Concussed dads still let their kids play.

• Position: Athletic Arena

Almost 500,000 children visit the emergency room each year with a traumatic brain injury, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga. Football leads all sports in the occurrence of concussions among children.

Yet, despite increasing awareness of concussion dangers, a troubling survey reveals dads are comfortable sending their sons head first into possible danger on the gridiron. Seventy-seven percent of all football-playing dads say tackle football is safe for children under age 12, even though more than three in five of these fathers suffered a football related concussion during their days of play.

In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove, III., reports that emergency room visits for concussions sustained in organized team sports have doubled since 1997 among kids ages eight to 13. As many as 3,800,000 sports- and recreation-related concussions occur in the U.S. annually. Among children five to 18, the five leading sports or recreational activities that account for concussions are football, bicycling, basketball, playground activities, and soccer.

The nation's first youth sports league franchise, i9 Sports, Tampa, Fla., is calling for a safer alternative, where kids can learn sports without some of the dangerous play that can lead to concussions. Flag football, for example, is much safer than the tackle variety. In soccer, players ages three to 12 do not have the...