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EDITOR’S NOTE: Ninth grade students at Belwood-Antis were asked to read a recent article about a mother in Wisconsin suing a Pop Waner football league over the suicide of her son, which she claims was brought on by the head trauma he suffered while playing football.  They were then asked to write an opinion piece referencing the article and addressing the question: should hard contact sports like football be banned for young people.

I wonder what school would be like if there were no sports like football. It would be so different. Sports are a big part of some people’s lives and they need to start out young so they can be the best as they can be.

Debra Pyka  is stating that hard contact sports can damage your brain later on in life, as did her son. She is suing Pop Warner Little Scholars for $5 million due to her son’s suicide, which she says was brought on by head injuries.

I think this is ridiculous! I think we should not ban hard contact sports in high school. Kids need to start off at a young age so they can be more experienced. If they start at a old age, then they won’t be ready for real football. If football was banned in high school, then potential athletes couldn’t be able to become better athletes until later on in life.

Think about how different the school would be without sports. It would be boring! There would be absolutely no school spirit, and no games to look forward to. I also think sports are very physical and is good exercise. Without sports, teens would get in the habit of being lazy. One of the reasons why the mother was angry was because she said neither her son nor her were informed by the coach the injuries that could happen. Even if the coach didn’t inform them, its common sense what the injuries may be so that’s no excuse. First of all, it was his choice to play football, which gives no reason for his mother to sue them.

Another point I may include is grades. You must have good grades to be able to play a sport in high school. Therefore it encourages students to get good grades. It’s a win-win.

Yes, kids may get injured, but they know what they signed up for which doesn’t make it the school’s or league’s fault. Kids must not care if they get injured because once they recover, they are back to playing. Playing a school sport is the kid’s choice.