It was publicly stated yesterday that Bob Costas, if he had a son, wouldn’t let him play the sport of football. Costas went on to say that there is too much danger involved in the sport and that he would encourage his son to play other sports that aren’t nearly as risky. So without the sport of football in a young man’s life, whats the alternative?

AAU Hoops Year round:

Not only does your kid have to be very good to even get on this team, but the travel is worse than an ice trucker. I have no idea how parents can work and also drive their kids seven hours to New Jersey and back for a two hour game. I’m sure any married couple that’s involved with traveling AAU kids has a strained relationship. That much time in a car with sweaty, stinky kids can take its toll.

Indoor Soccer

When regular soccer ends in the fall and winter nears, indoor soccer is kind of niche market sport. The ball is different, the playing field is different, and its usually played in an empty meat packing factory that doesn’t get above fifty degrees. I’ll be honest, I played it one season growing up. I hated it. Not only were the kids SO soccer, but the elements of the game seemed “nerfy”. You kick around a fuzzy yellow bouncy ball that you can ricochet off the walls while playing on astro turf. The whole feel of the game is just weird. With all of this, the field is encapsulated in giant loose netting that believe it or not, does not protect the spectators if the ball goes rifling into the crowd. Just ask my dad’s shattered nose.

Competitive Weight Lifting

This one falls on the parents. If you’re making your 11 year practice dead-lifts in the basement, priorities need to be adjusted. On top of that your creating an unfair advantage in the playground by mixing a pre-pubescent power lifter with non pre-pubescent power lifters. The last thing you want is a bunch of 11 year olds trying to get jacked in order to level the playing the field. Chugging protein shakes and dishing out creatine pills by the swing sets might change the way “tag” gets played.

Hockey

Not getting that promotion and your company is tanking? Hockey is the worst option for you. Welcome to the most expensive sport of all the land. The younger your kid start playing, the more dough you can expect to shell out. Not only will they out grow their pads and equipment every six months and you’ll need to buy new shit, but the stench of hockey equipment cannot be removed from anything. It’s seeps into the walls of your car, home, and nostrils and never leaves. All of that along with the travel can break a man.

After surveying some of the options, football doesn’t seem so bad. Costas might start a mini rebellion against youth football but the logical and economical parents won’t mind a concussion or two if it saves them their sanity.

THROWBACK BONUS:

If you haven’t seen this interview with Vince McMahon and Costas, please watch.
Really starts to get heated at the 1:50 mark and we see the WWF version of Vince pop at the 5:20 and 10:55 mark..