By Kate Snow, Sarah Koch, Deirdre Cohen and Jessica Hopper
Rock Center
Fifteen-year-old Allison Kasacavage, once a rising soccer star in Pennsylvania, is slowly recovering after suffering debilitating concussions while playing the game she loved.
“It’s almost like I need a sign on my back saying, ‘My head is broken.’ And you can’t see it. It’s like not visible and it’s like not many people understand, “said Allison in an interview with Rock Center’s Kate Snow.
Allison, who lives with her family in Chester Springs, Pa., has had at least five concussions. She is only able to attend school four hours a day. Her room is lit with soft blue light to ease her headaches and her family now eats dinner by candlelight.
She is one of hundreds of girls across America each year who suffer concussions while playing soccer.
“People who think of concussions as only being present mostly in guys and mostly in the sport of football are just plain wrong,” said Dr. Bob Cantu, who is chairman of the surgery division and the director of sports medicine at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass. “Soccer is right at the top of the list for girls.”
With the steady popularity of youth soccer, more girls are playing the game than ever before. Girls make up 48 percent of the more than 3 million kids registered in US Youth Soccer leagues.
Cantu said that the country is in the midst of “a concussion crisis” and that studies show girls are reporting nearly twice as many concussions as boys in the sports they both play.
‘Concussion Crisis’ impacting girls’ soccer
The number of girls suffering concussions in soccer accounts for the second largest amount of all concussions reported by young athletes, according to the American Journal of Sports Medicine. (Football tops the list.)
“What’s happening in this country is an epidemic of concussions, number one, and the realization that many of these individuals are going to go on to post-concussion syndrome, which can alter their ability to function at a high level for the rest of their lives,” Dr. Cantu said.
Allison still remembers when she suffered her first serious concussion in October 2008. It came when she collided with another player on the field.
“When I like got up, my head was like pounding,” Allison said. “There was, like, a pulse in my head. It was like the strangest thing. There was a heartbeat in my head and I had no idea what it was and why it was there. I have never felt that before and I was just so confused,” she said.
Click here for more on concussion symptoms
After Allison had apparently healed from the concussion, she returned to soccer. She’d been a star player since she was six years old, working her way up to one of the top teams in Pennsylvania. She said that her identity had been wrapped up in the game and she felt pressure to please her coaches.
Allison said that she was nervous about heading the ball, but continued to do it.
“If you didn’t head the ball, you were like the weakest link,” Allison said.
When heading, players attempt to use their foreheads to direct the ball, often jumping with opposing players, a move that can lead to collisions between players, bumped heads and strained necks. Dr. Cantu says that the act of heading is one of the most dangerous parts of soccer because players often collide.
Allison suffered a third concussion in her final season of soccer and another two off the field, the latter because her spatial awareness had been impacted from her previous concussions and she hit her head on a table and other furniture, her mother said.
Her parents said that they knew about the danger of concussions in sports like football, but it wasn’t until Allison had her first serious head injury that they realized what a big problem concussions can be in soccer.
“I think that we were blind to what was going on around us because, yes, it was about the team. It was about the winning. It was about all the, it was almost like a routine of, like I said, an awful lot of practices and you just went through it and really your lives rolled by with soccer being the most important thing,” said Lex Kasacavage, Allison’s father.
Sports psychologist Richard Ginsburg says that enthusiasm for the game and the kids by parents and coaches, while well-meaning, might be making the concussion crisis worse.
“We get wrapped up,” said Ginsburg, the author of ‘Whose Game is it Anyway?’ “We want success for them and so sometimes we get, we lose perspective. It doesn’t make us terrible people. It just makes us human. “
NBC News
Kimmie Zeffert
In Allison’s town of Chester Springs, about 30 miles from downtown Philadelphia, she is not alone. She has bonded with at least five other 14 and 15-year-old girls who have suffered concussions while playing soccer.
“My main friends are actually people that have head injuries,” said one of the teens, Kimmie Zeffert, 14. “I’ve become so close with them because I can relate to them. They understand what I’m going through.”
Kimmie had her first concussion when she was 12.
“I took another head ball and then I don’t even remember,” she said. “The next thing is I got, apparently, got elbowed in the back of the head. But (when) the coach asked me if I wanted to come out, I was like, ‘No, I’m going, I’m going to stick it through.”
Those hits -- heading the ball and being elbowed by a player in the head -- ended her soccer career.
Kimmie’s teammate Jenna Rohr made the same choice to continue playing in her game after getting hit in the head.
“I didn’t want to quit,” she said. “I didn’t want to let my team down because, like, so many people already had concussions on the team.”
Both Jenna and Kimmie have been unable to make it through a full day of school for almost two years. They still suffer from intense headaches, dizziness, nausea and vision problems.
Along with their physical ailments, several of the girls NBC News spoke to have struggled with depression since leaving soccer. Some have taken anti-depressants. One teen soccer player, who is returning to the sport after suffering a concussion, said that she felt so terrible at one point that she even thought about suicide.
Despite their experiences, the teens still love soccer and say they don’t discourage their former teammates from the sport.
“I think like speaking for all of us, like we would do anything to just be able to play one more game,” Jenna said.
Should heading be banned from girls’ soccer?
Dr. Cantu has made the bold proposal that heading be eliminated from youth soccer under the age of 14. He said girls, because of their anatomy, may be especially vulnerable to concussions.
“Girls as a group have far weaker necks,” Cantu said. “The same force delivered to a girl’s head spins the head much more because of the weak neck than it does the guys.”
New research suggests some body types may be more at risk than others.
“We believe that individuals with very long, thin necks may be at greater risk,” Cantu said.
With this evidence, Cantu said, “I would hope it would not only make parents look at their daughters, but make every one of those parents insist their daughters are on a neck strengthening program if they’re playing a collision sport.”
