Youth Tackle Football Could Be Banned In California

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Two California lawmakers this week proposed a ban on youth tackle football until children reach high school. The bill, called the “Safe Youth Football Act," is aimed at protecting children from brain injury by establishing a minimum age to play in organized tackle football programs, said authors Assemblymembers Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) and Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego).

In a press release, the lawmakers said the bill "will prevent young athletes from sustaining long-term brain damage caused by repetitive tackling, hitting and blocking." The bill aims to prevent Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE, commonly discussed among professional football players.

"Children who play contact sports during their most critical years of brain development are at a significantly greater risk for neurological impairments and CTE later in life," the press release stated. "Children who wait until high school to play tackle football have a better chance of avoiding the net effects that come with CTE, including depression, memory loss and dementia."

“The science is clear: head injuries sustained at a young age can harm kids for the rest of their lives,” said Gonzalez Fletcher. “Developing skills through flag football before high school is sound public policy from a health and safety standpoint,”

The Safe Youth Football Act will be considered in the spring of 2018. If enacted, California would be the first state in the nation to set a minimum age requirement for youth tackle football. Similar legislation has been proposed in the states of Illinois, Maryland and New York, according to the lawmakers.

The bill comes as two California moms sue Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.after both of their teenage sons, who played football for the group, died following a battle with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, they said.

“The Super Bowl may be over, but the risk of brain injury to kids who play tackle football remains,” said Assemblymember McCarty. “We have an obligation to protect children from dangerous, long-term injuries resulting from tackle football, especially brain trauma."

--Photo via Shutterstock

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