New York is considering a ban on tackle football for children 12 and younger. The article by Erin Shumaker summarizes how New York may implement a law based on legislation from 2017. Bronx Assemblyman Michael Benedetto did not gain much support when he first introduced the legislation. Now, two years later, the growing awareness and research into concussions has given the bill more support. A hearing on tackle football was held on Tuesday. There was testimony from several doctors, coaches, researchers and ex-football players. Shumaker moves to the research behind the idea for the ban. The National Football League doubts the research saying there are many questions about head trauma.
The article is framed around the research about grown football players. The article is short, which makes it get to the research quick. There is nice separation between the legislation paragraphs and the research with a picture. Despite the title suggesting more about youth football, Shumaker does not seem to be writing for parents whose children may be affected. All of the brain injury research is about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is only identified after death. I believe it would have been stronger to frame it around how a child’s development may be impacted by head trauma. Perhaps mentioning research from both would make the article live up to the title it’s been given.
I think parents would get the connection. The discussion you suggest would be good, but I’m not sure it exists. Research in this area is still pretty new, and there may not be those long-term studies that show the effects on young people. There may be research on how development is affected if there are case studies.
Good comment.