Brandi Chastain, the Olympian who helped the United States win a World Cup, strongly disagrees with Cantu’s proposal to eliminate heading from girls’ soccer.
“It’s a part of the game and I think it’s an important part and I think it’s a beautiful part of the game, to be honest with you,” she said. “I would never want to see that go away, but there’s a right way to do it. There’s a protective way to do it.”
Chastain said that girls need to be taught to create protective space around their bodies. She says heading isn’t dangerous if it’s done correctly.
“I circle back to education and preparation and I put that on parents and coaches because the kids don’t know any better,” Chastain added. “You know, they just want to go out there and play, but if we can educate them in a fun environment that’s safe, that teaches them the skill and gives them the confidence to try it and then they can put it into practice in the game.”
Back in Pennsylvania, the girls and their families are trying to educate people based on their own experiences. Despite their concussions, though, they say they don’t want to discourage girls from playing soccer.
“Please don’t go and not play soccer because it’s such a great opportunity for the girls to just prove themselves and challenge themselves and make friends and travel,” said Wendy Zeffert, mother of Kimmie. “But be aware.”
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Oh, I remember this identical story from about 10 years ago. I guess things were ok, but now they are bad again???? But for girls only, BTW. Why is it media 'reporters" are always trying to make child sports and other things that entertain and occupy Americans as well as provide real fitness benefits, seem like an activity as senseless as smoking? Are they saying we may need to consider taxing child soccer activities? Isn't that always the answer? If it causes an injury or death, it is bad and must be banned or taxed? Good grief. Let us enjoy ourselves while we can.
Parents and coaches should take Chastain's advice. Just make all the sports as safe as possible. In real numbers, traffic accidents probably account for a lot more deaths and injuries, so we got seat belts, air bags, and crumple zones. Neck strengthening exercises sound like a good idea too.
I've heard the headbands they have now can also significantly reduce the chances of concussions. Brandi is right about form being key. As with any sport, using the correct form is one of the best ways to prevent injuries.
Injuries are never pleasant, but we need to keep in mind that sitting on a couch all day is going to cause far more health problems in the long run than playing sports for 99% of the kids.
Time to put the kids in plastic bubbles..... Injury and sports go hand and hand.... some make it with minimal injury others don't!
What next, liberals, ban soccer or woemn's sports? That would be typical of a liberal knee jerk reaction. It's sad that people get hurt when they do things, but get hurt more by doing nothing but sit.
Oh my yes, people get hurt participating in sports so they should be stopped. Let's see, and cheer leading, we won't need without sports. Yes, yes, yes, eventually we can make life so safe that we'll be living dead!
Adversity strengthens, ease weakens!
I agree, I think this is being made a bigger issue than it is. You're talking about a handful of girls, do you have any idea how many girls play soccer all over the world? My sister is 14, she is a select soccer player. She is agressive and tough and she plays with other agressive tough girls. She has never had a concussion, to my knowlege there is only 1 girl on her team who has an issue with concussions, but she (and her siblings) are rather accident prone - but they now wear the headband that's supposed to protect their heads and it's been less of an issue. Every sport has risks, and the more competitive of a level you play at the worse it is, but as long as you know what you're doing and try to be as safe as you can that's all you can do.
I presume the constant brain injuries are responsible for using the word "like" 3-4 times per sentence.
Come on now MP928, she is a teenage girl.... That 's how they talk.
As for her broken head, I do not have kids. So parents out there, how many concussions would it your kid getting before you took them out of the program for a year or 2... Or for good?
I'm sure there's a way of making soccer a safe sport to play, and it should be done. It doesn't make any sense to allow children, any children, to ruin themselves physically over a game.
#1.5 Skiddy...so everything that you don't like is a liberal knee jerk reaction. I'll bet everything you agree with is a well thought-out conservative principle.
This isn't liberal v. conservative. Get over it and quit trying to make everything a political debate.
I doubt it. I work with a woman that constantly uses the word "like". Drives me nuts.
I have forbidden my children frm using the word "like" unless it is directly involved in describing something.
So, like, I... um... totally got, like, a concussion thingy, ya know, from like, playing soccer and all, and now, I, like, totally talk, like, even better, so...
How about a minimal head gear required until say college?
I do not see how this would affect the game to dramatically but it would protect the players from a certain number of head injuries.
There are answers to these problems, if we think things out just a little bit!
Responsible coaching and parenting is going to be the biggest part of solving these problems!!!!!
If a child takes a serious head blow during a game, no decent coach would ask the player if they want to come out. You simply take them out and let them sit for a while to evaluate them. No child's life is worth winning a youth soccer game.
Soccer is a great sport for all youth. It combines cardio training, agility, team work, it is a great sport. However, we are seeing huge rises in soccer related injuries. It is time to slow down and think about ways to preserve the best of the sport while protecting the players.
Lets take a look inside "Skiddy's" brain:
Damn liberals
Sport injuries - Liberals
Gas Prices - Liberals
Bad economy - Liberals
(anything) followed by Liberals....
You got it I guess Sam. There's alot more ou can name there, and they'd all be fact.
were proper training technique taught and stressed? Condemning the game is simply stupid.
Five+years ago it was the Cheer Leaders that were the largest numbers of girls being injured...
NO protective gear and seldom where there mats, even on the hard surfaces...
The daughter was a 'flyer' and she ended-up with severial diagnosed concussions. BTY - The school did not pay because it was not a sport related injury...
When we protested to the school about the lack of mats and medical trained personnel. The old answer was, "The regular sports, used all the funding."
The coaches continued conducting training sessions after regular hours, when the medical staff were not present...
