According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program:
- In 2001, the number of sport-related injuries for each sport are as follows:
- Gymnastics — 99,722
- Baseball — 170,902
- Softball — 118,354
- Football — 413,620
- Soccer — 163,003
- Volleyball — 55,860
- Track & Field — 15,113
- Hockey — 63,945
Do professional football players play a role in this statistic by influencing the minds of young children to get involved in football? I would argue yes. When someone sees a role model do something, they want to do that. For that reason, many more children get involved in this brutal sport, and injuries rise. It is possible that if NFL football became safer, then children's football would also become safer because the influence these athletes have on America's youth. Therefore, there could be several benefits to making football safer. What influence do you think NFL players have on children?
I do agree with you that children aspire to be like the athletes they look up to but I think these statistics should be taken with a grain of salt. Not only is football one of the only violent sports listed above, but according to PBS, over 3.5 million American youth are playing football, and this only accounts players below the high school level. By sheer numbers, and throwing into the violent hits of the game, you've concocted a clear frontrunner for a sport with absurd injury counts. I will agree with you that these children who have so many role models in the NFL, that of course they want to play with the same mentality as their favorite players. When I played linebacker for Glencoe football 5th-7th grade I would always imitate my favorite defensive player's (Shawne Merriman at the time) "Lights Out" tackle-celebration. All of the parents probably thought I was a showoff/punk but I really was just trying to be like Shawn. Now defenders tend to hurl their bodies at the offensive ballcarrier without any form or fundamental take down, and I'd bet you youth coaches saw a similar trend for some of their players now. The kids must think: "If that's how my favorite player takes out a guy, I must do the same." However, I still urge all athletes to master Merriman's Lights Out Dance-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs4UXJvjGp0.
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