UMass Lowell issued a new poll July 28 showing that a significant majority of people do not believe tackle football is appropriate for children below high school age.
After a decade of rising awareness around the dangers of concussions and CTA, four out of five American adults, including 72 percent of men, do not believe tackle football is appropriate for children under 14 years. At the same time, 87 percent of adults believe brain trauma resulting in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a serious public health issue.
The survey was conducted independently by the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion, polling a sample of 1,000 American adults about their attitudes surrounding sports safety, head injuries and the public health implications of concussions and CTE.
The surveyed group did, for the most part, believe tackle football was appropriate for adults, with only 20 percent saying it was not for adults over the age of 18.
Split by gender, women were among the most opposed to youth tackle football, with 84 percent opposed to tackle football before the age of 14 and 94 percent opposed to the practice before the age of 10.
Following closely, 72 percent of men opposed tackle football prior to the age of 14 and 88 percent before age 10.
Accounting for soccer, the poll found three in five Americans believe heading the ball in soccer is unsafe before high school.
And more than ever, the poll shows a new way of thinking has solidified, with 87 percent thinking brain trauma that results in CTE is a serious public health issue.
“These survey results show that nearly all adults agree that forcing a child to play a game where they are hit in the head a few hundred times a year is not an appropriate activity,” said Chris Nowinski, president and co-founder, Concussion Legacy Foundation. “No child should have to trade life lessons for concussions and an increased risk of CTE. We can teach without trauma.”
“We consider this strong public consensus a broad mandate to continue to advocate for changes to youth sports, and we will continue to recommend to parents that before age 14 they choose flag football rather than tackle football and delay heading in soccer,” said Dr. Robert Cantu, co-founder and medical director, Concussion Legacy Foundation.
There are an estimated 2.1 million children under the age of 14 playing tackle football each year and 8 million youth soccer players, according to the Concussion Legacy Foundation.
Photo Courtesy UMass Lowell
