By David Wolf, Attorney
In high schools across the country, there is a tradition of sportsmanship, athleticism, school spirit, and, yes, concussions. It is estimated that a high school player averages 650 head impacts per season. Dr. Steven Miles and Dr. Shailendra Prasad of the University of Minnesota have taken a bold position that football be removed from schools across the country. This is a bold statement at this time; however, as more information is gathered and studies regarding concussions and the long term effects on academic performance, memory, and cognitive functioning, more medical providers and other concerned people will join in and recommending and pushing for the ban on football. Time will tell what happens and what social forces and influences will be put in place. While football equipment has advanced over time in the form of helmet technology and padding, there does not appear to be any safety measure that has been put in place that can effectively prevent all or most concussions from taking place. This will only happen with either a ban on football completely OR a drastic change in the way in which football games are played. You can read more about the position taken by these medical providers at
Minnesota Doctors Recommend that High School Football Be Eliminated. At this time, football is a major sport in high school athletics. There are some programs that have been discontinued due to financial constraints and some may even be discontinued for safety reasons; however, football still serves as an important focus for most communities – big and small in high schools. It is important that coaches, administrators, and trainers be diligent about concussion awareness, prevention, and responsiveness. If it is a suspected that a player has suffered a concussion, it is vital that all precautions be put in place for the protection of the player. The safety of a child should be paramount over all other concerns including but not limited to competition.
