When should my son start football? eli.cranor@gmail.com October 24, 2021 Eli Cranor is a former professional quarterback and coach turned award-winning author. Please use the “Contact” page at elicranor.com to send in questions for “Athletic Support.”

Dear Athletic Support: My son is two years old and will turn three in just a few months. He is obviously too young to be playing competitive sports, but he sure does love the football book we’ve been reading before bed! The book and the constant stream of football games on our television has him reminding his parents that he wants to be the “qwattaback.” As sweet and innocent as this is, it lead to a conversation between his mom and I about what is the right age to let him start playing. She believes that kids should start playing as soon as possible (if they want to) because, “they’re only kids for so long”. I do see her point, but I also know there are many safety concerns when enrolling kids in a contact sport. While our family is still a few years out from truly having this discussion, I’m curious to know when you would feel comfortable letting a kid join the football team?

— Qwattaback’s Dad

Dear Qwattaback: Peyton and Eli Manning both had storied careers as college and NFL quarterbacks. They also didn’t start playing football until they were in the seventh grade.

The reason?

Their dad, Archie Manning, knew a thing or two about football (he was also an NFL quarterback), and Archie didn’t want them learning bad habits.

There’s nothing worse than a bad coach. A bad coach could turn your son off to football before he has time to grow into his body. A bad coach could get your son hurt too.

There are, of course, bad coaches at school-organized level too. But these coaches have at least had to go through extensive training on proper tackling techniques, heat exhaustion, and concussion protocol.

Am I saying you have to wait until seventh grade to start your son in football?

No.

I’m just saying you need to trust your son’s coach. You need to ask questions and see what kind of qualifications he has. A peewee coach who never played high school football can still be a great coach as long as he has the correct disposition and proper training.

I scored my first touchdown at nine years old. So, yeah, I started playing football around third grade. I was lucky to have great coaches. Men I remember to this day and still hold in high esteem: Gary Trammel, Kelly Loop, Ed Kelley, and Finley Cranor.

Yeah, that last one is my dad.

He was an assistant coach for my peewee football team. He, admittedly, didn’t know much about football, but he loved me. He wanted me to do good and enjoy the game. So he came to practice every day. He helped where he could, and he watched over me. Made sure I was safe. Made sure I was doing my best.

As long as you have a coach who’s doing those things, it doesn’t matter when your son starts football. Everything will work out just fine.


Previous columns:

• No ‘bad faces’ in basketball
• Son wants to join football team midway through season
• Housekeeper can’t make daughter’s game
• Auditions getting in the way of volleyball
• Foul language on the sideline
• Laundry Stinks
• Fit more important than price when it comes to cleats
• Facebook ads and too many practices
• Coach pushing vaccine on players
• Youth sports like a cult
• Coach’s pregame speech too crazy for kids
• Championship rings and multiple sweatbands — too much?
• Working out over the Dead Weeks?
• Summer School Blues
• Practices running late causing problems
• Softball games going past midnight
• Are athletes getting better with age?
• Are team sports a vital part of childhood?
• Summer schedule way too serious
• What if I can’t afford private speed camps?
• Quarterback lacks speed
• Should pro athletes talk politics?
• How to take a hit
• Wrestling in college, what’s the point?
• Removal of mask requirement could cost us games
• Overachieving daughter stinks at sports
• Why are we playing all the small schools?
• Freshmen don’t make varsity, usually
• Kids have changed, haven’t they?
• Esports and disc golf bigger than football?
• Little pitchers have big ears
• Pregame music offensive
• Fouls in girls basketball
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• Coach makes political post
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• Best of 2020

Athletic Support Columns 2020


Outside of athletics, kids’ brains are also at risk. Who knows what sort of impact virtual learning will have on their cognition and critical thinking skills. In this regard, I offer one simple tool — a good book! And luckily, I know just the book for kids struggling with the shift to virtual learning:

BOOKS MAKE BRAINZ TASTE BAD! Okay, you caught me… I’m the author of this book. It was published last week and awarded a #1 New Release ranking on Amazon. BMBTB deals directly with the same topic covered in this column, except in a much more lighthearted, kid-friendly way (zombie teachers and brain-munching screens!) If you end up purchasing this book for your children or grandchildren, I only have one final suggestion — ask them to read it while standing up! Eli Cranor's new book Books Make Brainz Taste Bad has just been released. ZOMBIES HATE BOOKS! Especially the zombie teachers at Haven Middle School. That's why they're using VR headsets to fry kids' brainz. Luckily, Dash Storey knows how to save his classmates from the zombie teachers—BOOKS! They make brainz taste bad! "Eli Cranor has an almost unbeatable advantage. He can remember how it felt to think like a twelve-year-old and he can see the very same events like the adult he is. Don't try to resist this book!" - Jack Butler, Pulitzer-Prize nominated author