[Mick]

Head trauma is part of life. You cannot eliminate it. Eliminating all college sports might reduce the incidence, but what a dreary world that would be. Eliminating sports would cause all kinds of deleterious effects for the individual and for our culture. I vote to eliminate boxing if a sport is to be eliminated - the purpose of the sport is to cause brain injury. I am also for eliminating tackle football for kids prior to high school. There is new evidence coming out that reduction in cognitive decline could be achieved there.

Otherwise, the idea that eliminating college sports is for the good or logical is misplaced. Kids are doing these sports long before they get to college. Girls who do high school sports are more likely to go to college and about a third less likely to get pregnant before age 18. Boys are somewhat more likely to go to college and earn more after school if they do sports. There are life lessons to be learned doing sports that are hard to come by elsewhere. Let's not lose sight of the big picture because concussions are scary.

No, you can't eliminate head trauma.  I will tell you this, after watching my son's concussion (playing catcher, head bouncing off home plate in a collision with a runner), I resolved that I would point my sons to non-contact sports.  That eliminated not just football, but wrestling, karate, soccer, basketball...

[Mick]

Head trauma is part of life. You cannot eliminate it. Eliminating all college sports might reduce the incidence, but what a dreary world that would be. Eliminating sports would cause all kinds of deleterious effects for the individual and for our culture. I vote to eliminate boxing if a sport is to be eliminated - the purpose of the sport is to cause brain injury. I am also for eliminating tackle football for kids prior to high school. There is new evidence coming out that reduction in cognitive decline could be achieved there.

Otherwise, the idea that eliminating college sports is for the good or logical is misplaced. Kids are doing these sports long before they get to college. Girls who do high school sports are more likely to go to college and about a third less likely to get pregnant before age 18. Boys are somewhat more likely to go to college and earn more after school if they do sports. There are life lessons to be learned doing sports that are hard to come by elsewhere. Let's not lose sight of the big picture because concussions are scary.

No, you can't eliminate head trauma.  I will tell you this, after watching my son's concussion (playing catcher, head bouncing off home plate in a collision with a runner), I resolved that I would point my sons to non-contact sports.  That eliminated not just football, but wrestling, karate, soccer, basketball...