Playing Safety: the Future of Youth Football?
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of those tie into what we're trying to do today because ultimately if you're going to take thought and turn it into action, there has to be some leadership and some ownership. So what we will hopefully come out of today and the ongoing discussions after today is try to take the conversation forward into action with leadership, and as some people call it, reach some kind of tipping point in the future to improve the participation of youth in sport and also the safety of Nov. 9, 2012 those people involved. Tom, back to you. Thank you. TOM FARREY: Let me set up this ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION meeting by reading to you two sets of facts: Fewer than 1 in every 4 adolescents gets enough exercise in this country. We have an epidemic of “PLAYING SAFETY: THE physical inactivity, costs the nation about $90 billion a year right now in direct costs, projected to FUTURE OF YOUTH be $190 billion by 2030. FOOTBALL? We know that physical activity levels have dropped 32 percent in less than two generations, and that between the ages of 9 and 15, physical TOM FARREY: My name is Tom Farrey. I activity levels drop 75 percent. A lot of kids fall out am the director of the Sports and Society program of sports during the middle school years. And we here and an ESPN reporter, and the title of today's know that there are many health benefits from roundtable is "Playing Safety: The Future of Youth playing sports, stronger bones, better heart health, Football?" I'd like to introduce Bill Mayer, who is lower levels of depression, and we know that one two seats over from me. Bill is the chairman study in 2004 out of Penn State University said emeritus of the Aspen Institute and has been a that adolescents who play sports are eight times great supporter of the Sports and Society Program, more likely to be active in sports and physical understands the DNA of this organization well as activity at age 24 as adolescents who do not play well as what it can bring to this type of sports. conversation. So Bill -- and Bill is also an owner in So as a nation we have a real interest in the UFL. His Virginia Destroyers won the getting and keeping as many kids active in sports championship last year, so he has a feel for pro into the teenage years as possible. football, as well. At the same time, we have another set of Take it away, Bill. statistics that we have to contend with, particularly BILL MAYER: Thank you, Tom, and thank as it relates to the sport of football. I work for you all for coming to the Aspen Institute today, ESPN, and we recently conducted a survey of really looking forward to our conversation. I've parents, and 58 percent of those with sons been asked to just give a very short summary of younger than age 15 say they were, quote, very what Aspen is and what we try to do and why it's concerned about youth football injuries. Nearly 1 involved in this program. in 5 discouraged their sons from playing the game. The Aspen Institute, which has been Football has the highest concussion rate in sports around for 60 years, means a lot of things to along with hockey, and so you have a lot of different people, but as a common denominator parents who are wondering, gee, is this a game what we debate internally is the whole concept of that is safe for my kid, should I introduce them to it, thought versus action, so we all talk, and the whole what are the short-term consequences, what are key is what are you going to do with that the long-term health consequences. conversation, and in fact will it ever lead to any So the central question that we are going action. to be looking at today is how can football, the So what I think we're doing today is very institution of football, best serve the interests of much in the spirit of what we try to do here. Aspen children and communities and public health. How is also described as an educational organization as can football serve children, communities and public well as a leadership organization, and I think both health? 1 Everybody at the table here has their own committee and the co-founder of the Sports narrow interests. We work for this organization or Legacy Institute, an organization dedicated to that organization or we're trying to grow our addressing the concussion crisis through research, membership or whatever else it may be. But this is treatment, education and prevention, and he is the a collective conversation about what are some author of a new book called "Concussions and Our great ideas that people have developed out there Kids: America's Leading Expert on How to Protect that could be scaled up, and is there common Young Athletes and Keep Sports Safe" written with ground that people can find to move this Mark Hyman who is with us here today, as well. conversation forward and address the needs of the Dr. Cantu, what is the central thesis of nation and the concerns of parents. your book here? People are worried; should we just hold off ROBERT CANTU: Well, first of all, I'd like on football until high school, or, some would argue, to thank you and the Aspen Institute for convening not play at all? Or can it be made safer through this conference today and for inviting me to reforms at the lower levels? And what's the role of participate in it. the NFL and the Players' Association and pro I think before I answer your question, I'd football and the industry in general in creating an like to start by just simply saying, I am pro-sport. I environment that's productive? want every sport that's being played today to be Aspen began to address these questions continued to be played and I want it to be played in at the Aspen Ideas Festival in June, where we greater numbers, and I believe all of the opinions convened a panel called "Head Games: Can that I hold are trying to have that happen, although Football Be Saved From Itself?" and Jim Brown, right now maybe not everybody fully sees it. the NFL legendary -- the legendary NFL running Football's value is the aerobic and resistive back was on the panel, as was Chris Nowinski, exertional exercise obtained in playing it, and the who's to my left here; Dan Garza, a professor at last time I checked it was the minutes if not hours Stanford who's worked on mouth guard technology of physical activity playing the sport that count, not that could measure force impacts on the head; and the milliseconds of bashing heads. Kevin Turner, who was the subject of a As the medical director of the National documentary which you will see a clip of. It was Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, we called "American Man," produced by a colleague of track catastrophic sports injuries in this country, 97 mine who works at HBO Real Sports. percent of which come from the sport of football, or This panel will be featured in a show on 96.9 to be precise. And that's even before you the World Channel on November 20th at 8:00 p.m. start to get into the concussion issue. We believe and online, as well. Public Television is working that all sports that are currently being played with the Aspen Institute to turn these conversations should continue to be played, but they should be at the Aspen Ideas Festival into one-hour specials. made safer with regard to the head issue. There will be a whole one-hour special on the And in the sport of football, especially Sports Track which will include this conversation involving our very young youth, we believe that with football safety. tackle football should not be played, rather flag football should be substituted, and in the SESSION I; AT WHAT AGE SHOULD CHILDREN substitution of flag football, it's perfectly okay if PLAY TACKLE FOOTBALL? pads are worn and even helmets are worn. But the act of tackling, which is the activity where almost FARREY: What I'd like to do now is start off this all of the serious injuries happen and the majority conversation about the youth question, about the of the concussions, as well, is eliminated, and under-14 question, the pre-high school equation, instead flags are pulled. and we'd like to do that with our special guest, I personally view this as a tremendous Dr. Robert Cantu, who many of you, of course, are opportunity for USA Football, because if they were familiar with. He is chief of neurosurgery, to offer flag football as an option and promote it, all chairman of the department of surgery and the the aerobic benefits that are needed to be there; director of the service of sports medicine at the head injury risk and other injuries would be Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts, as largely decreased; and I think football would be well as a clinical professor of neurosurgery and the gaining individuals coming from other sports at co-director of Boston University's Center For the high risk of head injury, especially like soccer. Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. He's a senior Soccer has been a drain on football for two advisor to the NFL's head, neck and spine decades, and I think the drain would go the other 2 way if football were to offer the flag as an option to for a brain's structure and/or function to deteriorate tackle.