Also - The schools were promoting this for the girls, so they could better qualify for College...
She is now a employed Chem/Bio Engineer...
I am very disappointed in this story. Very sad to see them report this topic from such a one sided view. I have been coaching girls for 15 years and I am very cautious about concussions, but headers are an important part of the game. Therefore, I teach my kids the proper way to head the ball. I monitor my kids and I wont hesitate to hold them out for precaution, but this is nothing more than a scare tactic. That doctor should be ashamed of himself for making such a statement. My first reaction was different... if they found a team with that many problems and concussions, I can show you poor coaching or a unique situation. To report this as the norm is sad. There are millions of young ladies playing, less than 10% will get concussions.
Don't you think that 10% is still a high number?
I know this is sooooooo outrageous, but how about protective headgear..... you know like helmets? Kids wear them biking, skating, for football, etc., so why not during soccer practices and game? That way they can play and protect their brains!
This is getting ridiculous. It's like concussion mania is everywhere. Okay, end all sports or put the girls in helmets. Never mind the boys though. Huh?
Article is a bit sexist isn't it??
funny thing is they forgot the number one injury for girls in that sport....ACL (knee) surgery. girls are prone to this since their center of mass is lower than men (hips) and puts pressure on the inner knee. This is more prevelent than concussions since you can stop heading the ball or prevent running into people but knees.... unfortunate key part of the game
It's not ridiculous. There are forms of helmets out there for soccer players, it's called Full 90 head gear. I suffered several concussions in my 13 year career as a soccer player and suffered a severe concussion that left me with severe second impact syndrome. It's about making the sports SAFER, not banning them all together. And this is a problem for males as well, and many professional male soccer players have sported the "head gear" as well. The article isn't sexist, it is merely showing the growing trends in female players as this sport was not highly recognized as a female sport in the United States until after the 2000 World Cup. With the growing popularity comes growing knowledge and statistics, and this is just merely one look, as many other articles have focused on ONLY the male perspective.
Whytnee,
Exactly...I don't want to stop people from playing sports, but if a reasonably safe alternative is available, why not use it?
There is a reason the NFL switched from leather head gear to modern helmets...
"Article is a bit sexist isn't it??"
Not if you read the whole thing.....
Ron - actually the switch in football to modern helmets has INCREASED the concussions because in modern football you use your helmeted head as part of a "weapon" in your hits. Concussions are a special sort of injury because they are not in themselves particularly painful -- so if you cushion the pain part (i.e. protect yourself from getting cut and bruised) you often don't realize you are actually getting injured. If you really want to reduce concussions in football, you'd reduce the helmet protection (maybe back to leather helmets) which would make the guys protect their heads more and think twice about using them in the hits. This may lead to more bruising and fractures, but actually in the end those are much better in terms of lifelong disability than concussions.
Jayfos,
There has also been a serious increase in knee injuries in males across the spectrum of sports, with most experts pointing to a lack of conditioning and warm up activity prior to practices and games.
Yes the ACL injuries in young women due to development differences in the hip to knee lineup is seen as a probable reason for the higher numbers. Conditioning and warm up routines are also seen as a major factor here.
Children these days are also being coming single sport athletes at much younger ages. We used to play sports in seasons until much older. It was not until High School or even college were many athletes began to train year a round for a single sport. This year long training and playing leads to many repetition injuries, especially when the body is still in a developmental stage!
We no longer ride our bikes to ball practice, we are driven and then straight on to the field for the activity. It is little lifestyle differences like this that can make big differences in injury rates as well.
Looking at these problems more holistically I think would serve us well here.
Whytnee, I've played soccer for 50 years in three continents. The chelsea goalie wears head protection because he fractured his skull 7 years ago. I've never ever seen a single other man, amateur or pro, wear "head gear".
Heading requires a certain technique. I've watched girls play, some do it well, others do not. All you need to do is teach them.
As a team manager in year around club soccer, as a father who's daughter has had a concussion, and as a Physicist who understands energy conservation, elasticity, collisions, coo and contra-coo (the movement of the brain subjected to collisions inside the skull); I applaud 30 ROCK for doing a great job.
Neck strengthening and teaching proper heading techniques are great initiatives. Lets get the soccer community educated on these and make sure they are teaching our kids!
However, where is the research on improving soccer balls? Lets get the manufacturers to actually tighten up their specifications for ball inflation. Lets get soccer coaches to use high quality pressure gauges to actually set their balls to the right pressure; Lets get the officials to ensure the balls are not over pumped.
Today's soccer ball inflation specifications are all over the place. It appears that the manufactures just print some numbers. Balls seem to be specified with too much pressure, making them harder then they should be.
The collision between a player's head and the ball is known as an inelastic event. In such an event, the energy brought to both objects gets transferred or changed into other forms of energy inside each object. It doesn't take a genius to see that if more of the energy could go into deforming the soccer ball, then less would be distributed into the player's head, neck and body...
We have all felt this ourselves, a pumped up ball hurts far more then a slightly deflated ball. Where is the research from the ball manufacturing community that shows the optimum balance between ball pressure that is safer for the players , but not to low that it dulls the responsiveness of the ball's action in the game???
Lets get the Neurologist's, Coaches, and soccer ruling bodies together with the ball manufacturers to do the science and RE-THINK the ball pressure standard! Such a simple little change can reduce the soccer concussion injury rates and effects more quickly then any other course of action currently available.
This part of the answer is simple when you apply the science of elementary physics to the problem, now who's going to lead the charge to get the community interested in scientific research?
...US Soccer Federation, where are you on this? The ball is in your court!
