With heads banging into heads on every play, tackle football is one of the most dangerous sports a kid can participate in. 

Don’t get me wrong, football is an amazing sport, an American original. Not only does it allow kids to take their anger and aggression on the field, it also teaches them discipline and teamwork. 

However, research shows that a 9 to 12 year-old playing tackle football in an organized league can take on between 240 and 585 hits to the head each season, making these athletes more likely to develop Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease of the brain found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma.

Due to these risks, children should not be allowed to play tackle football until the age of 14 years old. 

While kids may not be taking hits as hard as professional athletes, their brains are still taking punishments. And helmets, while much safer, can only protect players so much.

The medical community agrees the 14 years old is the age where a majority of young men start to have those physical changes and brain maturation, said Geoffrey Lauer, executive director of the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa. 

Many NFL stars are also on-board with the initiative to start tackle football at the age of 14, including Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and Zach Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Until 14 years old, kids should be playing flag football, reducing contact to the head and allowing kids to learn the game and work on their finesse. It teaches them the game of football without the health hazards.

So why risk the injury? Stop the headbanging and save young brains.