A friend of mine posted on facebook mad that our local HS team is not taking a knee for injured players on the field this year and people are upset. We always knelt, I guess as a show of respect as it is just kind of an unwritten rule. Then I started to think about it and I can't really remember if college teams kneel unless it is a really serious injury. Supposedly the head coach is telling the players kneeling is a sign of weakness (stupid). Anyway, are teams going away from this, what are y'alls thoughts?

I always thought that was just good sportsmanship and respectful. Any coach saying it's weakness and telling kids not to do it needs a good *** kicking or a pink slip.

We used it as added time to huddle but never took knee. Not even for our own teammates

You used to see that a lot in youth sports.

I know some coaches, specifically in soccer, who have pushed against it. They say it doesn't make sense in soccer, because players want to keep their legs loose and warm.

Used it as timeout, didn't take knee...discussed strategery.

Depended on the injury. If it was something like cramping, huddled up and kept going. If it looked serious like a neck injury, we took a knee or stood respectfully without huddling until the player was off the field.

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There's your problem

Never took a knee past sub varsity. Our team would move to the sideline and let the trainers do their thing. Plus there would be a higher likelihood of cramping or injury after play resumed being still for so long.

Don't remember ever taking a knee. Our coach would quickly pull us to the sideline and use the injury as a free timeout.

It is a show of good sportsmanship.

Your friend's, kid's coach is an idiot.

My kid's soccer team is coached to take a knee for an injury stoppage. Football teams I was on as a kid always did it, too. As others have said, at some competitive level there's likely a better use of the players' time, but to opine that it's a sign of weakness is just silly.

To be fair the weakness thing is not corroborated, others have said that they are staying up to keep their muscles loose.

It's for sportsmanship. One of many great old-school morals we're letting slip away.

Doing it is good sportsmanship. Not doing it doesn't have to be a big deal, until the coach says its a sign of weakness. Then it becomes poor sportsmanship.

Sounds like a real winner of a coach.

If I were a coach, I would not have my team kneel at the varsity level. I absolutely would not tell the team it's weakness, I just don't think I'd do it at Varsity. That level is much more serious than lower levels which start at everyone gets playing time, a little more of the everyone needs to have fun and learn the game, etc.

I realize kneeling does show respect. But I do not think that refusing to kneel is a sign of disrespect to the other team.

This is up to the coach. My son's varsity team does take a knee when there is an injury. But the coach walks out onto the field and they use it as a timeout. Unless it's a serious injury. Then they just take a knee.

I figure it is the coach's call. But to say it shows weakness is a bit obtuse.

Kneeling during a football game!!?!!?!!??!?!!!!?!?!

Never did it and think it is weird. To me, it is not a sign of sportsmanship if you do nor is it disrespect if you don't.

Oscar Diggs said:

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Depended on the injury. If it was something like cramping, huddled up and kept going. If it looked serious like a neck injury, we took a knee or stood respectfully without huddling until the player was off the field.

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1939 said:

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Supposedly the head coach is telling the players kneeling is a sign of weakness (stupid).

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That is a bold claim. Have you heard him say that?

Only kneel if the injury occurs during the national anthem. It's a sign of strength, not weakness, how we are all one people as a nation.

never heard of this. didn't happen back in my day. if someone wants to do it and ascribe "good sportsmanship" as the reason, more power to them. then i guess everyone else got shamed/peer pressured into following suit? to call it "weakness" is just as silly, but if some coach wants to think for himself and say "i don't see how it helps the injured player any, or how exactly it coveys sportsmanship, so i'm not having my team do it" then I applaud that coach.

Nobody took a knee when i played in the late 70s early 80s...

Jon Cocktosin said:

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It's for sportsmanship. One of many great old-school morals we're letting slip away.

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Yeah, as we got older we stopped physically taking a knee but any joking around would still stop.

Graduated HS in '91. We never took a knee during injuries and I dont remember any opponents taking a knee either.

You can be respectful without taking a knee.

Seems, like most HS teams I watched took a knee prior to the 90s, but those were generally smaller schools. My son's varsity team and their opponents were taking a knee just a few years ago, but again those were very small schools.
Kind of like pulling over for a funeral procession; it is not necessary or benefitial to the random driver so why do it.

Matsui said:

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It is a show of good sportsmanship.

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Not when you're kneeling for every cramp a kid gets.

What should happen instead of everyone dropping to a knee wherever the injury occurs on the field.
Both teams should immediately gather on their respective sidelines to give the "injured" and medical staff proper "space" to attend to the player. What's the first thing that happens if an emt brings a stretcher out on the field? They tell the teams to get off the field and go to the sidelines.

I have really only seen kneeling for what seemed to be a serious injury.

My dad was a hs football coach, and so was I for 10 yrs. I've been around the game my entire life, 36 yrs. kneeling for an injury started happening a few yrs ago. I had never seen it until then. This is 5A-6A dfw.

I do not think it's some great show of sportsmanship, etc and people getting mad at no kneeling are most likely the type who seek out something to get mad at.

1939 said:

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Supposedly the head coach is telling the players kneeling is a sign of weakness (stupid).

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First off, this thread belongs in May with all the other off-season threads.

Second, I don't really care if players kneel for injuries or not. But saying that taking a knee is weakness is real dumb.

This country is going to hell and Facebook is leading the way. This kneeling thing likely got started by soccer mom's.

Soccer mom's what?

Agree with coach.
We never took a knee nor took extra time for an injury unless they could not get off the field.

Of course, in the 70's, we thought it was a sign of weakness to not get up off the field. Unlike trophy generation.

Just don't jack around and act like the other team's player being hurt is a good thing or an inconsequential thing and it's fine. I've always taken the kneeling as a person praying and really only see it when a stretcher/cart is required.

hillcountryag86 said:

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Soccer mom's what?

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You know. What some of these coaches and kids are getting...