Football remains the single most popular high school sport, despite increasing concern over the long-term health risks. Last year, WGBH’s Frontline helped expose the concussion crisis in the NFL and continues to track the problem online.
Halfway through the regular season, 62 players have had a documented concussion. And that doesn’t include another two players who suffered head injuries Sunday, including Tennessee Titan Delanie Walker, who took an open-field hit that left him stunned on the ground before being taken out of the game.
Hits like that are starting to have an impact on parents, who are increasingly steering boys away from football, and that’s led some youth coaches to complain their sport is being unfairly maligned.
Kevin Smith is the President of the Concord-Carlisle American Youth Football program and has been a coach for eight years.
Chris Nowinski is the director of the Sports Legacy Institute and the author of "Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis."
