To any serious observer of pro (or college) football, it’s readily apparent that the association between the sport and serious, long-term brain damage is potentially an existential threat. Hollywood has made movies about the connection, many former NFL players are having their brains autopsied and turning up with signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and parents increasingly appear to guiding their children away from tackle football at the youth level:
In September (2019), the NFSHSA witnessed its first decline in high school sports participation in 30 years. The number fell from about 7.