Should high school football be banned?
Some experts are weighing in on this issue because of an article in the newest issue of the medical journal "Pediatrics" that cites an Institute of Medicine report.
The report says one in 14 high school football players will suffer at least one concussion. The sport is the most popular among boys ... 1.1 million play the game.
Some experts call for the sport to be banned, but others say there just needs to be more regulation to keep players safe.
"I think the discussion at the school is how are we going to approach the injury and dealing with it at a very appropriate level and we are taking the injury seriously," said Dr. Mark Halstead of the St. Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri.
Suggestions include having certified doctors on the sidelines at every game and getting rid of the kickoff return play.
"Football may be getting more dangerous," Dr. Greg Canty said in the "Pediatrics" article. "The Centers for Disease Control reports a 10-fold increase in reported rates of sports-related concussions over the past decade. Most suspect that this increase in diagnoses is related to better awareness rather than a true increase in the incidence of concussion, but we do not know definitively."
"Rather than limiting opportunities, I encourage pediatricians to look for ways to make all sports safer for our patients," Canty also said in the article.
Another doctor who was part of the article called for a ban.
"Pediatricians should advocate for the discontinuation of high school football programs until, and more importantly unless, we can be assured that it does not have long-term detrimental consequences," Dr. Lewis Margolis said.
