Youth participation in tackle football has been declining for years as medical studies have linked the sport with brain injury and long-term behavioral issues. But not all parents balance risks versus rewards the same way.
A four-month investigation by student journalists at the University of Maryland’s Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and Howard Center for Investigative Journalism probes what parents know and how they make decisions about when – and if – their children should play tackle football.
In dozens of interviews with parents, coaches, youth players, medical researchers, former pro football players, and in reporting that includes an in-depth national public opinion poll of parents, the project reveals how tackle football represents opportunity in many communities. But decisions about whether to play vary by race and place.
Credits:
Reporting: Judith Altneu, Torrence Banks, Sapna Bansil, Jenna Bloom, Andrew Chodes, Christine Folivi, Ben Reitman, Jack Rothenberg, Michael Rovetto, Abbey Weltman and Freddy Wolfe.
Data: Sapna Bansil and Ben Reitman
Digital Design and Graphics: Abbi Ross, Sapna Bansil, Freddy Wolfe, Christine Folivi and Judith Altneu
Photography: Freddy Wolfe, Torrence Banks, Andrew Chodes, Jack Rothenberg and Jenna Bloom
Video: Jenna Bloom, Sapna Bansil and Jack Rothenberg
Editors: Mark Hyman, Sandy Banisky, Kathy Best, Derek Willis, Kevin Blackistone, Adam Marton, Josh Land, Nathan Stevens, Kaitlyn Wilson, Sean Mussenden and Stacey Decker