SUMMARY
Fans and families will pack the bleachers in high school stadiums across the country as football season ramps up. But after at least seven deaths tied to the sport in August, including two teenagers who sustained brain injuries on the same day, questions are again being raised about the safety of the game. William Brangham discussed more with Chris Nowinski.
View the transcript of the story.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who was Cohen Craddock, and what caused his death?
- What actions did Craddock's father hope his son's former team would make in response to his son's death?
- Why are collisions from football a risk even to those who don't suffer immediate injury, according to Chris Nowinski?
- How could youth football be made more safe, according to Nowinski?
- Where could changes be made to football to reduce head impacts by half, according to Nowinski?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
How do you think football could be made more safe for young people to play? How do you think schools could better support the wellbeing of students that play sports?
Media literacy: Where could you go to find out more about the work being done to make high school sports safer?
Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?
FOR MORE
What students can do: Can you think of ways to make the sports you play or watch safer? Watch the video below and discuss the ways simple innovations or inventions could reduce the harmful impacts of everyday sports and activities:
Teachers: You can find a lesson here that challenges your students to invent solutions to problems like head injuries in sports.
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