We allowed flag football but not tackle football. In general we believe that concussion and sub-concussive events are bad news, and would avoid high risk of those—but otherwise are very pro sports. Football is a standout because of all those sub-concussive events especially at the line.
I would also worry about soccer a bit due to headers, but in practice our kids hated soccer so it’s not a concern. Basketball seems fine.
Martial arts are also fine, though I would not allow boxing or anything that focuses on punching the head. So like, BJJ is fine, competitive MMA is not.
I’ve heard a lot of soccer leagues are taking steps to address headers, but afaik, it’s a bit of a false lead b/c (and this is weak knowledge) a lot of the concussions are not header related. Happily, your kids didn’t want to play it so doesn’t matter much.
Boxing is such an odd sport in the modern context. I’d also add that you should be wary of some other MAs like TKD, as depending on the exact ruleset there can be an extreme focus on kicks to the head.
We allowed flag football but not tackle football. In general we believe that concussion and sub-concussive events are bad news, and would avoid high risk of those—but otherwise are very pro sports. Football is a standout because of all those sub-concussive events especially at the line.
I would also worry about soccer a bit due to headers, but in practice our kids hated soccer so it’s not a concern. Basketball seems fine.
Martial arts are also fine, though I would not allow boxing or anything that focuses on punching the head. So like, BJJ is fine, competitive MMA is not.
I’ve heard a lot of soccer leagues are taking steps to address headers, but afaik, it’s a bit of a false lead b/c (and this is weak knowledge) a lot of the concussions are not header related. Happily, your kids didn’t want to play it so doesn’t matter much.
Boxing is such an odd sport in the modern context. I’d also add that you should be wary of some other MAs like TKD, as depending on the exact ruleset there can be an extreme focus on kicks to the head.