School rugby a form of child abuse, says new academic study
RUGBY being played in schools is a form of child abuse, a new study has suggested.
The risk of serious injury carried by high-impact sports is contrary to child abuse laws, academics at the universities of Winchester, Nottingham Trent and Bournemouth argued.
The academics claimed that neither children nor their parents are legally able to give informed consent to take part, and that sporting organisations have effectively groomed both groups into accepting brain injuries caused by the sports.
The paper, set to be published in Sports, Ethics & Philosophy: Journal of the British Philosophy of Sport Association, and seen in advance by The Times, draws a distinction between sports that are designed to involve physical impact and those that may result in injuries by accident. Its recommendations, which only apply to children, not adults, cite the view that “knocks to the head” can contribute to brain damage which can in turn lead to conditions such as dementia or Parkinson’s.
The paper also argues that those who begin playing rugby as children are more likely to risk brain trauma than those who start later in life.
Eric Anderson, a professor of sport at the University of Winchester who led the study, said: “Sports for children should not intentionally harm their brains. They should focus on fun, health and social development rather than conditioning them to play elite-level sport. These collisions cause cognitive harm and increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases and dementia; they are therefore abusive to a child’s brain. Cultural perception is that striking a child outside sport is abuse but striking a child in sport is somehow socially acceptable. We are trying to change that. It doesn’t matter what the social context is, the brain is damaged in both.”
A spokeswoman for the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said player welfare was the organisation’s “top priority”. “PE in school is compulsory,” she said. “However, rugby is not. Rugby for young people at schools or clubs in England exists in different forms – contact, reduced contact and non-contact. Rugby has established and been at the forefront of concussion and injury surveillance, education and law changes using evidence to proactively manage player welfare. Playing rugby provides significant physical and mental-health benefits along with life skills gained from playing a team sport which has strong values. Against a backdrop of decreased physical activity and a global obesity epidemic in children, we believe rugby has a role to play in keeping people active, healthy and engaged.”