medical attention, and those who did mostly had light injuries such as sprains and minor concussions. The most similar thing to football i know is rugby (wich might be more dangerous because of the lack of protective gear) and during my 7 years in the team of my school ther have never been any serious injuries Side: Against the Motion
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Am I to believe that studies linking frequent head/brain trauma that occurs in Football (as well as other contact sports such as boxing, ect.) with Neuro-degenerative conditions such as CTE have yet to enter your radar? Am I to believe that you think a sport where you throw a ball around is most accurately described as football? Nobody calls it football outside of America, and there are almost 200 other countries in the world you complete halfwit. Call the game what it actually is: rugby in full plate armour. Side: For the Motion
@Dermot No it’s not , if we applied this logic to American football why not do it for skateboarding , horse riding, diving etc , etc , just in case of head injuries regarding the young ? If you read my former post to cruzades, I began to address this point. The concerns you have raised are due to potential injures that may or may not incur, while it has been firmly established in the Scientific literature that the type of injury that leads to CTE (for instance) inevitably occurs by engaging in such an activity (America Football). Are you familiar with the studies/science I am referring to (Note, I can post links if not)? Side: For the Motion
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The concerns you have raised are due to potential injures that may or may not incur Occur, halfwit. while it has been firmly established in the Scientific literature that the type of injury that leads to CTE (for instance) inevitably occurs Ahahahahahaha! God, you're so stupid. An inevitable injury, huh? You can't possibly avoid taking brain damage, despite wearing a big helmet. Lol. Are you familiar with the studies/science I am referring to Are you familiar with how completely devoid of any intellect you are? First you claim that brain damage is "inevitable", and then you arrogantly enquire whether he is familiar with the studies you clearly do not understand and almost certainly have never read. You are so stupid and arrogant that I almost pity you. Every time I begin to feel the slightest sympathy toward your inability to use words properly you take the time to remind me what a complete arsehole you are. Side: For the Motion
Ohhh that's a tough one. I like it. On one hand, we know there is sufficient evidence to link injuries that will occur from this sport to changes in behavior up to and including increased violent tendencies. It's just a fact. American football is a sport that actively encourages aggressive means to stop another person from reaching their destination, leading to multiple injuries and head trauma, often irreversable. On the other....it's a fun sport that kids seem to love and is insanely popular. While I think I would try to guide my child to less aggressive sports such as baseball or soccer to encourage a competitive spirit and team camaraderie I can't say it's unethical to allow the child to play. I know as things change and new safety measures are examined things may reduce the damage done. I do know that children's football is much less aggressive than the adult counterpart. Side: Against the Motion
@Mint_tea While I think I would try to guide my child to less aggressive sports such as baseball or soccer to encourage a competitive spirit and team camaraderie I can't say it's unethical to allow the child to play. Interesting. Would it be a fair summary of your position to state(?): "It is unethical to encourage a child to play football (and may want to discuss the situation, actively discourage it, suggest alternatives), however it is not unethical to allow a child to play, as it is ultimately their choice to decide what activities they will and will not engage in (e.g. much like underage Alcohol consumption, drugs, sex at very young ages, ect. ect.)" Side: For the Motion
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Everything has some degree of danger in it. And football, like anything else, has some sort of risk. Consider this: -Accidents happen with cars all the time. Yet we get into them all the time. -Offices have sharp objects such as pencils and scissors. People could hurt or get hurt easily. -Alcohol is a known drug that reduces the ability to think. Yet it is consumed in large amounts. -It is possible to fall down stairs and break something, yet people go up and down them all the time. You cannot keep children from 'danger'. You cannot bubble-wrap them, and they can get hurt in other ways. Falling off the bike or a tree, to name one. Football is as dangerous as anything else. But it gives them exercise, allows them to feel successful when they win, and tones down their energy. This question is not a question of morals, but a question of safety. Side: Against the Motion
I understand there are major risks of injury. For that reason we are not going to encourage/allow our own kids to play tackle football (flag football would be a different story). However, the presence of risk does not automaticlally make it unethical. There are substantial risks in a broad range of common activities of children... playground equipment, bicycles/scooters/skateboards, bunkbeds, sledding, etc. You can't say football is unethical but then turn around and let the kid do all those other things and somehow those are not unethical. Several of the examples I gave can result in concussions or breaks, and hey if the kid gets hit by a car then sudden death. But frankly most people don't consider teaching a kid to ride a bike to be unethical. Life is a constant balance of risks. Both the kid and the parents are constantly assessing and adapting to those risks. We choose not to take the football risk. Someone else would allow that one but not allow the bike, or the 30 foot high jungle gym, or heck, even the peanut butter sandwich. Side: Against the Motion
It is not unethical. Just about everything has risk involved, that is not a good reason to stop people from doing it. There are many car accidents everyday, does that mean you need to stop people from driving? Football players know what the risks are, and they determine that the risk is worth the fun. Side: Against the Motion
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