My son, a goalie for his HS team, suffered a concussion from an opposing player kicking him in the right temple as he jumped on the ball on March 22, 2012. He never passed out, he continued the game with no problems...the next day he had a miagraine type headache and lost his memory for 40 days! He has most of his memory back now but still has "holes" and doesn't remember very much from the 40 days of memory loss. It is scary how quickly your life can change.
thank god for ONLY 40 days! it could have been far worse. I hope he starts playing soon :-)
STexan, where did you see anything about taxing sports in this article? As far as the motivation, I suppose you're unaware of the suicide of former NFL player Seau who had experienced concussions as a football player and whose brain is being donated to a study seeking to establish connections between concussions and suicides among retired NFL players. The reporter is doing a service by reminding us that concussions happen in other sports as well. As far as "for girls only" READ the article: girls' necks are different (weaker) and may not brace for the impact as well as a boy's. Boys suffer fewer concussions in soccer than girls and it's because of anatomical differences in the neck area. OTOH, boys get concussions from football.
My daughter played soccer from early elementary years through high school, and club soccer in college. She never experienced a concussion, and as far as I know, neither did any of her teammates. I have to question what's going on with this girl's team that so many girls are getting concussions. The coaches may need better training so they can prepare their players better. As Brandi Chastain said, it all comes back to education and training.
My daughter got hit with a ball right in the temple (opposing player just teed up to take a shot on goal) - just a fluke I suppose - she was playing her position - it could have happened no matter who was coaching her ..... and then again 5 months later she got hit in the forehead ... she plays hard and doesn't back down ... which is what most coaches praise .... was it just a coincedence in my daughter's case? Perhaps .... fortunatley for the rest of her team, no one else seemed to have their head in the wrong place at the wrong time ... but now that she wants to play again (and she has been under the care of a Neurologist) I told her not to head the ball ... why aggravate her brain? Her coach is working with her to adjust her strategy ...
Actually Tim, the article says...
"Cantu said that the country is in the midst of 'a concussion crisis' and that studies show girls are reporting nearly twice as many concussions as boys in the sports they both play."
So that means that suggests that more than 33% of all reported concussions in co-ed sports are from boys - yet the only time the article even mentions boys is to basically dismiss this VERY significant statistic. 66% of the concussions going on that happen to girls = important, 33% of the concussions that happen to boys, who cares? You have to dig pretty deep into this article to even get a hint that a lot of boys are getting concussions as well - and isn't this article meant to be a FYI for parents thinking of putting their kids into sports? As such, is the very significant number of boys getting concussions not important?
We live in a culture that is much more comfortable dismissing men problems and dramatizing women's. Prostate cancer VS breast cancer - do some googling and you'll find that both are significant killers, but one is touted by celebrities and gets *far* more money per person afflicted. Domestic abuse VS men, which is becoming increasingly significant in our culture, is all but laughed at, whereas domestic abuse VS women is looked at as a grievous wrong. A woman soldier is abused by enemy troops and she's heralded as a hero and a tragic victim and is getting headlines across the country - the rest of her male squad is killed, and they're footnotes on some government notice. Girl concussions being a big deal but boy concussions only being mentioned to be basically dismissed in the article? It's just another example of a culture that is *far* more sympathetic to women's problems than those of men. Just to be clear, I don't disagree that all of these things listed above should be looked at as very wrong things, but it's troubling that our culture really doesn't seem to worry too much when they are happening to men, but cries foul when they are happening to women.
As a parent who cares about *kids*, you really shouldn't be dismissing the fact that this article is pretty sexist - parents of male children, and the male children, who are reporting 33% of the concussions, really deserve to know the scoop every bit as much as girl parents. LOTS of boys get concussions. This article acts like only girls have heads worth talking about.
Millerchill,
If you haven't already, I'd look into headgear for your daughter. Even some professional players (men and women) are starting to wear head pieces.
@ SteveJNB
You can't live in fear. You should do the activities that make you happy and do your best to prevent serious injuries. I am sure studies produce stats that create fear for individuals, but that shouldn't change what you love.
As a girl who played soccer all her life, taking heading away from the game is bogus. A lot of the times it's instict to use your head or any part of your body besides your hands to make a play.
It's not about Men v Women with any type of illness or injury. There are many people throughout the US and the World who sufer from common illness and injury, that doesn't mean one is more important than the other to raise money or awareness for. Not everyone can raise awarness for everything out there. Most people chose to raise money for something that is personal to them in some way. Some think Breast Cancer Awareness is way more popular than Prostate Cancer awareness, it may be but that's because of the PEOPLE behind the awareness. You can't knock people who raise money for Breast Cancer and it being "more popular". when it comes to raising money. Stop talking about it and do something about it if it bothers you so much to think that it's a woman vs man thing with awareness. It seems to me the reason "women" gain more sympathy with the various topics you covered above is because they speak up, they defend themselves, they talk about their problems, they educate others so other women and even men don't have to go what they went through. It's not always about one or the other.
Steve, nowhere in the article does it state that either boys or boys' heads do not matter. You see sexism in an article about the dangers of girls' team contact sports likely because it is a daily part of a self-inflicted kick to your head.
Most communities sports programs now require the coaches to take an online course on concussions and how to recognize the symptoms and to pass a test on concussions at the end of the course. They require certification before each season that the coach has passsed the test before they are allowed to coach. The training and test are free at online websites.
Little, make as many jabs as you want. Decades of journalism counting out significant or minority groups was later dubbed as the trappings of racist and sexist times. But I'm giving myself a "self inflicted kick to the head" for pointing out that this article is quite exclusionist when it shouldn't be...
The problem is, the "dangers of girls' team contact sports" are pretty near identical to those of male team contact sports. In this article, it suggests that people with long thin necks are more susceptible to concussions, and suggests that neck strengthening exercises may be helpful. Wouldn't that be helpful information for the parents of some young male athletes, who can also have long thing necks? Heaven forbid we have a tall, lanky soccer player who is a boy... But alas, why would someone with a son read an article that talks about health problems for girls?
