Due to the growing concern about brain trauma in football, a couple of California lawmakers are seeking to ban tackle football until high school.
Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, and Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego, have introduced the “Safe Youth Football Act.” They say it will “prevent young athletes from sustaining long-term brain damage caused by repetitive tackling, hitting and blocking,” (h/t John Woolfolk of the San Jose Mercury News).
“The Super Bowl may be over, but the risk of brain injury to kids who play tackle football remains,” McCarty said. “We have an obligation to protect children from dangerous, long-term injuries resulting from tackle football, especially brain trauma.”
The bill is set to be considered this spring, per the report, and the states of Illinois, Maryland and New York are also considering similar legislation. If it does pass, then California will become the first state to set a minimum-age requirement for youth tackle football.
We’ve covered the dangers of children playing contact sports like football in the past. The studies that have been done on this topic present some alarming results that are too stark to ignore.