FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
6/12/13
http://twitter.com/nflhealthsafety
NFL HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE—JUNE 12, 2013
NFL HOSTS FORUM ON YOUTH SPORTS SAFETY FOR PARENTING WRITERS AND BLOGGERS
The NFL on Tuesday hosted more than 30 bloggers and writers who focus on health and parenting issues for an open forum on Youth Sports Safety. This is the third blogger roundtable on health and safety matters that the NFL has hosted in the past year.
Participants talked about culture changes many sports are experiencing, as well as the importance of information/best-practices sharing among youth sports organizations.
Speakers included USA Football Senior Director of Football Development NICK INZERELLO, USA Basketball CEO/Executive Director JIM TOOLEY, Little League Baseball President & CEO STEPHEN D. KEENER,USA Cheer President JEFF WEBB, USA Hockey Senior Director of Hockey Development KEVIN MC LAUGHLIN, ANN KITT CARPENETTI, Managing Director of Game Administration, US Lacrosse, and JIM COSGROVE, Executive Director of US Youth Soccer.
DR. ELIZABETH PIEROTH, PSY.D., ABPP, a head injury consultant for the Chicago Bears and a Neuropsychologist at NorthShore University HealthSystem then lead the group in a discussion on youth sports safety, where bloggers asked questions and shared their feedback on the difficulties of implementing change in different communities; understanding health & safety issues at the youth level; the importance of parents comprehending a sports’ rules and regulations; and the risk and reward of sports participation.
As CELENA GILL of RockstarMom and iVillage said of the event, “The NFL Youth and Health Safety series has been an eye opener for me and my family. My husband and I have been able to use pertinent information gained from each luncheon to make well informed decisions about our sons' participation in organized sports. This last session was particularly enlightening because my children are multi-athletes. It was such a relief to learn about all of the safeguards being put into place for many of these sports and the emphasis on player development.”
PRESIDENT OBAMA PRAISES RAVENS FOR YOUTH FOOTBALL OUTREACH
When the Baltimore Ravens visited the White House last week to celebrate their Super Bowl XLVII victory, they were praised by PRESIDENT OBAMA for their commitment to youth football. In his remarks, the President referenced a youth football clinic emphasizing player safety and proper tackling technique that will be hosted later this month by COACH JOHN HARBAUGH. The clinic will also include USA Football’s Heads Up Football elements.
For a full transcript of the President’s remarks, click here.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS PUBLISHES STUDY SHOWING KIDS GET FEWER CONCUSSIONS IN FOOTBALL PRACTICE THAN IN GAMES
The UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH and UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH MEDICAL CENTER (UPMC) conducted a study that was published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Pediatrics. The study is one of the first to look at the incidence of concussions in youth football players, and was funded in part by a $100,000 grant from the NFL FOUNDATION (formerly NFL Charities). The study found that 8- to 12-year-old football players are at low risk for getting a concussion in practice. Additionally, it found that the rates of concussions among younger players is similar to the rates among high-school and college football players.
The findings in the study suggest that it may not be necessary to reduce contact time in youth football practices. The study’s principal investigator, ANTHONY KONTOS, PH.D., associate professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and the assistant research director for the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program, said, “Instead of reducing contact-practice time, youth-football leagues should focus on awareness and education about concussion. We believe that practice is when tackling technique can be taught and reinforced in a much safer environment than in games.”
The researchers note that this study is a first step and that additional research is needed.
To read more about the study, visit the UPMC website.
For more information on the NFL’s health and safety work, please visit http://www.nflevolution.com/
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