A second financial factor, is related to the number of full time athletic trainers on staff. According to the National Athletic Trainers' Association, just 37% of public high schools have full time trainers. These professionals are trained to recognize concussions and keep players from returning to games where they increase their risk for second-impact syndrome and death. The third factor, is the teenage brain. Because teen brains are not fully mature it is more susceptible to second-impact syndrome, which is a potentially fatal situation where a player has not recovered from a concussion and returns to the game to receive yet another hit to the head. So it would appear that with a few modifications and the proper funding, high school football can be made safer. .
There will always be risks associated with playing football, but let's not overlook the many rewards. For example, there are 236 Division I colleges, each offering 85 full and partial football scholarships, that means over 20,000 high school students that will get the financial assistance they need to go to college. When smaller colleges are added to the mix that number soars to over 90,000 players receiving financial assistance. (http:// www. Scholarshipstats.com/football.html) Not only are there financial benefits for the students, but the high schools also receive financial incentives which in turn help them purchase the resources they need to provide a quality education. In addition to the financial benefits, there are scholastic benefits too, as players must achieve specific grade point averages to maintain a position on the football team. Other benefits include; learning about hard work, resilience, camaraderie and team spirit plus its fun. (O'Brien and Meehan, MDs) These factors support the belief that it is important to protect players from harm so the benefits can be realized.
Many parents believe that football is too dangerous and will not allow their children to participate in the sport.
