The Importance of Having a Football Program
Wilfreo Alicea Jr
Sport and Medical Sciences Academy
December 13, 2013d
The Importance of Having a Football ProgramFootball has been a part of people’s lives for many years. People play it not just to have fun, but to relieve stress and to sometimes to compete with other people. Even in a friendly game, people are prone to get hurt. Injuries are commonly seen in contact sports. Many parents are not allowing their children to play contact football or any contact sports at all anymore. To keep the contact sports alive we have to improve the safety of them. The only way you can improve the sports are bettering the fundamentals, equipment, budget, and strength and conditioning.
Football is embedded in people, tradition, and contributions have defined and changed how we play the game (Goodell, 2012).The fundamentals in football are very important. Since 2014 the biggest injury that is happening in the game of football are concussions. Study show that 140,000 football players in America have had a concussion (National Federation of state high school associations, 2013). A lot of the concussion happens because football players were never taught the correct fundamentals of tackling. Hitting with the head down and the crown of the helmet is the cause of forty three percent of the concussions happening in the game of football (National Federation of state high school associations, 2013). Most of the higher skilled programs, such as high school football, are expected to know the fundamentals (Goodell, 2012). Coach McKay, Sport’s medical sciences academy coach says, “All athletes should come in with a pretty good knowledge of the game and fundamentals. But fundamentals should be worked on every day of practice. But unfortunately that’s not the case anymore” (McKay, 2013). Many athletes that play a sport would tell you that it took up a tremendous amount of someone’s time and heart to be there helping them get to know the rules of the sport and the fundamentals. Even pro football players say that it is not easy to prefect the basics of the sport and sometimes the fundamentals can’t even be perfected ( Baker,Nelson,Huchun,Tuzman, 2007).
A mouthpiece is one of the smallest pieces of equipment that a football player has. Studies show that a mouthpiece for recreational played football is most important because it keeps them from injuring their teeth. Also, as a football player is getting tackled they are bracing for impact. A mouthpiece helps absorb some of the impact that is given which helps avoid a head injury (Whitmer, 2013). In 2009 referees all around the United States said they had to throw two hundred and nine flags on a team for players not having a mouthpiece in their mouth (Padilla, Piccininni, 2006). This shows that student athletes are unequipped and have a higher risk of receiving a concussion. A mouthpiece may be small but it is a major way to stay safe when playing the game.
A lot of high school football teams have a certain amount of equipment. Every year after the season at a high school the athletic director sends their equipment back and gets the same shoulder pads, and helmets refurbished, so they have the same sizes as the previous years (Amanda, 2013). Apparent said, “Why would I let my child play any contact sports as a freshmen if he/she is going to get the last shoulder pads left that the kids before him didn’t get him or maybe not even have a helmet that’s going to fit him the right way that it should (Amanda, 2013). In Connecticut the only thing referees are authorized to do is ask the coach if the athletes are fully equipped with the necessary gear. Another piece of equipment that a lot of football players don’t wear is jockstraps. In any contact sports for high school many students believe that they are all-stars and don’t need one (Amanda, 2013). Sixty three percent of injures that happen to the genital area on a male in a contact sport is because he is not wearing a jockstrap (Amanda, 2013).
The surrounding of the sport of football is also important. If you go down south and look for sports facilitates they are all located almost next to one another. So as they move their way up the different leaves of football such as Pop Warner, town league, and on to high school. Down south, they all have the same type of coaching experience together which gives them the ability to excel in the sport as a team (Amanda, 2013). If you have a whole bunch of fans at a Friday night football game then athletes get a great vibe off the crowd which helps them do well in the game (Whitmer, 2013). Also, there are some football teams that have to share their gear with different teams. Therefore, a lot of the equipment a team uses is getting destroyed rapidly because everyone is using it (Whitmer, 2013).