This article largely treats problems of young athletes of both sexes as if they're exclusive to girls. That doesn't help convey the useful information to a large group of people who might want to know it, and on top of that, it's a bit misleading to talk about the problems mentioned in this article as if they only happen to girls because, as it happens, they evidently happen to boy soccer players too - a lot.
Ask yourself. Are concussions in soccer a girl only issue? Obviously, no. Then ask yourself, would the tips and advice in this article be helpful to boy soccer players as well? Obviously, yes. So why is it no big deal that this information is being treated as if it only applies to girls?
To JKS15,
I think you misread what I'm saying. I'm not suggesting we live in fear and the game be changed - actually, I think those types of extreme responses we're seeing in these comments are far from warranted. I was a football and rugby player and now I am a defensive line coach for a local midget level team. I don't believe we should shy away from more extreme activities, but I *do* feel strongly that things should be done to make sure people are educated on how to do these things as safely as possible. That is what irks me about this article - the injuries it talks about and the advice the article gives are all relevant to young male athletes - but both the headline and the article itself really don't offer this information to boys, and just girls. This will have the parents of young male soccer players passing this article by when it could well be helpful to them - because these are NOT girl problems presented in this article, they are soccer problems.
As for your comment about "do something about it" - with due respect, do you have any idea what I do about these things? Obviously, no. For the record, I make yearly donations to both breast and prostate cancer foundations (larger for prostate because, simply put, it doesn't get *nearly* the attention or funding that breast cancer does while still killing a lot of people), I volunteer at a local soup kitchen, and my day job is in education - AND I volunteer my time to coach for a youth football league. As it happens, I make sure my guys do a lot of core and neck workouts to prevent injuries in areas that young people of that age often get in these rough sports. Now, I HOPE that similar information is being given to girls who play football, and I'd be both negligent and sexist if I was involved in a girl football team and said "Nah, they don't need to work their cores and necks - those are boy problems. I'll just teach it to my guys." But hey, guys don't need to know to strengthen their necks to prevent concussions in soccer - just girls...
Steve, the reason why this article was about girls specifically is because in boys sports we already know boys "play hard" and are well aware of concussion risk. The difference here is that parents are putting their daughters into a sport that isn't normally considered a contact sport (I realize it is actually, but it is not football, rugby, lacross, hockey, boxing, etc.). Furthermore, it appears that girls are actually much more susceptible to brain injury from the same force, due to the physiology of their necks.
So, it isn't sexist or "irk"-some to make the article about girls -- the awareness of the danger really isn't there. I doubt any parent signing up their girl for soccer thinks about concussion risks, but I bet every parent signing their boy up for football does.
Julian, I'm not entirely sure you're correct on this. You say "The difference here is that parents are putting their daughters into a sport that isn't normally considered a contact sport."
Well, I've had kids who ended up on my team (never on the d-line though) and, as they claimed, were allowed by their parents to, for years, play soccer, but not football. Why? Because the parent perception was that soccer was a safe, non-contact sport, and they didn't want their kids getting hurt playing something like football, rugby, or lacrosse. Eventually the kids finally got to start playing football once they were almost young adults and their parents loosened the leash a bit. I don't begrudge parents this decision, but it does show me that a lot of parents look at soccer as a safe sport. I wonder, would these parents be helped make more informed decision by knowing that boys get concussions - along with knee, ankle, and sometimes even kidney injuries - in soccer? Probably. An article like this is helpful - IF it is directed at people who could use the information in it. The 33% of total concussion reports made by boys are those people, and yet they're excluded.
With some parents, I'm sure you're right. A lot of parents still buy into the "snips and snail and puppy dog tails" thing for boys, and think their girls are delicate little flowers who go out and play with kid gloves - and therefore expect their daughters to play nice while their boys carouse and get injured. A lot don't think this way though, and look at soccer as a way to keep their boys out of the nasty sports where they get hurt. Parents like that could really use a bit of a push from a news source saying "hey, get your boys training their necks if they play soccer!" It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of soccer parents don't realize this - and heck, do all coaches? I played a bit of soccer in elementary and highschool, and I don't recall anyone ever telling me to work on my neck to lower concussion injuries - whereas my football coaches had us doing all sorts of neck and core exercises to prevent injuries, rather than just make us better runners and hitters. People, boys and girls, expect injuries in football, and prepare for them - in soccer, I think a lot of boys and girls, don't think of concussions, and therefore don't prepare for them.
I think you're wrong. A fair number of parents who have male children look at soccer as safe, and I'm not sure they realize that there are a lot of boys getting concussions as well. I still maintain, this article treating a girl/boy problem as if it were just a girl problem is at best a wasted journalistic opportunity to inform more people of information that might save their kids from being injured, and at worst, just plain sexist.
Require helmets for all.
Don't play if you're worried!
My girl is eleven and quite a physical soccer player for her age. The foundational skills are there completely but she has an very aggressive side to her when it comes to soccer. The helmet idea to me is not a bad idea at all. A couple professional goalies wear helmets and playing soccer myself for many years has shown me how violent this game can get. Just watch a girls college game if you want to see hard contact. The game has really changed. You play the opponent more than the ball in today's game. I love the game but lets do right by these kids...
I agree with the helmet idea completely. But if heading the ball is not safe for girls under a certain age, skill or physical development level, why let them do it?
As a parent of a 15 yr old daughter who has had 2 siginificant concussions from soccer ... the most important part is LETTING YOUR BRAIN HEAL .... if you have to take a season off from sports, then do it - resting your brain means just that - not just stopping sports/exercise, but no texting, reading, stay home from school until you are symptom free for 24 hrs ... your brain can't handle noise, lights, distractions while it is trying to heal .... its a long process, but since this is an "invisible injury" ... you have to be patient ... and for the record, I disagree with Brandi - if your child has suffered from a concussion, stop the heading! It's one more precautionary measure to keep your brain healthy .....
Good idea!! Let's stop everything so your kid can continue a sport that will give her brain damage!! Sorry but that has to be the most idiotic idea ever! There is absolutely NO sport in the world that is worth that. And telling your child, any child, to stop going to school or reading or any of the really necessary and important things in life to play a game has got to be right up there with telling them to play in traffic. Brain damage accumulates and when your daughter is older and can't remember a lot of things, I am sure she will thank you. Help her find something a little more safe and intelligent or help her be the one who comes up with a way to make the sport safer for all..but don't tell her to skip school and stop reading just so she can go back to banging her brain around.
Wow. That was a bit harsh. Millerchill said that resting meant everything from sports to school. And it's very true when you're sick or have an injury, you need to let yourself rest fully and completely heal. If you don't, healing will take much, much longer and you may have increased risk of permenant damage. You don't need to use the straw man fallacy here.
Meezermom,
And what do you say to the kids that don't play sports and risk the occasional injury? They are much more likely to develop other physical problems later in life due to things such as weight and circulatory problems.
My advice, play sports and take reasonable precautions. Teach your kids to listen to their bodies - if they are dizzy or have sharp pain, then stop for a bit. If not, have fun.
I'm a slow guy that can't jump, and I was never close to being good enough to even play college level sports, but the self-confidence I got from sports is a large part of the reason for my success in life the last 30+ years.
Meezermom....PLEASE educate yourself about concussions. The post was not saying to stop everything so they can play sports. We are talking about the brain. This is not a broken bone healing...the brain is so complex. There is no way to totally rest the brain. The only thing you can do is to limit as much brain activity as you can. As Millerchill said, you need to stop texting, reading and such. Those activities are very rough on a brain that is healing from injury. Try to stop your brain from thinking for one minute. You will find it is impossible. The brain needs rest to heal.
Under Armour is every where!
To change the subject, Gene simmons has nothing compared to you. All i can say is wow, love it.
There are soft, protective headgear available for soccer players. When I coached my daughter in youth soccer, I got them for the entire team. None of the girls would wear them because they didn't like the way they looked! Fortunately, we never had a problem on that team. I wish youth soccer and school leagues would make a greater push for protective headgear in soccer...for boys and girls.
sounds like a typical reaction from kids. probably the same reaction from girls that have had five concussions, they would rather risk another concussion than covering the cuteness, go figure.
"they would rather risk another concussion than covering the cuteness, go figure"
That's because they're children. They are not old enough to be able to make those decisions, so adults need to do it for them. If it were my tream, I would just tell the girls that if you don't wear the helmet, you don't get to play. Simple!
TYPICAL NEWS: drama but no solutions (other than the rest of society paying for large court awards). OK, so dangerous but keep playing? Walking down the street is a frigging risk. People need to get over themselves, we will ALL DIE sooner or later.
I coached a women's soccer team for 4 years, and I agree with Brandi Chastain. If you're worried about injuries, train to avoid them and strengthen those areas of the body most susceptible. I had a star player, national caliber who blew out her knee. Bye bye career in soccer. Stuff happens. I had an opposing team player threaten to sue because she broke her ankle while she and one of our defenders were battling for the ball. I had to inform her that playing Soccer has an implied risk, and every player who takes the field knows that injuries are part of the game. Soccer is a wonderful sport. It requires skill, endurance and, yes, mental ability. Don't mess it up with ridiculous new rules like "no heading the ball"....
Stuff happens? Implied risk? You should be jailed for child abuse.
Yes, all contact sports have an implied risk of injury. Take some lessons. And keep your liberal political correctness and bee ess to a minimum. You're embarrassing yourself.
And in what planet is it acceptable to allow your underaged not fully developed child to endanger themselves for no practical benefit?
People like Tony D-373561 and Brandi Chastain disgust me and are just the sort of person who should never be allowed to coach or be near children. It's not as is participating in sports is a core part of their education nor even necesarry. It's all about the ego of the coach and has nothing to do with the wellbeing of the child.
There is no excuse at all to risk your childs health and future on such a pathetic thing as sporting contest.
Tied...do you need a tissue? A hug? Sports are not for the weak. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen and take your 'participation trophy' with you.
The problem here is that we are not not talking about a blown knee, torn ACL or busted ankle; you can get by just fine once they heal. We are talking about brain damage... something that will seriously impact the lives of these children for far longer. Look, I get that children should be out there having fun, learning about teamwork and comradery, etc., but after the first, second, fourth concussion? That is the height of irresponsibility. Nothing is worth long term brain damage.
Tiedyeguy, you are taking too many drugs. Get off the opiates and start your brain working. You find Brandi Chastain and me disgusting? While I am pleased to be compared in the same sentence with Brandi, I think her credentials as a professional player speak well for her and add credence to her comments. The bottom line is: Don't play if you don't want injuries. By the way, tiedye, from which worm species are you descended?
Injuries or permanent brain injury? Kids get hurt but usually we keep them from doing the obviously dangerous stuff. If permanent brain injury does not fit that criteria then nothing does. You can give people vital information but you cannot make them think...
Why do you have to follow every point you make with an insult? It is counterproductive.
ToniD, you say the brandi's credentials speak well of her? Yes they do, but they sure don't giver her any credibility advising people about brain injuries since she's not a doctor.
And neither are you. If you don't care about underage kids, girls especially, getting brain damage from repeated concussions, why don't you just say so? It's obvious you don't care about that. Rather, you think this whole discussion is way too sissified. You probably think wearing protective head gear is weak.
