Neurosurgeon critical of rugby’s ‘excessive aggression’

Broken necks and serious brain injuries don’t result from other school sports – surgeon

“As a ‘rugby parent’ I’ve observed the school and club game at close quarters, from both sides of the touchline. What I’ve seen and heard suggests that our thinking on the subject may not be altogether rational”

An editorial in the British Medical Journal has criticised rugby’s “tribal, gladiatorial culture” that sees parents, coaches and schools encouraging “excessive aggression” and playing on when injured.
“Anyone who has spent an hour picking skull fragments out of the contused frontal lobes of a teenage rugby player is entitled to an opinion on the safety of youth rugby,” writes Michael Carter, a paediatric neurosurgeon.
“I’ve done this on several occasions. As a ‘rugby parent’ I’ve observed the school and club game at close quarters, from both sides of the touchline. What I’ve seen and heard suggests that our thinking on the subject may not be altogether rational.”………. see the full story on >- http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/neurosurgeon-critical-of-rugby-s-excessive-aggression-1.2060907

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