O-Net 2019

Dear Ann Landers, I'd like to respond to the letter from the woman whose son "Jeremy" was forced by his father to play football. I am an athlete. I played high school and college ball and spent six years as part of 'George Halas' infamous "Taxi Squad" in the early 1960s. When I retired, I spent many hours coaching pee-wee football for boys ages 10 to 12. Ann, watching those kids get hit and hit hard—and seeing the other coaches and parents pushing their children to get up and take it over and over again—really turned me off. Children that age are still developing physically. Hard hits can do permanent damage that may not show up until later. I know; I have knees that ache and buckle, back pain like you wouldn't believe, and I have had surgery on my spine. All of this from being hit by guys while playing a game. In grade school-level football, children who weigh 40 kilograms are sometimes pitted against others who weigh 54 kgs. These kids are poorly coached about protecting themselves, and I can tell you, the ones who really don't want to play are the most vulnerable. I speak from experience. Ex-Football Player   The writer thinks that______.

1. children from different schools should not play football together 2. parents and football coaches should be more patient 3. injuries from hits in playing football often lead to surgery 4. young football players must be properly coached about self-protection 5. a football coach for young children does not need much training

Answer: 4. young football players must be properly coached about self-protection