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TJ Lavin Reminds Us of Danger in Youth Sports
Are some youth sports too dangerous?
Not all sports invite serious injury, but you have to wonder about the ones that do. BMX-er TJ Lavin is in a medically induced coma right now, after a series of serious injuries stemming from what was supposed to be MTV’s Challenge host’s last bike competition.
In addition to the coma, Lavin may have suffered brain injury. He also broke his arm, and shattered his wrist and eye socket.
Sports-related brain injuries of have been on the mind of , Katie Allison Granju recently. She wondered in her Home/Work blog whether she should allow her young son to play football.
The 7th-grader is pretty good at it — and sports in general — and he loves the game. But an injury at a recent game, which required a trip to the hospital, makes her think twice about allowing him to continue.
These rough sports are ones that capture kids’ interest at a young age. Though TJ Lavin is 33 years old, he’s been riding in BMX competitions — and getting injured in them — for decades.
Are these kinds of high-injury sports something we should discourage — or even prohibit — kids from becoming involved in? Do we need to change the rules to lessen the injury?
Did you — or do your kids — participate in organized activities that can lead to serious injury? Would you allow it?
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JBoogie commented on Oct 16 10 at 5:23 pmI played softball my entirely life and eventually earned a full ride to college for it–on two torn ACL’s, a broken cheekbone, a broken ankle, and so many aches and pains I can’t even count them. And I would do it again, over and over and over. If my parents would have told me I couldn’t play because they were scared I was going to get too hurt I would have been absolutely devastated–being a college athlete, winning championships…those were my dreams. How dare we, as parents, try to decide where our kids passion and talent gets to stop? Sports are tough, they are meant to be, and injuries are part of it. Changing the rules to prevent cheap shots, sucker punches, or intentionally causing harm after a play or something is one thing, but changing the game of football or BMX to try to prevent all injuries is ridiculous. We go on and on and on about how kids need to get outside and play instead of watching TV or playing video games, but then the minute they get outside we put so many limits on them because God-forbid the poor precious angel needs a doctor. I’ve never met a kid that wasn’t so proud he could float over his sports-related “battle scar”.
michelle commented on Oct 17 10 at 4:19 pmThere are definitely differences among sports. Would I let my kids play football? Absolutely not. It is a barbaric “sport” that wrecks the minds and bodies of pro and college players alike. Football is far more likely to cause repeated concussions than other sports, and frankly anything that could impact their cognitive function is OFF LIMITS. Just because football is part of the culture doesn’t mean it’s harmless, and as a parent I am allowed to make that value judgment for myself and my family. But soccer, baseball, swimming, etc are all much better.
JEssica commented on Oct 18 10 at 12:59 pmPersonally, I wouldn’t let me kid (from age 0-14) play soccer, basketball, volleyball, hockey or football in a team situation. If you want your kid playing those sports on a team that is your decision. I would prefer my kid didn’t play softball or baseball but I would allow it. But I would let my kid play pick-up games of any sport.
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