Is it time to take the tackling out of youth football?

A recent editorial from Kathleen E. Bachynski, MPH, for the New England Journal of Medicine examined how the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has responded to the issue of injuries in youth and high school football.

The AAP stated in October that taking tackling out of youth tackle football would “probably reduce the incidence of concussions, severe injuries, catastrophic injuries, and overall injuries,” Bachynski said, but it has also not made any recommendations about removing tackling from the sport.

“The AAP committee shied away from endorsing the elimination of tackling in youth football, because doing so would fundamentally change the way the game is played,” Bachynski wrote. “Yet evidence indicates that tackle football in its current form is inconsistent with the AAP mission “to attain optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents and young adults.” Repetitive brain trauma can have serious short- and long-term consequences, including cognitive and attention deficits, headaches, mood disorders, sleep disturbances, and behavioral problems. To significantly reduce the incidence of brain trauma in young people, I believe that physicians should consider endorsing strategies that alter the way football is played.”

To read the full text of Bachynski’s editorial, click the link below: