I just wonder what will happen to the league. The concussion discussions start as early as pop warner (trust me; I'm a doctor!) so I think airtime's take is disingenuous. But I do think the NFL acted shadily.
Dementia pugilistica has been clinically well documented but has changed nothing (although the popularity of the sport has declined), so I suspect mot much in terms of law will change. Nor do I think it will become ghettoized in the way malcolm gladwell predicted. I think they will just keep adding rules that make people cry flag football. Then again, Teddy Roosevelt failed at regulating it but that was 1904 and we are so much further along... Oh wait
For all people involved. I was doing a pop warner game recently where a kid lowered his head into another kid after scoring a touchdown. A shitty move by the kid to be sure, and he was flagged for it accordingly. Later we were told the kid who was hit had developed 'concussion-like' symptoms, despite no athletic trainer to be found.
I hate to keep beating this drum, but the residual effect is beginning to take its place at the lower levels. Football is an expensive sport as it is, and you'll probably see it getting much more expensive due to the insurance schools/leagues will have to carry, and laws such as Rocky's Law (in Illinois, at least). From what I have seen, the numbers are down at the youth levels. I referee a youth league where a lot of the Chicago Catholic schools get players from. We have teams that are folding, not having both teams available, and lower numbers. I used to referee a bigger youth league that has around 16 teams. Talking to people who still ref that league they are seeing numbers down.
It's trickled its way up to the high schools as well. A prominent Catholic high school in the Chicagoland area had 30 kids go out for freshman football. At present, I believe they are down to 26. 100 freshman went out for soccer. This is a trend that is going to continue, and I personally believe football will soon go the route of AAU.