Okay, fine. Just don't coach my kids' soccer team.
Laguna, it is unbelievable how you misinterpret my comments and go off on random tangents that shed them in a negative light. If I were coaching a little girls team, I would not allow the girl to continue if she had a brain injury. That's ridiculous. And saying I don't care about underage children, is just bee ess. That's you thinking we should be a nanny state and control every aspect of life before adulthood; the socialist dream world. I am not a neurologist or an expert on head injuries, but I would attribute some of the head injuries to improper or inadequate coaching. Those can be avoided. Further, if wearing protective head gear could prevent injuries, it might be good to consider, as long as all players were required to wear the gear. But, if you think you can prevent injuries 100%, then perhaps eliminating all sports for all ages is your preferred solution, because there ain't no total prevention except total avoidance. btw, I wouldn't dream of coaching your kids soccer team .
"has had at least five concussions. "
Jeez, when are we ever gonna learn? There are lots of non-combative sports for our kids. Many corporations will exclude you from employment if you played high school football simply because of the statistics of injuries and their effects in later years.
Dude - you just can't go making sh*t up : Many corporations will exclude you from employment if you played high school football simply because of the statistics of injuries and their effects in later years.
I've heard just the opposite actually. Team sports provide an environment to learn team work, which is a very valuable skill in the job market. They also learn about delayed gratification and hard work because they need to practice, practice, practice to see the results they're looking for. These too, are valued job skills. Mnay members of the team, at some point or other, are given leadership roles as well. And again, these are valued in the job market.
Uhm, where do you get your information from? Please supply sources. Most corporations I know of encourage youth sports because it shows that the candidate can play on a team to accomplish a goal. I've NEVER heard of someone being turned down for a job because they played sports.
Take a sport where you are meant to hit the ball with your head. Add multiple people all trying to hit the ball with their heads all at the same time. Heads hit heads.
Concussions.
Since soccer players are used to not using their hands do any of them participate in foreplay?
Maybe they should ban all sports
lol. I'm sorry. Maybe they should ban all sports? You don't think that's a bit of an over-reaction? Firstly, I don't think that the government should be telling me what to do with my time or my children. It's none of their business. And secondly, you can't ban something just because there is the potential for injury. Then you'd have to knock out motorcycle riding, skiing, driving (come on, do you know how many injuries/deaths are the result of car accidents?) and so many other things. I used to play soccer as a kid and I never got anything worse than bruised shins. And you're ignoring all of the benefits of organized sports. Children learn team work, leadership skills, hard work, delayed gratification and it gives them something active and rewarding to do with their time.
lol. It was a total mock to all. You really thought I was serious with ban all sports?
Oh the humanity, millions of kids play soccer, and NBC found the 100 extreme cases. There are many more future adults who will drop dead from obesity than from the head trauma they got playing sports as children. Normal percuations are prudent, excessive interference is not. Life is a risk, if you don't want your child to experience the potential benefits of competitive sports because of the injury risk, keep them out of the game until the bubble is perfected that will allow them to play risk free. And don't run with scissors.
Good comment, John.
Maybe if children's sports were less dangerous, there would be less obesity. Why should we have to choose between head trauna or heart health? What kind of choice is that?
the third choice would be maybe jogging and eating right< but then there's the chance of getting hit by a car or salmonella, i guess.
from the days of the Romans, the masses have slathered and gathered to watch the lions eat gladiators, we are defined by football, soccer, hockey, billions of dollars are made and spent, heros of the ages are made on the fields, there is no chance in hell these contact sports will be banned as long as there are fans plunking down big bucks to fill the stadiums. Better equipment, training and awareness is the only answer.
Girls soccer should be banned. The leaders of Girls Soccer have known about the concussion epidemic for years and covered it up. Girls soccer players never knew the dangers of heading a soccer ball but there leaders surely did. Time for a class action suit!
All contact sports should be banned! Save our brains!
That is the most ridiculous comment I've seen so far. We should also ban driving since there are so many accidents and deaths.... shall I continue, or do you get the point?
Hey i got a great idea to keep our kids safe. Take their bedroom, Tale thick foam rubber, pad the walls, the headboard. put bars on the window(remember to wrap them bars in foam rubber too), cover the headboard and footboard and rails, Take the sharp objects out in fact just remove everything, anything exept furry stuffed animal and maybe feathers, cept feathers have a sharp point and teddy bears have small parts like buttons that may get swallowed so no feathers or stuffed animals either. Pad the carpet. and then lock them in and let em go nuts. works great. when they turn 21, let em out to go meet the dangerous world.
Gregory, although contact happens, soccer is not a contact sport. I once played with a golfer who got beaned when his ball hit a tree and bounced off his head. Should we ban kids playing golf?
I was being sarcastic. People who play sports should inherently know there is risk involved....
This concussion crises seems at times to be about NPR types wanting to "ban" all contact sports.
Word to the wise...if you want to play contact sports assume the risk.
Since when is soccer not a contact sport???? Yes, there are risks with EVERYTHING in life, but that's when an educated decision must be made.....and that doesn't always mean doing what your kid wants. That's the parents job to decide what is right for their child & situation.
Sports are only here to amuse the masses, just like in the days of the Collesium and the Circus Maximus.. I like getting exercise, and playing sports, but the way we have commercialized and turned this into an all or nothing for sports is rediculous.. Schools cut their curriculum and academics, while at the same time building new stadiums.. Now, Colleges spend most of their money on recruiting new players, who just leave after a year anyways to go play in a professional league. When did society forget what colleges exist for in the first place? Maybe this is why the country is getting stupid.. More concussions and less money for learning..
