Perspectives: Is tackle football too dangerous

P E R S P E C T I V E S NO “Some people try to fi nd things in this game that don’t exist but football is only two things-blocking and tackling.” - Vince Lombardi Fall is an exciting time for schools. Students and teachers return to school rested and prepared with an opportunity to learn and grow as Is tackle football too dangerous for teenagers? YEs students and as athletes. Recently there has been much discussion that playing football is not safe for the high school student athlete related to concussions and traumatic brain injury. It is important to discuss playing football, the right way, with the focus on education. Football in order to be played correctly and safely must have its foundation in education. The football coach must be a teaching professional, who has expertise in pedagogy and in the game of football. Football offers student athletes “teachable moments” that are unique to this interscholastic activity. Max Boot, in a recent article of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ.com) stated: “The guiding principle with football should be “‘mend it, don’t end it.’ In fact, the process of mending the game has been going on for a very long time.” In an effort to keep education in the forefront, the State of Maine requires all head football coaches and assistant coaches to complete the National Federation of State High School Association’s (NFHS) “Concussion in Sports-What You Need to Know.” Understanding that the football coach is not a medical professional, most high schools have a certifi ed athletic trainer or an EMT on site in the event of injury to the student athlete. As well as education in the signs and symptoms of a suspected concussion, the football coach/educator must teach the proper tackling techniques to the student athlete. The proper tackling technique insures the student athlete have his/her feet in the break-down position, eyes up, head up and the player will tackle leading with his/her shoulder. The areas of impact are the shoulders and upper body, avoiding the head and the neck of both the offensive and defensive player. Repetitions of the proper tackling technique will provide the student athlete with a concrete underpinning for adequate execution of basic football fundamentals. Launching one’s body as a guided missile is not an acceptable way in which to tackle. Avoiding this practice greatly reduces one’s chance for injury on the football fi eld. As Coach Lombardi stated: “Practice does not make perfect-only perfect practice makes perfect.” Having the proper fi tting helmet will also diminish the unintended injury to the football player. Riddell, maker of football equipment, has information regarding the proper fi t of the helmet as well as links to the CDC’s concussion information (www.riddell.com). Contact sports are not for everyone, and those parents who feel that football is too dangerous should fi nd alternative endeavors for their children. It is important to underscore the value of high school athletic competition. As a school nurse, I have seen far worse concussions and head injuries sustained in physical education classes and school fi ghts than I have in football. If the goal of educators is to make competitive sports safe for students, athletic administrators must look closely at all contact sports, soccer, hockey, lacrosse and cheerleading. Singling out football as the sport that is the most physically harmful is impractical as all of the above More than two million teenage football players will suffer a mild traumatic brain injury, also known as concussion, this year, according to the CDC. In 2012, the National Academy of Sciences found high school football players suffer concussions at nearly twice the rate of college players. The report also cited a lack of evidence that current sports helmets reduce concussion risk. 1 Concussions occur in football at a rate three times higher than the second most concussion-prone sport, girls soccer. 2 While awareness of the dangers of concussion is growing, there is still much unknown about the long term effects of concussion on teenagers. The teenage brain is more sensitive to concussion than those of children or adults. During adolescence, the brain is growing rapidly, making it even more vulnerable to injury. Concussions can cause on-going headaches, dizziness, sleepiness, problems with short-term memory and depression. These symptoms can last days, weeks, months or a lifetime. Psychiatric research on traumatic brain injury of adolescents found ten percent of kids had a full depressive disorder six months after concussion. Outcomes for players with multiple concussions are even worse. A 2004 study revealed that football players with multiple concussions were nearly 8 times more likely to experience a “major drop in memory performance.” Three months after a concussion they continued to experience diffi culties in processing complex visual stimuli. According to lead researcher Dave Ellemberg of the University of Montreal, “when compared with similar students without a history of concussions, athletes with two or more brain injuries demonstrate statistically signifi cant lower grade point averages”. Schools and football leagues are recognizing the danger and are taking steps to mitigate the problem, but without a major change in how the game is played, the risk remains high. Helmet technology seems to be a long way from protecting against concussion. While the hard plastic does protect against fractured craniums, it cannot protect from the internal injury caused by the soft tissue of the brain slamming against a hard skull. As the size, strength and speed of teenage athletes increases, so does the risk of brain injury. Compounding the problem, diagnosis of concussion depends greatly on self-reporting of symptoms by the teenager, who is often too anxious to get back to play. Football may be a long-loved sport and tradition in our country, and is not without its benefi ts. But the price many of our young athletes pay with their long-term health and quality of life is too high. Until there is a signifi cant change in the way the sport is played, football is too dangerous for the teenage brain. Tina Veilleux, rN, Portland EA mentioned sports have inherent risks. 1, 2. Grantland, “The Fragile Teenage Brain”, Jonah Lehrer, Jan, 2012 “People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.” - Vince Lombardi 14 Maine Educator • October 2014 schari roy, rN, Waterville EA