Develop an education campaign to prevent brain injury. Using FRONTLINE’s information and interviews for Football High, create a list of tackling techniques and other tips for avoiding brain injuries in high school sports. Develop a plan for educating athletes, coaches, parents and others about the risks and prevention of brain injury.
Learn more about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Show the class the video clip “This Is Your Brain on Football” (length: 9:27), which depicts brain damage from CTE in football players. Have students investigate CTE further and summarize the latest research findings.
Look more closely at the physics of football tackling. Using the formula force equals mass times acceleration (F=ma), calculate and compare different forces of collision with different-size players and different velocities. What do these calculations reveal about the effects of size and velocity in football tackles? Expand the class’s analysis by reading more about How the Physics of Football Works and The Science Behind Football Tackles.
Study the dangers of heatstroke for athletes. Watch Chapter Four of Football High, “No One Should Die of Heatstroke,” which tells the stories of two young football players who suffered heatstroke and examines why only one survived. Then read FRONTLINE’s FAQ on heatstroke and explain its symptoms and treatment. Develop a plan for sharing the information and resources with others at your school.
Conduct a survey of your school community to find out what people think about football and the trade-offs between winning and player safety. Have students first study the information and interviews for Football High to identify the issues they want to focus on. They should then develop survey questions, gather responses, and organize and analyze the data. Consider whether using an online survey tool like SurveyMonkey would help the class to increase its sample size or the geographic area surveyed.