Excuses, Excuses

I was originally going to post a couple of things tonight.  After typing a lot, I think it will be better to have a small series instead.  This is the first of three on what I hear given as "reasons" to not play football.  I know football isn't for everyone.  I can understand when someone legitimately doesn't enjoy playing the game, but for the most part most of the "reasons" I hear are just not accurate.  Most are excuses.  I am going to address some of these over the next few posts.  Tonight we have a note on risk of injury.
 
Excuse #1) "I don't want to get hurt" (usually this statement goes along protecting one's self so he can go play another sport)
A) Football is indeed a collision sport.  There are some dangers as there are to all team sports.  My problem with this "reason" is that collisions occur in ALL other team sports.  The ADVANTAGE that football has is that players are outfitted, equipped, and trained for the collision.  Other sports just hope it doesn't happen.  A collision in another sport will result in injury whereas collisions in football are regular, but injuries are not, and that is due to the protective equipment and training.  I worry about flying elbows in basketball and baseball flying off the bat at my head in baseball.  I'm not trying to sabotage these great sports, I'm just being realistic.  In football, players are prepared and protected.  Injuries do happen, but no more frequently per player than they do in other sports.
B) Other injury worries are usually centered on the knee.  This also doesn't make sense.  I have heard many times about worry over ACL tears, for example.  I tore mine several years back playing basketball, so I know something about it (not to mention I have a degree in biology which also offers some further understanding).  Usually ACL tears are a result of a foot planted where the foot doesn't move, the thigh doesn't move, yet the upper tibia (just below the knee) continues to move forward separating the knee joint and tearing ligaments in the knee.  This is far more likely in other team sports than in football.  The reason is simple.  In football, players are usually in an acceleration mode and hardly ever in a "plant to stop" mode.  In other team sports, players are asked more frequently to stop quickly.  Another reason is the extensive leg strength training that goes along with football.  We stress strengthening the muscles of the thigh which in turn helps stabilize stress on the knee joint in actual play by "assisting" the ligaments.
C) One other point - watch a little SportsCenter.  There are a lot of injuries in other sports.  In fact, I'd wager that there are as many injuries per player in any other team sports as there is in football.  I think that's pretty remarkable considering that this is a collision sport.  Makes me wonder about how dangerous those other sports are really.

This is my opinion.  I have tried to think my argument through analytically, but I admit that I lack data to prove my opinion right (or wrong, for that matter).  If you disagree, that's fine.  Still, I hope I have given you something to consider.  In any event, it is still just an excuse until you actually try to play and see if football is for you or not.

Still to come is "concentrating on another sport" and wanting to play for the neighbor who has a "tradition".