Much has been written about concussions and football, about the long-term trauma caused by repeated head-to-head collisions. The concern has transcended football and raises major questions about the place of the game in American culture. Recent news from San Francisco may one day be seen as a turning point:

[Chris] Borland becomes the most prominent NFL player to leave the game in his prime because of concerns about brain injuries. More than 70 former players have been diagnosed with progressive neurological disease following their deaths, and numerous studies have shown connections between the repetitive head trauma associated with football, brain damage and issues such as depression and memory loss.
 

ESPN described Borland as one of the best rookies in the game last season. (See the full ESPN story here.)

I wonder how these stories will affect the game of football at the high school level in the years to come. It seems more and more parents are refusing to let their son play the game. Are you hearing the same? And what will this do to the sport in 20 or 30 years? If you’re a parent, knowing what we know now about football and brain injuries, what is the ethical duty to keep your child out of the sport?

Matt Emerson's essays have appeared in a number of publications, including America, Commonweal, and the Wall Street Journal. The Catholic Press Association named his September 2012 essay "Help Their Unbelief," published in America, as the "best essay" in the category of national general interest magazine for 2012. He is the author of the book Why Faith? A Journey of Discovery (Paulist Press 2016).Articles:Fruitful Searching (Jan. 5-12, 2015)Preambles for Faith (May 13, 2013)Help Their Unbelief (Sept. 10, 2012)Posts at The Ignatian Educator