Bowling Green Board President: Risk of Concussion Outweighed

Bowling Green Board of Education
President, Mr. Paul Walker, said the risks
of playing football are outweighed by the benefits.

Bowling Green School Board President Paul Walker said he does not believe the risk of concussions outweighs the benefits of kids playing football. "There are risks associated with all the competitive sports kids play," Mr. Walker said. 

We sent Board President Walker as well as Principal Jeffrey Dever a copy of Dr. Omalu's op ed to read though before the interview. Dr. Omalu first diagnosed Chronic
Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in 2002, which is a disease that can cause a variety of health issues including memory loss and later in life dementia. He recommends children should not be allowed to play football due to the long-term consequences involving brain damage.

Bowling Green High School Principal,
Mr. Jeffrey Dever, refused to interview.

Principal Dever refused to do an interview with us saying, "I do not wish to participate in this study." However, Walker answered our questions after he read through Dr. Omalu's op ed.

Mr. Walker said the Board of Education has discussed the issue of athletic concussions as a board, but not at a public meeting. He again stated he believes there is risk with everything and the risks of playing football are outweighed by the benefits, which he cited to include working as a team and setting goals. But do the benefits really outweigh the risk?

While Mr. Walker is right about sports all having risks, the risk of getting a concussion from playing football is a 75% chance according to the National Safety Council (NSC). The NSC also noted in a post on its website that playing football has the highest chances of getting a concussion for men. Working as a team and setting goals can be beneficial lessons to learn, but there are other ways children can learn these lessons. As previously stated, CTE can cause memory loss and dementia. Even if playing football teaches these lessons, it can make kids forget them and more in the long run. 

Bowling Green High School does follow the Ohio High School Athletic Association's (OHSAA) concussion policy. The policy includes requirements for coaches and contest officials to take a course on concussions or have a pupil activity program/coaching permit. Also, parents and students must review and sign a concussion information sheet as part of the policy. 

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Author: LiAnna Schwerer, a
Junior Broadcast Journalism
student at Kent State University.

Requesting public records for the first time as a student can be very intimidating. People tend to brush off your title as a journalist because you don't have credentials yet, but that is why you must be persistent.

Once they realize you are not going away you will most likely get your records, but don't be surprised if you don't make friends along the way. 

With this particular story, I ran into some obstacles and that happens. Making sure there is enough time to overcome those obstacles is essential. If you do not use your time wisely, you will not get your story done before deadline.

Your job is to be a reporter. You must be professional and persistent at all times. Even when your contact seems to be defensive or too busy, it is your job to get the records and make a fair and objective report.