Money for a sports team is important for a contact sport. A sports team needs a lot such as equipment, water, referees, coaches and a lot of other things. If a high school football team would get more money they will hire coaches that would really take the time out and couch the team and out in time to everyone on the team not just the good athletes. Then couches wouldn’t think that sense they are receiving a little amount of money that they just have to be there or just work with the kids worth their time that’s going to help succeed, They will give it to the younger guys too because that’s the future athletes that they will have (Amanda,2013). Another big thing that contact sports like football need but not every school has the money to pay for one is a strength and conditioning coach (Whitmer,2013). If the athlete see that someone is putting there time into trying to get them stronger and faster for them to improve them you would have better athletes on your team (Whitmer,2013).In Premont, Texas 282 high school students who remained in the school were from low-income Hispanic families that had no money to let their child play a sport(Amanda,2013). Then people in Premont said how many football players would drop out . How many cheerleaders would transfer to a different school next year (Amanda,2013). So if they had more money down there they wouldn’t have that problem because kids would not have to pay to play a sport. How would kids learn about the grit, teamwork, and fair play? If you give more money to the high school sports they will pay for the good equipment and they would get more varieties because they really don’t have a huge verity so kids sometimes wouldn’t get the right size of equipment needed. So the athletic director should have a larger budget for contact sports due to the fact that the athlete can lose their life if they are not equip the right way (Whitmer,2013). So if a small amount of money is given to the sports then you are going to have a little success and a small amount of kids wanting to come out due to the small amount of equipment and no one wants to play on a team that always losing,
Strength and conditioning in a contact sport is vary important. The Sports are played at a higher speed definitely at the higher levels like in college and pro-football (Whitmer,2013). Many parents think that if your son goes to the doctor and they say yeah hes 5'11 and weighs 185 pounds that’s good . In matter of fact that is not true because in contact sports you have to wear a lot of equipment that causes you to feel heavier then you usually . So if you don’t have the strength to keep all that extra weight on your side and still be as athletic then what you are without the pads on (Whitmer,2013). In the sport of football the averages play last about five to eight seconds, so the athlete has to be in such good condition to get to the fastest point he/she can get to in a little amount of time (Whitmer,2013). In the state of Connecticut they allow the schools high school football programs to start three an a half weeks before they really have a game that counts towards their record (Baker,Nelson,Huchun,Tuzman,2007).Many coaches in that little bit of twenty five days have to evaluate the kids and see who can make the team, They also have to teach them a play book and a lot of coaches also try to get their team in to a little scrimmage with a different team . A lot of Athletes feel as in that they should have a little more time to get into to shape physically and mentally. So if any program would take there time out and check how important it is to have your athletes at the most tip top shape before the season starts you can see how much more successful the team would do in its overall season (Whitmer,2013) . If an athlete has less than twenty one days to prepare for a ten game season then they are prone to more injures due to the fact that they are not at the right strength and cardio level that they should be at for an athlete that plays a contact sport (national Federation of state high school associations,2013).So all athletes should have a longer amount of time to get into full shape before the season starts just because it will help prevent a lot of injuries (national federation of high school association,2013).
Due to the fact that fundamentals are very important in a contact sport, my capstone project is a football camp for middle school students. At a young age it is essential for an athlete to learn the core principals of a sport. My research paper relates to my project because now I know what is imperative for an adolescent athlete in training. At my camp they will learn the rudiments of tackling, catching, throwing, and running the ball down the field. They will also be taught to keep a positive outlook no matter what the score is or what the situation is on or off the field. Being a good sport is necessary in any sport that you play and in life.
There are five improvements the sport of football can make. Teaching the fundamentals to our athletes are important because it will prevent a lot of injures. Also in a contact sport like football there always can be improvement to the equipment just to make the athletes life less at risk. Money to a football program should get expanded due to the fact that the sport has a lot of requirements that it needs to keep it running .Surroundings to any one expectantly a football player is important because the athlete would get a good vibe out of it if it was up to par. There are many strength and conditioning coaches out there that fill as in that its great idea that a football coach and or program would higher a coach that will just help the athlete in the weight room improving on the strength and the cardiovascular.
References
A Parent's guide to concussion.. National federation of state high school Associations .Retrieved May 17, 2005, from http://www.sportsdentistry.com/http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?
Baker, C., Nelson, B., Huchun, A., & Tuzman, J. (n.d.). Sports Medicine. Facial Injuries.Retrieved January 1, 2007, fromhttp://www.sportsmed.org/uploadedFiles/Content/Medical_Professionals/Professional_Educational_Resources/Publications_and_Resources/Sports_Medicine_2/
E.Mckay, personal communication , November 23,2013
Goodell, R. (Director) (2012, November 15). A Safer game for all who play . A Safer game fir allwho play . Lecture conducted from National Football league , Cambridge .
Ripley, A. (2013). The Case Against high school spor . Atlatic Monthly, 312(3), 72-78.
Sports Dentistry Online - Home Page. (n.d.). Sports Dentistry Online - Home Page. RetrievedNovember 21, 2013, from http://www.sportsdentistry.com/ Whitmer, R. (2013).Providing opportunities for students of all aboloties. Athletics for All, .(.), 45-49