A question for football fans everywhere

[jojo187]

I always took a knee when there was an injury that required a player to be helped off the field. In high school we were not required to but we could if we wanted; if I remember correctly.

There is no such thing as Middle School Football in Arizona.

[CoryWinget81]

I coached little league ball and now am on up to HS, and you take a knee when someone is hurt. Your guy, their guy...don't matter.

Take a knee. Clap when he gets up and walks off.

[knoxman36and2]

Its a pretty common display of sportsmanship. Its never been required that I know of, and forbidding it is a bit is an overreaction imo

The coach just felt that it was silly to put our kids on their knees in cold weather and take a chance on them cramping up because someone else "had" a cramp,etc. I understood his reasoning, but considering how it was seen by "other" teams and their fans who didn't know his reasoning, I finally talked with him and he saw my point of view as well.

[lolcopter]

Its a pretty common display of sportsmanship. Its never been required that I know of, and forbidding it is a bit is an overreaction imo

[JaysusCutler]

I always did it. Like you said, its just out of respect.

[Hoserman117]

I did it in middle and high school football growing up in Texas, and going to Longhorn games they always do it as well. I've always simply seen it as a sign of respect.

[knoxman36and2]

I'm not sure if this should be in general discussions or not Mods, so if I'm in the wrong place I apologize in advance. I didn't really see a specific forum for this kind of question, etc.


My son and I have had a minor debate going on for the last few months regarding his middle school coach and a practice that he discouraged his players from practicing.

I have coached little league football for nine years now, and one of the things we have always done, is to ask our players to take a knee when someone is hurt on the field. I'm not sure where it came from. I don't know if it was originally intended to help the coaches control the kids while they were dealing with the injury, or perhaps if it originally started with coaches encouraging the kids to take a knee and pray for someone.

This past year his coach discouraged the kids from taking a knee, even to the point of telling them NOT to do it when their parents were yelling at them to do so from the stands ( I don't approve of parents getting involved in that manner either but it happens).

Finally in our debate, I took to the internet to find facts and see what other's outside of our area thought. I could find very little when I attempted to google it, but one article did have a group of high school coaches who were asked and it gave their responses. Out of approximately 10 coaches polled on the question, only two said they required their team to do so. The rest either allowed their kids to do so if they wished, or in a few cases discouraged it simply to keep their own kids from cramping up in cold weather.

I know I have seen The Broncos take a knee at times. I know I have seen it done as a team, and by individuals at the NFL and college levels. It's not seen in every game though, and sometimes even with serious injuries you don't see it. My question for our fans,"Is taking a knee something players should do as a sign of respect?"

I finally convinced our middle school coach that he needed to let the kids do so, even if there was no valid reasoning, simply because it was something that the kids in our entire area had been doing since they were 5-6 years old. If our team was the only ones not doing it, it made us look classless to the other teams, even if there was no logical reason FOR doing it to begin with. My other question for everyone on here would be, is this done in your areas? I'd be interested in knowing how widespread it is and whether its something we like seeing when our Broncos are on the field as well.

Thanks for the input, in advance.....Go Broncos