Helmets for soccer players, lol yeah.
Sorry, John. Soccer IS a contact sport. Certain contact is allowed under the rules.
That is very true Tony. I really get tired of people thinking soccer is not a contact sport. Countless times I have watched my daughter play, and she does play rough within the rules, and I hear parents of players on the other team complaining that contact is not allowed.
No.... There may be contact but soccer is NOT a contact sport. American Football is a contact sport. Hockey is a contact sport. Rugby is a contact sport. There is contact in basketball but it is not a contact sport. There can be contact in baseball but it is not a contact sport. Same goes for soccer
Wrong. No need to say more.
oh yeah? try playing soccer without shin guards.
A contact sport is not any sport where you might bump into one another, but rather a sport where contact is part of the legal play. Boxing, football, rugby, hockey, lacrosse, and similar are contact sports -- you PURPOSEFULLY hit the other players. Soccer, basketball, etc. are not contact sports (although you certainly are in physical danger of contact).
Oh, JulianAB .... are you awake? Try googling the FIFA soccer rules then argue your point.
Soccer, along with baseball, basketball, and softball are considered contact sports, meaning there is the strong possibility of contact with another person. Football and hockey are collision sports, meaning contact is definite.
This a new atempt for american doctors to get rid of soccer (real foot ball) because they could't learn it, and prefered their so call "football" (really beast ball) The concussions in soccer are accidental but in football the concussions are the aim of the game, each player trying to break the other backs to hurt the opponents, while in soccer the aim is a goal. Fortunately, americans has realized that their "beast ball" is killing people and dreams, and not producing $$ and soccer is producing more money, that is why they are converting "beast ball" fields into soccer fields. Good try doctor.
You wish Sabino. Football is doing just fine...despite the best attempts of the NPR crowd to get it banned.
lol, American Football isn't generating money? Are you kidding me? The NFL is a $6 BILLION/year corporation.
Sabino , you are clown " Beast Ball" what the hell kind of liberal stupidity is that ?
This is just one problem in the world of organized youth athletics. We are pushing our children much too hard for some fleeting sense of glory and accomplishment. By the time you're 40 years old it doesn't make one damned bit of difference, unless the youth sport was the highlight of your entire life, sort of like Al Bundy and football.
My parents never pushed me in sports, I pushed myself and there was not much they could have done to keep me away. I LOVE physical activity and it has been that way as long as I can remember. I understand some parents do push their kids but by and large in my experience the vast majority of kids are there because they enjoy it.
I agree with both of you. But by the time you're 40, you'lll wish you didn't have that bad shoulder or that trick knee, the one you got from doing something unsafe in a sport that was never going to give you anything but 30 seconds of team glory anyway. It's not a fair trade. And when you're 50 and you need a new knee, but your insco won't pay for it because it's a pre-existing condition, you'll rethink it again.
Let kids play sports all they want. Just make it safe to do so. Don't let them make decisions about safety, because as underage kids, they don't have good judgement about the risks. Adults must take reponsibility for the lasting effects of injuries. How else are kids going to learn how to tell the difference between good and bad risks if we don't teach them?
So if heading is dangerous for girls, don't let them do it until they can do it safely. If helmets and shin guards prevent inuries, make them wear them!
Some people on this board disagree but, myself, I don't want to be responible for any kid damaging their brains. At all. Nothing is worth that.
Well, the thing is is that kids who liked the sport they were playing, grow into adults who still play the sport. It's fun - it's social and it's exercise. I still play soccer at 45 and I know a bunch of women who have had their knees replaced (but probably didn't play as kids because back then there wasn't girls soccer!). You do it, you do some rehab and you move on. They all KEEP PLAYING, even through 50 and sometimes 60's. Ditto for blowing out your knee. Everyone keeps playing.
It's the same thing for dancing and any other physical activity - if it's your reason for being/your joy you still do it. It's not just a childhood thing.
It's better than being obese, unhealthy and bored for sure.
And plenty of people end up with the trick knee, the bad shoulder, or the arthritis never having done anything exciting or playing a sport anyway. Might as well play, have some fun and stay healthy.
I agree about the head injury for kids stuff though = that's absurd to be protecting your shins and not your brain. Totally ridiculous.
Agreed.
make shock-absorbing headbands mandatory in youth soccer - if it isn't required the kids won't wear them because they think it's not cool. my 8 y/o daughter plays goalkeeper and we make her wear a headband, but she's the only one in the entire league that wears one and she hates it.
I know that some leagues are switching to "nerf" soccer balls. Shock absorbing headbands, mouth pieces, and nerf soccer balls, can make girls soccer safer but not safe enough.
If even one girl in all of the United States gets a concussion the sport is not worth it.
Be serious. Life is a risk. Go live in a bubble if life scares you.
Gregory, the extent of your ignorance is immeasurable.
oh no its quite measurable, its just that it would take too long to count that high.
Exactly. Unless it's required, none of them will wear the protective headgear. Please require it....!!! Also, most coaches tell the kids to start heading the ball at age 12, but they don't teach the proper technique first or ever. However, the headgear would still help for head to head collisions.
Interesting what Brandi Chastain was doing in creating personal space around her body with her arms - but sorry, there are no arms in soccer. That's called a foul. You can't shove someone away with your arms before you go up for the ball, nor do you see everyone in your 'personal space' when you are playing. Some of them are going to be behind you and it's a very fast paced game. That's not realistic at all (I play and I coach and that's just silly).
I'm suffering with a concussion right now and I've talked to the doctors about all the head gear crap and it doesn't work. The only thing it does is not give you as bad of concussion.
ONLY five concussions. What wonderful parenting. Kids are to be used to gain parents fame an foortune. Wonderful people.
Eggsackly!