Some politicians Michael Benedetto (D) and Al Stirpe , (supporter) along with others now support this !
as of 1/23/19 they have gained sponsors and support,it now heads to the health committee ! They are trying to slip this in silently .. tell them they will not control what sports our children participate in.
The motive behind this bill is to prevent young athletes from sustaining long-term brain damage caused by repetitive tackling, hitting and blocking; however, no research has definitively linked long-term brain damage or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) to participation in youth tackle football.
Young athletes who are prevented from participating in youth tackle football programs are placed at a much greater risk for future injuries of all types; especially concussions, brain damage and CTE, as they would be prevented from years of training and instruction in proper tackling and blocking techniques that are provided at the youth level. Youth athletes are slower and smaller in weight & stature then their high school counterparts, which results in collisions and impact forces substantially less in youth tackle football then those associated with high school football. Youth athletes are therefore less likely to experience long-term brain injuries when participating in youth tackle football while learning and executing basic tackling and blocking techniques; however, as athletes progress into high school, the increased body mass and speed of high school athletes can result in collisions and impact forces which have the potential of injury on any given play, especially when the athlete does not have the benefit of years of prior training in the safe execution of these Techniques
