The Changing Face of Football in America

gte447f

Helluva Engineer
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Wow, I’m surprised to hear so many dismissive attitudes about headers in soccer and possible links to negative effects on brain and cognitive function and health. Everyone seems to be focused on concussions, and I hear things like you are more likely to get a concussion from head to head contact with another player, but I thought it was generally accepted that CTE and possibly other brain injuries can result from repeated subconcussive impacts.

Like, I said, I didn’t grow up playing or watching soccer, so it’s pretty new to me. But, since my son started playing youth soccer and is pretty into it after a few seasons and is now playing on an academy club, I watch a lot of youth soccer and I have become interested in the game at the highest professional and national team levels. Some of you act like headers aren’t that common, but they seem very common to me. I haven’t counted, but there are probably dozens in a typical 90 minute game, and it’s not just forwards and strikers. Midfielders header a lot, and one Washington post article I read (link below) claimed that defenders actually header the ball more than any other position, which I found surprising. Goalkeepers are the only position group that seem to be mostly unaffected.

My son is U11 this season. They played a few games against U12s and were allowed to header the ball in those games. My son, playing midfield and having never headed the ball previously or even practiced it, did so 3 times in that very first game instinctively. The first one looked a little awkward, but the next 2 were good plays.

I’m no expert, but check out this Washington Post article. In my opinion , it paints a pretty bleak, but totally expected picture of the likely negative effects of headers on soccer players. Lots of interesting data points in there. Here is just one: typical g forces from heading a soccer ball in a game situation was measured at between 22g and 30g.

 

forensicbuzz

21st Century Throwback Dad
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I’m no neuroscientist but I wonder how you compare the two since circumstances are slightly different. CTE involves repeated jarring impacts, which, in the case of football linemen, can happen multiple times in a game. In soccer, even a forward or a striker can go multiple games without even having a chance to head butt a ball. To be clear, I’m not saying head butting is benign, it’s clearly dangerous, but unless someone is daily practicing head butts, the frequency of impact is much less than with football.
Your middies are more likely to have impactful headers from the goal kicks and long kicks from the fullbacks.
 

gte447f

Helluva Engineer
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1,135
Wait… is soccer now football on this board?
😂 We knew that comment was coming. But, headers in soccer and CTE is relevant to the “changing face of football in America “ though, because one of the reasons kids don’t play football as much anymore is because of the link to CTE. More and more kids are playing soccer instead because parents think football is potentially bad for brain health, but if the same or similar link to CTE exists in soccer, then steering kids toward soccer instead of football for safety reasons might be pointless.
 

Northeast Stinger

Helluva Engineer
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11,183
😂 We knew that comment was coming. But, headers in soccer and CTE is relevant to the “changing face of football in America “ though, because one of the reasons kids don’t play football as much anymore is because of the link to CTE. More and more kids are playing soccer instead because parents think football is potentially bad for brain health, but if the same or similar link to CTE exists in soccer, then steering kids toward soccer instead of football for safety reasons might be pointless.
Exactly why this conversation was relevant.
 
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