Wawasee High School announced last week that it was cancelling its freshman season due to a lack of players. Wawasee’s decision follows a trend of dissolved high school football teams across the nation.
“For us, our freshman numbers are OK, but our JV numbers, we have no linemen,” said Wawasee varsity coach Mike Eshbach. “That’s difficult for us to get any practice reps to field a JV team, and at some point you just sort of have to make a decision.”
It’s no secret that high school football participation numbers have been down for years. Reuters Health reported in 2017 that participation in football was down by nearly five percent from 2008.
There are several factors that play into the decline, including the popularity of other sports and children developing other interests.
However, one undeniable factor is parents’ fear of their children sustaining concussions. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released in February detailed that 48 percent of people polled said they would encourage a child to play a different sport because of concern over concussions.
While concussions are certainly a risk in football, as they are in many other sports, high school athletics organizations have gone to great lengths to make the game safer. That’s a truth that is often overlooked and needs to be understood.
I spoke with my father, Dr. Jonathan McKrell, about the safety of football. He lives in Pennsylvania and has been board certified in sports medicine for 21 years.
“At the high school level, I think football can still be very safe,” he said. “If, first of all, you have proper technique. No head hunting, no leading with the head. Any of that is going to put you at risk.”
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the Indiana High School Athletic Association are aware of that risk, and coaches are now required to complete four courses on safety before coaching high school football.
These courses, created by NFHS, educate coaches on heat illness prevention, concussions in sports, sudden cardiac arrest and proper blocking, tackling, and equipment-fitting techniques.
Coaches are heeding the lessons learned in these courses.
“At all levels, we are teaching kids to take their head out of the game and bring their hands into the game,” said Triton coach Ron Brown.
Dr. McKrell sees room for improvement in blocking techniques, and still sees too many helmets gouged by contact.
The Trojans are one of the schools making those improvements. They teach “bridge” and “pillar” techniques, which teach linemen to use their hands and extend themselves away from opponents’ bodies.
Teams also are required to follow a concussion protocol. If a player is injured, he will be evaluated by a medical professional on the sidelines. If the player shows signs of a concussion, he will not be allowed to return to play.
In the case of a concussion, a player must be cleared by a doctor before playing again.
Eshbach noted that helmets were made safer, and Brown said that Triton’s maintenance crew made falls to the ground less impactful by improving field conditions.
In Triton’s case, all of these technical improvements and safety measures have actually resulted in better football. After eight straight losing seasons, the Trojans went 8-4 last year and played in a sectional title game.
And, according to Brown, Triton football hasn’t had a player experience a concussion in his three years there.
All of this is not to say that playing football isn’t risky. However, every sport carries the risk of injury.
Both boys and girls high school soccer saw increases in participation in 2017. That same year, Reuters Health reported a study that showed an increase in concussions in boys and girls soccer from 2009-14.
That’s not to speak negatively about soccer, or any other sport. That is, however, to reiterate that all sports carry the risk of injury. That doesn’t mean football or other sports shouldn’t be played, especially when the positive aspects of football are considered.
“The value of football is it’s one of the best team games around,” Dr. McKrell said. “You need 11 guys doing their job in order to run a successful play.
“You learn a role. You learn how to rely on each other. You learn how to work with each other. You learn how to give up your own ego so your team can make a play.”
I’m not telling parents what to do. I’m not a parent, so that’s not my job.
Still, the fact remains that high school football is safer than it’s ever been.
