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OBAMA

Obama Not Sure He'd Let a Son Play Football

He blames the violence of the game

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by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t

Image: AP

Obama is getting a lot of attention for a wide-ranging review he gave to The New Republic. The POTUS staked out his position on all sorts of controversial issues, including gun control and immigration – and the safety of playing football.

The interviewer asked the president, "Sticking with the culture of violence, but on a much less dramatic scale: I'm wondering if you, as a fan, take less pleasure in watching football, knowing the impact that the game takes on its players?"

"I'm a big football fan," Obama replied. "But I have to tell you if I had a son, I'd have to think long and hard before I let him play football. And I think that those of us who love the sport are going to have to wrestle with the fact that it will probably change gradually to try to reduce some of the violence. In some cases, that may make it a little bit less exciting, but it will be a whole lot better for the players, and those of us who are fans maybe won't have to examine our consciences quite as much."

He explained that he's more concerned for younger college players than NFL players, because "the NFL players have a union, they're grown men, they can make some of these decisions on their own, and most of them are well-compensated for the violence they do to their bodies. You read some of these stories about college players who undergo some of these same problems with concussions and so forth and then have nothing to fall back on. That's something that I'd like to see the NCAA think about," he added.

Via the New Republic.
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Comments (view in Forum)

  • mudpike
    !
    At least Tiger Woods admits he is bi-racial & because of his skills doesn't need to play the race card . Not SO for BO .
  • Tralee
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    No, no, no and no, libs. prefer tennis, table tennis, not strain, no injuries, no real skill needed, but boy oh boy, do they look nice in the outfits. Real boys play soccer,football and baseball, lib. boys do table tennis, non-competative of course. A nice safe sport, of course they prefer one that has no real winner, after all, they don't want to make the opponent feel bad about himself. Libs. kids belong to leagues that give a prize for just showing up, and NO ONE wins, there is just a list of the first through 15th winner with ribbons and prizes for all, followed by a feel good dinner of praise for all for trying, for coming and for definitely looking really nice in the uniforms (outfits) and having a nice hair cut. Apparently the Beiber (sp?) is popular, the girly/boy look is big.
  • Tralee
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    @Fishbone345 Granted, LOVE hockey = Go Flyers! Unfortunately no school does ice hockey here, it's all traveling teams.
  • Tralee
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    Once a whimp, always a whimp. My son didn't play football, he played soccer, as a youngster, twice a year and in HS once a year and cross country the other part and in college he played outdoor and indoor soccer plus cross country (a good cross-training) and while not as violent as football, plenty of ankle injuries and leg/knee problems. All sports, even golf, come with bodily wear. Parents, yes parents, need to keep abreast of the problems and address them as they arise. Youth football is a problem, too many injuries ignored or poo pooed, but so is baseball and soccer! PARENTS have to watch, keep track, listen and be educated in the health of their children. Jeeze, when did parents abdicate all responsibility for their kids?
  • russ
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    That's all hypothetical-he doesn't have a son.......but from the looks of Michelle, I'm thinking they'd make some pretty good linesmen.....
  • u
    cpeter133
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    Reactionary much? He wasn't talking about regulating football. On the other hand, many schools ARE working to bring down the level of violence in such "sports", mostly because they are getting tired of kids being injured, crippled, or even dying over a game.

    Anyone denying the violence of some games is just thick as a brick.
  • marine1
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    Not sure I agree with his choice of the word violence. Violence will always be a part of life not prepairing your children to deal with it is a mistake but the purpose for football is not to be violent but to compete. It's an interpretation thing
  • DARSB
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    The science on concussions is alarming, but I'm confidant we can develop the equipment to prevent permanent brain damage to kids playing today - some of whom will enter college and pro careers.
  • Fishbone345
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    Actually my friend, the equipment tends to be the problem. Joe Paterno (before the big stuff at Penn State went down) used to speak at length about taking away the helmets and going back to the days of leather ones. His point being that the protection of pads and helmets are so good now that kids use them to lead on hits. The NCAA has made rules about leading with your head called Targeting, but it still happens.
  • bsking
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    If Obama had a son chances are pretty good he be as uncoordinated as the old man was and wouldn't have to worry about playing any sports.

    Obama lied in his autobiography about his sports prowess when in fact in reality he was never even picked for the teams.
  • VCP
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    All of my son's played football. I coached football for years from little league to high school. In little league there more injuries in Soccer and baseball than in football. But to each his own and if a parents wishes are for their children not to play. Then that's there right.( wusses!!)
  • Neo_NtheMatrix
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    I could just see obama now all crying on Michelle's shoulder complaining about the opposing team hitting his son too hard. Michelle, being the strong person she is, would hold obama tight in her arms -- squeezing him oh so securely -- while handing him a tissue to blow his nose with. How can soldiers march into war following the lead of a man who gets squeamish watching a football player get tackled?
  • u
    BelinKS
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    When you don't have a son, you cannot try to play the if game. There's no way for Obama to know. As for the violence in football, it's always been there! That we are just now addressing the topic of the concussions. Cheerleader get concussions a lot from getting dropped. Gymnast, all the time from the beam. A lot of athletes face these types of injuries, it's just that football is an all round violent sport. Whether its from concussions or other injuries, most football players face problems later on in life. Obama said he's more worried about the younger players. How does he think they make it to the NFL?
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