WTF Philly Metro HS looks at banning 'gladiator' Football?

Comparing high school football to the gladiator fights of ancient times, Council Rock school board member Patty Sexton has called for banning the sport at the high school level.

Sexton, also a Philadelphia public school teacher, made her comments late at Thursday night’s Council Rock board meeting.

She said continuing the sport at schools funded by the general taxpayer base is inappropriate. It has become too dangerous and carries too much of a risk of lasting effects from injuries, especially concussions, Sexton said.

“It’s no longer appropriate for public institutions to fund gladiators,” she said. “I am very, very concerned about putting these student-athletes in the position of getting a concussion. Football has gotten faster, harder and more dangerous with each passing year. I’m extremely scared we will eventually be sued over injuries suffered in sports.”

It doesn’t make sense for publicly funded educational institutions to continue offering a sport that by its very nature includes physical and often violent contact on every play, Sexton said.

She said she also has concerns with other contact sports in high schools, and mentioned specifically the risks involved in “heading” the ball in soccer, but her main emphasis was on football because she believes it is the most dangerous sport played in high schools.

“We wouldn’t dream of putting our kids in a vehicle without a seat belt, but we put them out on the field and cheer for them,” Sexton said. “Our mission is to grow brains, not destroy them.”

If high school age children want to play football, they can do so with the consent of and funding from their parents in a “community-type” setting away from school, said Sexton.

She said high schools are not immune to the problems encountered in the National Football League, where concussions and their lasting effects have become an increasingly hot issue.

A group of 2,000 former NFL players is suing the league over the long-term effects of concussions and other head injuries. Multiple concussions might have played a role in the suicides of former NFL stars Junior Seau and Dave Duerson, legal and medical authorities have said.

Former NFL quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Kurt Warner have said they would think twice about letting their children play football.

According to the website momsteam.com, which bills itself as a source for parents of youth athletes, approximately 67,000 kids are diagnosed with concussions in high school football every year. The sport has almost twice the rate of concussions as any other high school sport, the website added.

Sexton’s comments drew little reaction from other Council Rock board members, though Wendi Thomas pointed out that Council Rock is very careful about when to put players who have suffered concussions back out on the field. Those players undergo extensive testing before being allowed to play again, Thomas said.

Council Rock Superintendent Mark Klein and the head football coaches and athletic directors at both school district high schools declined to respond to Sexton’s comments.

Tom Magdelinskas, a football star at Neshaminy High School from 1979-81 and now the school’s athletic director, said he respectfully disagreed with Sexton.

“Her thoughts are well-meaning but an overreaction of sorts,” said Magdelinskas. “There is a heightened concern throughout the (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) about concussion training and awareness. You’re probably going to have a substantial amount of injuries with a lot of other sports like lacrosse, soccer, basketball and wrestling. Each and every sport has its inherent risks.”

He continued: “Here at Neshaminy, we have outstanding coaches who train the kids on proper techniques and conditioning so that by the time they hit the field, their chances of being injured are minimized. So long as you minimize the risks through proper training and conditioning, high school football should be allowed to continue.”

Reached for further comment Friday, Sexton emphasized she is not against sports or physical activity in general.

“I believe physical activity helps learning,” she said. “I would very much like to see every child have some form of physical activity every day. But we need a nationwide education program on head injuries and their effects on lifelong learning and health.”

“I know my chances of eliminating football at Council Rock are about as good as keeping the sun from coming up tomorrow, but I feel like it has to start somewhere,” Sexton continued. “Some school district has to stand up and say we care more about our children than we do about feeding them into the funnel of the NFL.”