Maybe It's Time to Talk

There was an article by Tim Schwartz in the paper yesterday about the Centennial High School Varsity Football Program. Turnout this year for participation on the team was low. Numbers are not where they should be in order to run a viable program.

Football, especially high school football, is a tradition. It's not just the physical challenge of the sport. It's Friday night lights, cheerleaders, marching band, boosters selling snacks, families turning out to cheer on the teams. It's young kids dreaming of when they'll be in high school. It's parents remembering when they were.

And yet.

It becomes clearer all the time that football has been and continues to be the cause of traumatic brain injury in players. Not just the pros. High school players. The NFL keeps trying to beat back the data and reshape the conversation but the fact remains that youth participants are getting damaged in ways that cannot be remediated.

Does it happen to everyone? No. Would you risk it for your child? I wouldn't.

Maybe, with what is going on right now at Centennial,  it's a good time for us to have a community discussion about high school football. There was a bit of discussion earlier in the summer when requirements changed for getting a baseline concussion test as a requirement for sports participation. But I think we could stand to look at it more thoroughly.

If we say we put our kids first, how do we reconcile that with how much football is hurting them? Why do we accept that, as a sort of collateral damage?

I think I know why.

High school football has deep emotional roots in our culture. We give it a pride of place in our community that is unrivaled. Nothing else comes close. Can you imagine an article in the paper detailing concerns that a high school might not be able to field a Chamber Choir? Robotics team? Debate?

School athletics programs are a place where many kids have the opportunity to shine. I may not be even remotely athletic, but I understand that. But football presents a danger to our young people. There's no doubt about it now. The numbers are there. Can we please take a look at them without the emotional filter of Friday Night Lights?

I wish everyone in the Centennial Football community well. I hope this works out the best way possible for them. I just wish we could stop for a moment and talk about this.