Explore the contrasting worlds of rugby and football as we look into the distinct rules that govern these two popular sports. While rugby allows players to use their hands alongside their feet, football strictly confines players to the use of their feet. However, it is the act of heading the ball in football that has sparked concern about potential brain damage.

There are a number of differences between the two sports, rugby and football. In rugby, players use their hands as well as their feet to pass the ball. They do not use their heads. In football, players only use their feet, not their hands. Footballers do, however, use their heads to pass the ball.  It’s called a header. For many years, there has been serious concern about the damage that can be done to the brain through heading a football.

The University of Glasgow in Scotland was recently asked to research the possible damage heading a football can do to a player. Glasgow was a good choice.  It’s home to Scotland’s national football stadium, Hampden Park, and three of its football teams. Celtic, Queen’s Park and Rangers, have their own stadiums, each with over 50,000 seats. There are many football experts in Glasgow!

They reviewed the cases of 7,676 professional footballers in Scotland born between the years 1900 and 1976. They found that 222 of them had passed away because of disease relating to the brain.

The research found that professional footballers are 3.5 times more likely to die from brain related disease than people who do not play football. Brain related disease can cause memory loss, the inability to speak properly, difficulty in solving problems, and other thinking skills that stop a person from performing everyday activities.

Some people have argued that football has changed a lot in recent years and the research may not be correct. For example, footballs used to be made of leather. When it was raining, the ball would soak up the water and become much heavier. Today’s footballs are much lighter and do not absorb water. Also, because of the changing style of football, there are fewer headers in a match than there were a few years ago.

There is a chance that the laws of football may soon change. Being able to head the ball may come to an end. A law was recently passed in America stopping children under the age of ten from heading footballs. It’s not all bad news, however. The research also showed that professional footballers live 3.5 years longer than the general population. Their regular exercise makes it far less likely for them to die from heart disease. The lesson for all of us is that we should exercise regularly – not head footballs.

Question:

Heading a soccer ball may be even more dangerous for women

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