title: Should School Boards Discontinue Support for High School Football?
abstract: A pediatrician is asked by her local school board to help them decide whether to discontinue their high school football program. She reviews the available evidence on the risks of football and finds it hopelessly contradictory. Some scholars claim that football is clearly more dangerous than other sports. Others suggest that the risks of football are comparable to other sports, such as lacrosse, ice hockey, or soccer. She finds very little data on the long-term sequelae of concussions. She sees claims that good coaching and a school culture that prioritizes the health of athletes over winning can reduce morbidity from sports injuries. In this paper, 3 experts also review the evidence about sports risks and discuss what is known and not known about the science and the ethics of high school football.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Lewis H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Margolis
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri; and.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Canty
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Halstead
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri; and jlantos@cmh.edu.
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lantos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000070627:Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D005538:Football / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000072143:Pediatricians; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012306:Risk; D012449:Safety; D012572:School Health Services; D014481:United States