Will the Friday Night Lights Burn Out From Safety Concerns?

Life expectancy has doubled in the past 200 years. New discoveries over the decades have brought forth knowledge of potentially harmful threats to our health, paving the way for medical advancements. DDT was the most popular pesticide used during the 1940s until it was banned for potentially causing tumors and birth defects. Asbestos was used in the construction of wallboards and gas fireplaces for years. In the 1970s, it was banned after it was discovered to be a carcinogen. In recent years, Monsanto, a popular agrochemical corporation, has been spraying the herbicide, Roundup, on its crops. In the past few years, it was discovered that the herbicide may cause autism, cancer and heart disease. This danger has not been extinguished, and it is not the only one.

Playing football has the potential to cause significant health problems. While high school administrators are aware of these problems, few are willing to address the issue.

In Dr. Omalu’s New York Times article, “Don’t Let Kids Play Football”, he discusses how the high-impact sport may cause permanent brain damage.

The neurologist is noted for the discovery of CTE, a degenerative disease that is commonly found in athletes who play football and boxing.

Boxing was once at the forefront of the public’s attention, with stars such as Muhammad Ali constantly in the limelight. Now, as more and more dangers came out about a sport rendering the objective to cause concussions, parents are less likely to encourage participation from their children.  

Yet, high school football, putting players at the same risk for CTE as boxing, continues to be a popular choice for student athletes and fans.

My reporting class was asked to contact high school principals and school board presidents from across the state of Ohio to learn their opinions on Dr. Omalu’s recommendation that students not participate in football.

I contacted eight high schools in Cincinnati, yet only one principal agreed to an interview. 

The principals at James N. Gamble Montessori High School, Aiken High School, Shroder Paideia High School, and Clark Montessori High School never responded to my multiple emails or public records requests.

Jeff Brokamp, principal of Walnut Hills High School, said that while this is a topic that he himself is “gathering facts on” he is “not yet ready to articulate” his views.




School Board President Ericka Copeland-Dansby did not respond to my five emails.

I made multiple attempts to contact Charlene Myers, principal of Riverview East Academy. It was not until I told her that I was going to report that she gave no response that she finally answered. She said she had been out of the office for two and a half weeks, so, "you can imagine this is not a priority."

Principal Dean Nicholas of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, a private school, was the only one who agreed to an interview. 

 

Principal Dean Nicholas
Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy

“Football is a big part of high school culture, and that’s a great thing…but at the same time, I worry that can also give us cultural blinders,” Nicholas said.

Each week, millions nationwide flock to their respective local stadiums for the Friday night lights.

However, numbers for his school’s youth football team were so low that this is the first year that they were not able to have a team.

For this reason, his athletic department is conversing about how to make the game safer for players.

Nicholas said that his institution follows Cincinnati's concussion protocol and spends many dollars to buy the best equipment for players. He said that his athletic department and trainers “do everything that is possible from a physiology and medical perspective” to avoid the risk of concussions.

He told me that the football coaches are looking at a new tackle strategy that teaches players to keep their head to the side instead of “using it as a weapon”.

Nicholas agreed that he believes the low participation is due to parental concern for their children’s safety.

He also said this is the first time ever that his school had more students playing soccer than football.

While Nicholas believes the game may shift to the players having stronger equipment, he does not believe it will cease to exist as a contact sport.

________________________________________________________________________________

This project taught me that often times, the most controversial issues are the ones that need to be discussed most. The difficulty, however, is that few actually want to have that discussion. I spent three weeks trying to get a hold of principals across the city before one agreed to an interview. I did find it to be very surprising that the only principal who agreed to an interview was the principal of a private high school. 

Through my interview, I learned how difficult it is to change the public's mind about something they love, even with the known safety concerns involved. When it comes to Friday night lights, the bright side is that at least small changes are being done to increase safety. If these small changes happen nationwide, the ripple effect may produce something more significant in time.