Posted by:
exminion
(
)
Date: September 17, 2019 01:48PM
Thank you for these articles, Elder Berry. I will see if I can get my daughter and her TBM husband to read these. They have been very stubborn and controlling, in having my 8-year-old grandson play TACKLE football.
My grandson is good at soccer, baseball, and basketball, and loves those sports, and has been very happy, so far...
But...my grandson's Mormon grandparents and Mormon uncles are BYU football fanatics, and they all played football until their missions, and the TBM grandma has been president of the "Booster's Club", and they have pushed my little guy into playing TACKLE football at age 8. They have regaled him with hand-me-down real-deal football jerseys, and helmets that are too big. The local high school football-pushers give the kids pizza parties, and make banners for the little dudes to run through, when they run onto the field. Their mothers carry them off the field, crying, when they get hurt. After two games, I could no longer watch this slaughter of babes, perpetuated by blood-thirsty adults. With the last injury, when everyone was cheering when the writhing little boy was being carried off the field, I got up and walked out, giving my grandson's Mormon relatives a frown and a thumb's down. It should have been the finger.
I have tried to reason with my daughter and SIL, but they won't even read the articles about brain injuries. They mentioned that the pushers were having difficulty recruiting enough team-members, and have had to combine some of the teams. Even with the waning of kid football, and all the bad publicity--they continue to allow my grandson to be in harm's way. It is so unnecessary!
It breaks my heart!
My little guy thinks he's a hero, in his uniform. He's a bright student, with a good brain, a healthy intact body, a charming personality, a pleasant disposition, a bright future--for now.
I pray every night that he will stop playing football--please, God, stop the madness!