Football is in the air. After a so-so output in last night’s game the Giants faced the loss of another player, David Wilson. The equally electrifying and befuddling RB suffered a serious injury in a game last year. It required surgery to fuse his neck. He tried to come back this year and after suffering a burner in practice he was advised to end football and waived (Injured) by the Giants. His career is over, but his life isn’t.
The incident calls for reflection on football in general. My first born is excited to take his first snaps in the spring, despite the very vocal protests of his mother. Stuff like this gives her more fuel to say no. Stuff like this should put her at ease but reports show that she is just one of many parents who look at football as the quickest path to their kids lives being shortened. As a mother my wife’s concerns are both valid and understood. On the other hand, I don’t feel comfortable holding him out at this age only to have him jump in–like I did–once he can do so on his own and suffer an injury simply because he didn’t know what to expect.
Football–be it watching, coaching, playing (expect a comeback in 4 weeks!), or life in the Fantasy leagues–is a part of my life. I’d be proud to have it be a part of my kids life the way it was/is in mine. I do my research and recognize the risks, but life is risk. I’d rather have them colliding in pads and helmets then out there slamming their bodies into the pavement from some American Ninja or extreme sports mishap.
I don’t see anyone trying to stop them from doing that stuff either.