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Concussion in Youth Sports

By Robin Hamilton, Union Bulletin, 04/16/19, 12:00PM PDT

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“We work hard on teaching the right technique and emphasize that the helmet is not a weapon,”

If you are the parent of a middle-school or high-school athlete, you are probably aware of the intensified concerns involving sports concussions. While concussions can happen in any sport, medical and sports professionals agree that football leads the pack in sports-related head trauma.  Although the number of concussions from soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball and cheerleading have also seen a rise, officials say the statistics are higher for football due to the popularity of the game, the numbers of players participating, and the violent collisions.  

The National Football League has finally owned up to the consequences of years of helmet-to-helmet contact by its players after the suicides of pro athletes such as Mike Webster and Dave Duerson were linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy.