The right of parents to make decisions about their children is a big deal across the country. But for liberals, those rights can be suppressed if “safety” is an issue.

California lawmakers decided they needed to start meddling in youth sports. Their big target was one of the most popular sports in the nation. It’s almost a childhood right of passage for many youth and parents who love to cheer on their children in the sport.

A committee in the California Assembly pushed forward a bill last week designed to gradually ban tackle football for children under age 12. The proposal was met with a swift reaction from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

From The Daily Wire:
“I will not sign legislation that bans youth tackle football,” Newsom said. “I am deeply concerned about the health and safety of our young athletes, but an outright ban is not the answer.”

The proposed band would eliminate tackle football for youth under age 6 in 2025, then youth under age 10 in 2027, and then all children under age 12 in 2029. The bill gained traction among Democrats before Newsom made it a moot issue.

Newsom said he wants to “strengthen safety in youth football — while ensuring parents have the freedom to decide which sports are most appropriate for their children.”

That’s a stark contrast for Newsom who famously enacted edicts that removed citizens’ rights, including personal freedoms during the pandemic. Maybe Newsom realized that the radical logic promoted by the bill’s supporters was the real danger.

“Banging your brains around for little kids just isn’t safe,” said Democrat Kevin McCarty of Sacramento who sponsored the bill. Fellow Democratic Assemblymember Mike Gipson argued that the bill was about maintaining a sport that helps keep kids out of trouble.

“This bill is not taking away that ability, it is simply saying that we’re going to move from tackle football to flag football and we can still have the same learning experiences,” Gipson said.

The proposed football ban received pushback from parents and coaches. Ashley Bertram, a mother of three boys, argued that flag football is a contact sport and more dangerous due to the lack of protective gear used in full-contact football.

“If you think that just because a 7-year-old boy is running up to take a flag, that they’re not ramming into each other to do that, you’re out of your mind!” Bertram emphasized. “We’re talking about boys!”

The fights that liberals pick often seem like nonsense to anyone looking at the issue from a sensible point of view. Rarely do liberals turn on each other, but that was the case in California.

Maybe Newsom will turn over a new leaf and go after radical liberal ideas more often. That would be California dreaming.

Key Takeaways:

• Gavin Newsom shocked Democrats wanting to ban youth tackle football.
• The Democratic governor said, “No,” to a proposed new law on the issue.
• Coaches and parents argued that tackle football is part of boys being boys.

Source: The Daily Wire