Allowing children to play contact sports like Rugby and Boxing is a form of Child abuse!

[MPH]

Apparently.

 

 

https://krdo.com/sports/cnn-sports/2024/02/02/letting-children-play-rugby-amounts-to-child-abuse-study-says/#

 

 

London (CNN) — Allowing children to play impact sports, such as rugby or boxing, amounts to a form of child abuse, researchers from three British universities said in a new study.

Writing in Sports, Ethics & Philosophy: Journal of the British Philosophy of Sport Association, academics from the University of Winchester, Bournemouth University and Nottingham Trent University concluded that letting children play impact sports contradicts existing British laws that prohibit child abuse, and that the sports’ governing bodies “effectively groom children into sustaining and accepting brain trauma.”

The Rugby Football Union (RFU), the sport’s governing body in England, told CNN that “player welfare has and will continue to be our top priority.” England Boxing had not replied to CNN’s request for comment at the time of publication.

“The child’s brain doesn’t know or care how it was traumatized,” study lead author Eric Anderson, Professor of Sport at the University of Winchester, told CNN. “The injury remains the same. And so we need to stop parents from hitting children in the head as punishment. But we also need to stop children from being hit in the head as a form of play.”

 

 

[Out Foxed]

well, i'll have you know that i can count to potato thanks to playing rugby from age 5

[MPH]

4 minutes ago, Out Foxed said:

well, i'll have you know that i can count to potato thanks to playing rugby from age 5

 

im a hooker!

 

 

[Zear0]

Bloody was in the middle of winter on Stonehill playing field.

[Royston.]

Chang allowing to forcing and they may be onto something

[fox_favourite]

27 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Bloody was in the middle of winter on Stonehill playing field.

Ah, memories. That field was awful in the winter! My memory is playing tag rugby in year 8 in a blizzard and being told to "get on with it!". Wearing shorts and a thin top!

Edited 2 February by fox_favourite

[boots60]

I was traumatised at the age of 14 when I was forced to partake in a game of rugby at school.

I was in the scrum & got a kicking from the other kids who were crap at football. 

This introduced me to a lifelong hatred of William Webb Ellis.

[Parafox]

If I refused to play rugby, I was hit in the head by my parents.

 

Me AnY nEveR hArm Did. 

 

[Zear0]

27 minutes ago, fox_favourite said:

Ah, memories. That field was awful in the winter! My memory is playing tag rugby in year 8 in a blizzard and being told to "get on with it!". Wearing shorts and a thin top!

By the PE teacher wearing about 6 layers and a huge coat.

[Izzy]

9 minutes ago, boots60 said:

I was traumatised at the age of 14 when I was forced to partake in a game of rugby at school.

I was in the scrum & got a kicking from the other kids who were crap at football. 

This introduced me to a lifelong hatred of William Webb Ellis.

I played in my one and only school Rugby game at a similar age. Being scrawny and quick I was shoved out on the wing with no explanation of the rules or what to do.

 

All I recall is chasing back to 'tackle' an opponent who was in full flow. I dived at his feet from behind and his boot smacked me right in the chops. Split my lip open, claret everywhere.

 

Bloody stupid game if you ask me.

 

 

[fox_favourite]

7 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

By the PE teacher wearing about 6 layers and a huge coat.

That's the one. And an umbrella. Apparently I was being 'pathetic' for asking to go in. 

 

Those were the days 

Edited 2 February by fox_favourite

[foxy boxing]

They're will soon be generations of snowflakes where they will see abuse in practically everything!. Children need to learn and develop many skills and attributes to succeed in life. There is nothing wrong in contact sports as long as the children are taught properly. 

[LiberalFox]

I wouldn't be against moving to outlaw boxing at some point as I just don't see how you reform the sport to make it safe.

 

I don't really know enough about rugby to say if it's possible to make it safe.

 

Modern science suggests that blows to the head are a lot worse than we previously thought. 

 

[Vacamion]

 

Whatever school, uni and club rugby did to me as a young man, I did worse to myself with the ale since.  

 

 

[MPH]

1 hour ago, fox_favourite said:

Ah, memories. That field was awful in the winter! My memory is playing tag rugby in year 8 in a blizzard and being told to "get on with it!". Wearing shorts and a thin top!

 

And if you turned up to PE when in primary school without your shorts, you were made to do PE in your underwear!

[Countryfox]

4 hours ago, Izzy said:

I played in my one and only school Rugby game at a similar age. Being scrawny and quick I was shoved out on the wing with no explanation of the rules or what to do.

 

All I recall is chasing back to 'tackle' an opponent who was in full flow. I dived at his feet from behind and his boot smacked me right in the chops. Split my lip open, claret everywhere.

