UNITED STATES—I seem to keep having this discussion week after week with people in my family. Football is a dangerous sport people, and while I know it’s part of most Americans daily routine on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays (Yes, football is happening all the time nowadays), it has its drawbacks.

Some of you might be asking why this is such an issue of importance to me? Well, I was attending a football game for my nephew this past weekend, and the unthinkable happened. What? A kid was severely injured, so much to the point the game had to be halted as the ambulance arrived to transport the child to the hospital. Yes, I said child because most of these kids are under the age of 10. Yeah, it sounds crazy to hear that another 10 year-old struck another child so hard that he fractured several ribs.

That’s what happened people and it was heartbreaking to see it unfold. Even the player who unfortunately, happened to be my nephew was in complete array as to what happened. No kid wants to injure another kid, but it raised my concern that perhaps flag football or two-hand touch is more appropriate for these youngsters. I mean let’s be honest do these kids really have to tumble and knock each other down to prove how strong or masculine they are? No, that’s the problem; we live in a world where we enforce such gender dynamics that are not always acceptable.

Stop it, stop it right now. It’s a shame that SO MANY people confuse GENDER and SEX. They are not the same thing people. Sex refers to biological make-up and gender refers to behavioral characteristics society expects one to abide by based on their sex.  It almost raises the question, if we were to see less brutal force in collegiate and professional football, what impact that could have on little league football and even high school?

Could we see a transition to the sport to where the dangers are slightly lessened? One would hope so, but I’m certain those who are avid fans of the sport and have been for years, will not allow that to transpire. I can already imagine the uproar from many men in the United States who would be peeved or would just stop watching the sport all together if the notion of tackling and hitting the opponent hard to prevent them from scoring points was taken out of the mix.

I mean I can dream, but the idea of is no such reality in the world we live in. It has bene institutionalized that no sport is more dangerous than football. I mean people have been seriously injured while playing; some players have suffered traumatic brain injuries from constant trauma to the brain that causes problems later in life.

While studies are still being conducted regarding the ramifications to the body from playing football, it still hasn’t stopped individuals from playing the sport at all levels (little league, middle school, high school, college and professional). I mean for many it’s an opportunity to create an illustrious life that would otherwise be unattainable for most people.

My biggest concern is the injury that kid suffered on the field, will put a hamper on his interest in returning to the field which is a shame. Football is supposed to be fun, but we have to be honest, football is a dangerous sport and the more we keep telling ourselves that it’s not, we realize that it is.