Even if you don’t follow sports, you’ve probably heard about the onslaught of injuries plaguing NFL players over the last season.  In October, Eric LeGrand, a Rutgers University defensive lineman, was paralyzed after a devastating hit.  This past weekend, John Carlson and Marcus Trufant of the Seattle Seahawks both left the game due to head injuries in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs.  These injuries are a huge problem and the NFL and NCAA are now revising its rules to do something about it.

But what you may not have heard about is the alarming rate of sports injuries among children. According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 38 million children and adolescents participate in organized sports in the U.S. and about 1-in-10 receives medical treatment for a sports injury.

The folks at Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing unintentional childhood injuries, are well aware of this disturbing trend. They’re concerned that parents see injuries as “just part of the game” and are unaware of the risks of overuse, dehydration, heat-related illness, and concussions.

It’s a tough communications challenge. By now—thanks to the long-term efforts of groups like Safe Kids—common injuries among kids like burns, pedestrian accidents, drownings and car accidents are on the decline.  But sports injuries are a quiet, yet looming, issue that most parents are simply not fully aware of. 

In my opinion, the competition over participation endorsement by coaches and parents has facilitated the sustenance of injury among children playing sports.  Thus, kids overlook their injuries and hold back communication with their parents, coaches, or doctors. 

How can we get children’s sports back into the mindset that it is all about the participation and that the competitive nature is only a small part of the game?