“I think my focus is head injuries, because I know the consequences of head injuries,” Sullivan said. It made parents such as Aneesha Sullivan fear for their children’s safety. The increased awareness of head injuries had a significant impact on the game of football. “Now I see a lot of my friends (who played in the NFL) going through a lot of injuries and memory loss and all kinds of stuff like that,” Oliver said.
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Omalu’s story became the 2015 movie “Concussion.” The most precipitous drops in football participation came in the years after the movie’s release. His findings are now internationally recognized. Omalu battled with football advocates and the National Football League over the validity of the study and CTE. Bennet Omalu published a study about CTE, a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated concussive and subconcussive blows to the head. The decrease began around the time that head injuries, like concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), came to the forefront of neurological medicine, specifically relating to tackle football. Now, the average is about 70.įrom 2006-2017, the number of people of all ages participating in tackle football dropped from 8.4 million to 5.22 million – a 37.8 percent decrease. For context, the average number of boys on a high school football team was 79 a decade ago. In spite of the drop in participants, the number of schools that carry traditional 11-man football teams rose.
The number fell from about 7.98 million to about 7.94 million – a 43,395 difference – with football the biggest contributor to the decline.Īccording to the NFSHSA, participation in high school football dropped by nearly 31,000 participants to about 1.006 million, which is the lowest mark since the 1.002 million mark in the 1999-2000 school year. In September, the NFSHSA witnessed its first decline in high school sports participation in 30 years. Oliver said his 5-year-old and 8-year-old ask him all the time if they can play tackle before they turn 12, to which he says, “Yeah, it’s not happening. Oliver’s son, Isaiah, is a cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons, but Muhammad Oliver said he will not let his younger children play tackle football until they are at least 12 years old. And you realize how important it is that everybody does their job, including you in order for the team to be successful.” Our receivers rely on our quarterback and offensive line. “Our defensive backs have to rely on our linebackers and defensive line. Well, it’s the same thing in football,” Oliver said. “When you’re in a work environment, you have co-workers that you depend on to get a project done. Oliver still believes football is the ultimate team game and teaches youth skills that translate off the field. Muhammad Oliver, 50, spent five years in the NFL playing for five teams, and four years in the Arena Football League playing for the Arizona Rattlers. We know there’s an effect, but we can’t really prove it.” “The unknown is what happens with repetitive head drama. “The long-term effects of head injuries and repetitive head injuries starting at a young age are a little bit more unknown than the adult who gets a head injury,” Chhabra said. Anikar Chhabra, director of sports medicine at Mayo Clinic Arizona. The problem that youth and high school tackle football face is the increased prevalence of head injuries and the multiple unknowns of impact on a youth brain, which will require further research, said Dr. (Photo by Cassidy McCauley/Cronkite News)
With high school participation dropping to its lowest point since 2000 according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, youth tackle football numbers are most concerning to those with a vested interest in the game.įor football to make a comeback and secure its spot at the top of the American sports food chain, experts say it has to adapt by making changes to safety, equipment, legislation and manner of play.Įven at the high school level, contact can result in significant injuries, prompting some parents to start their children’s participation in football later than was common in the past. Participation in tackle football has declined dramatically over the past 10 years for many reasons, most predominantly player health. That unbroken progression has existed for generations, but lifelong players are becoming more of an anomaly than the norm. Before they wore college colors, they probably donned a high school jersey, and, before that, many wore youth football jerseys.
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PHOENIX – Before most players in the National Football League wore a pro jersey, they had to put on a college jersey. From 2014 to 2018, flag football participation at all levels rose by just over 16%. Many parents are steering their children toward flag football out of fear of head injuries.
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