 

Bloody stupid game if you ask me.

 

 

Very similar to me Muzzet ..  about the same age,  first game,  and was sort of enjoying it when a huge fat lad sat on me and wouldn’t let me get up. Thought it was hilarious. Finally shifted the tub of lard and gave him a light tap ..  he gave me a fair wallop back and unfortunately the red mist came down and I went full tonto.  Got sent off and never played again.    Seem to recall the fat lad called it a day as well ..  

 

Love the sport though and have followed England and the Lions all over the place .. stood right behind the posts when Jonny Wilkinson hit that winning drop goal over to win the World Cup final against the Wallabies ..  

[dsr-burnley]

3 hours ago, LiberalFox said:

I wouldn't be against moving to outlaw boxing at some point as I just don't see how you reform the sport to make it safe.

 

I don't really know enough about rugby to say if it's possible to make it safe.

 

Modern science suggests that blows to the head are a lot worse than we previously thought. 

 

It isn't possible to make it "safe".  But then, it isn't possible to make being a passenger in a car "safe", or going to school "safe", or leaving the house "safe", or stopping in the house "safe".  In fact, it isn't possible to make living "safe" because whatever we do, we die at the end.

 

What they could do if they wanted to is assess the benefits brought about by various activities and see if the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.  What they are doing is looking for evidence that a single child has suffered and using that as reason to call for a ban.  If that's the criterion, then we might as well put children in solitary confinement in a padded cell until they're 18 to ensure they can't hurt themselves.

[dsr-burnley]

And of course they don't restrict it to rugby and boxing.  Their logic applies to all sports where concussion is likely, which includes football and any team sport that involves two people chasing one ball, as well as horse riding, cycling, go karts, most athletic events, cricket, ... ... ...

 

Surely the logical conclusion shouldn't so much be to abolish sport, but to insist that children wear crash helmets 24 hours a day until their 18th birthday?

[MPH]

34 minutes ago, dsr-burnley said:

  If that's the criterion, then we might as well put children in solitary confinement in a padded cell until they're 18 to ensure they can't hurt themselves.

 

that padding can contain harmful chemicals , you know..

[Countryfox]

1 hour ago, MPH said:

 

that padding can contain harmful chemicals , you know..

Good point ..  and don’t forget if they eat the padding they could choke !   
 

Bloody minefield this one ..  

[Tommy G]

This is such a 2023 thing isn’t it. Dread to think what PE is like these days at school 

[Crinklyfox]

Rugby was  compulsory at my school (Wyggeston).  I didn't like the game, and opted out as soon as I could.  As I have the physique of a pipe cleaner (that'll mean nothing to the younger generation here) I was never suited to the game.  Nevertheless I had to play in a team for two years, and in that time eleven of my teammates suffered physical injuries.  

 

Sport is good for exercise, team and character building, and I'd encourage anyone who wants to play a sport to give it a go.  But I don't think that it should be forced on the incapable or unwilling.  Many sports have the potential for injury, to prevent children or adults playing one is just the thin end of a wedge.

[grobyfox1990]

Probably unpopular opinion that restricts me to ‘Wokey’ status, but totally agree. We bang about anxiety in kids constantly but allow their undeveloped heads to get knocked around in the name of exercise. No need 

[Guest David Oldfields Gate]

1 hour ago, grobyfox1990 said:

Probably unpopular opinion that restricts me to ‘Wokey’ status, but totally agree. We bang about anxiety in kids constantly but allow their undeveloped heads to get knocked around in the name of exercise. No need 

Not wokey just reasonable risk assesment that any parent does.

I think there is always a balance. 

The biggest fear for me and my children is the internet, which is where the anxiety like you say comes from and safety on the streets as large parts of the UK become utterly wild.

 

 

[nnfox]

The headline is more of a problem than the content.

 

The physical and mental benefits of taking part in sports are well documented.  This isn't about little Johnny being forced to play rugby for half an hour a week for about 6 weeks a year in the very controlled, risk assessed environment that is a Tuesday morning PE lesson, I think we're talking about kids that are really into rugby, that play at a decent level outside of school 2 or 3 times a week, or the kid who tried boxing as an 8 year old and loves it and goes to the local boxing gym twice a week.

 

Increased exposure to the sport does increase the risk of brain injury and it is for (in conjunction with the child) the governing bodies of the sports, the local clubs and coaches and the parents responsibility to manage the risk.  I dare say that there is room to improve in this area with all sports, but to suggest that allowing your son or daughter to play a sport that they love is child abuse is ridiculous and takes gravitas away from actual criminal child abuse.