Should Concussions Be Allowed In High Schools?

Mack Woodfox, a high school varsity football player, was once “hit helmet-to-helmet from the side of his face, stumbled over, and had his ears ringing and eyes blacking out a little bit,” (Calkins). This player-to-player contact resulted in a concussion, which caused Woodfox to miss weeks of school and practice. Much debate has arisen on whether high schools should eliminate football due to the heavy publicity covering injuries and deaths related to the dangerous sport. In regards to these reports, the school board should not continue to allow football in local high schools because of the prevalence of concussions, concerns with financial costs, and a hindrance to academic success. High schools should discontinue football programs because of the abundant amount of concussions in young athletes. According to a study conducted by the Institute of Medicine, high school football players suffer 11.2 concussions for every 10,000 games and practices while the rate for college players stands at 6.3 (Breslow). The nearly doubled rate of high school players shows evidence that high school football players face a bigger concussion risk, which can affect their developing brains and cause long-term symptoms. Additionally, Retired NFL stars who also sustained numerous concussions have battled with

For example, football at Premont High School costs $1,300 a player while math in contrast costs $618 a student (Ripley). Parents have panicked from such high fees, pressured and afraid that they are not able to afford it. Furthermore, financial mismanagement has caused schools to be on the brink of shutting down, mostly due to maintaining sports such as football instead of distributing the budget to teachers. These actions angered many taxpayers who believe their money should be spent on academia rather than a sport where brain injuries often