Unlike those cited in my previous post, it turns out that you can talk about the dangers of kids playing football without mentioning sex or gender at all. It turns out that tackle football for kids might not be such a good idea, though it is unlikely to change any time soon. As Fatsis notes:
Science or no science, the real reason 5- and 6-year-olds will keep padding up and hitting is consumer demand. If Pop Warner offered only flag football, its executive director, John Butler, candidly told the panel, “90 to 95 percent of our members would drop out” and play for independent teams “because whether it be kids or parents, they want to play tackle football.”
I wonder if switching to flag football would allow more girls to play, since they wouldn’t have to overcome gender stereotypes about toughness and masculinity. Unfortunately, an increasing number of girls would probably be used as evidence that flags instead of tackles feminized the sport.
