Concussions scare you out of coaching?

I guess I have a unique perspective on this as I missed out on the second half of my senior season because of concussions. And this was twenty years ago, before all of the new research came to light. I feel like I picked up those concussions because I wasn't taught to block or to tackle properly. We were taught to put our face mask through people's numbers when tackling and blocking which obviously means that I was leading with my head. We also have crap equipment (constantly having to pump up the air-bladder of a helmet) and that didn't help either. I had probably picked up double-digit concussions through out those playing years but was only diagnosed with three. I would have been much better off had the trainers and coaches been educated on the subject and recognized that I was getting knocked goofy.. I have dealt with some issues from those concussions (migraines being one) and it has been difficult. However, I wouldn't go back and do anything differently: I'm a better person for playing the game and by continuing to be involved with it.

My major frustration with this issue is that it's coming out of the NFL. There's a world of difference between two massive grown men colliding and high school kids doing the same. And, although we know that concussions can be a detrimental part of the game, we have safer equipment, we have concussion testing, we're teaching safe techniques and coaches are more aware of it. Gone are the good ol' "you just got your bell-rung boy, get back in there!!" days.

If I'm being honest, yes. But its not just concussions for me, its torn ACL's and broken legs. There is nothing I hate more than going to get one of my guys who are down on the field. I have considered it again and again. I figure they are going to play whether I'm the coach or not, I might as well stay on and do my best to take care of them. But it bothers me.

No

Doesn't scare me at all and I don't really think about it to be honest. Never even crossed my mind to hang up my whistle. Our staff is a certified Heads Up staff and we do everything possible to teach safe proper tackling techniques.

I'll be honest.

Concussions by themselves aren't making me uneasy, but I'm starting to wonder about football's place in the world these days. When I grew up, HS football was a big deal and it was considered a rite of passage. Young men were expected to play and the community would rally around the team, even when the team wasn't good. It was clearly a positive thing for the kids, for the school, and for the community as we made memories that lasted us the rest of our lives.

Now it's just another extracurricular activity, but an expensive one with a ton of overhead where kids get concussions, torn up shoulders and knees, etc. while no one in the community seems to really care anymore. The kids just don't seem to enjoy it that much or bond with their teammates like we did. Then there's all the ugly politicking, backstabbing, and scapegoating that goes with the territory from parents and administrators. The fact that it's a yearlong grind of weights, spring ball, fundraising, 7 on 7 all summer, etc. just wears on everyone and burns out players and coaches alike.

Then I look at the scores each week, both our own and the other schools in our state, and I see how they're almost always blowouts. Maybe 10% of the games are within 2 TDs. The bad teams get shellacked by 50 each week and the good ones win by the same amount. Even the games between the middle of the pack teams aren't much more competitive, but I know that a lot of those teams who are getting drilled week in and week out work just as hard or harder than the ones on top, have kids sacrificing their bodies and lives just the same or more, etc. Nothing that coaches do would change those outcomes.

These days, I often find myself wondering if it's all worth it. If the sacrifice and toll on these kids' bodies means anything, or how much influence we have as coaches, and if all the time, money, and effort that goes into it might be better spent elsewhere.  This game is supposed to be fun, but I don't see many people having fun with it anymore.

I still love this game, but I don't have the same enthusiasm I had for it years ago. Yet I wouldn't know what to do with myself without it.

I agree, but I can't help but think that the concussion hysteria is overblown.

It's very real and shouldn't be dismissed, but Dr. Bennet Omalu has a pretty checkered history and really loves being in the limelight--he was fired from his job for some professionalism issues, which he blames on NFL meddling, and recently was telling reporters that he was certain Hillary Clinton was being poisoned because she tripped and fell at a campaign stop a few weeks back.  The other handful of researchers who are all over the media are building their careers on this, as well.  The media, of course, is still lapping it up, and kids and parents are terrified, but it is out of touch with reality and has led to a lot of fear that, IMO, doesn't need to be there.

As I said above, I don't think that concussions are the biggest issue facing football, though.  They've always been a part of the game and now we know more about them and have better protocols and safety equipment than ever before.  I feel like our game and the culture surrounding our game has bigger issues that are staving off kids.  The old fashioned America where HS football was a fall tradition in small, blue collar towns across the country is largely gone.  Many of those towns are dying out economically and culturally due to forces beyond their control.  As they fade into ruin, the traditions and community identities which were embodied by HS football are fading with them.

I agree with you on this, but by "hysteria" I was referring to some of the stuff I've dealt with, like moms telling me they're not going to let their kids play anymore because they've suddenly become afraid of concussions, or media pundits acting as if it's a certainty that playing football will ruin a boy's life down the road.

I've also dealt with several cases in the last few years where players get upset over something not going their way, like being moved to a position they don't like or getting chewed out over mistakes, and then magically they have a "concussion" that takes them out of action and only seems to show symptoms when the trainer's around.

That doesn't mean we dismiss concussion symptoms or treat them any less seriously.  We have to err on the side of caution and take care of our players.