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The future of football? Don't count it out yet

There we were, enjoying our summer, when we got blindsided.

Citing an updated study out of Boston examining 202 brains of deceased former football players, in July the Journal of the American Medical Association reported 87 percent exhibited the degenerative brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). A shocking 99 percent of former National Football League players' brains had either mild or severe cases due to concussions or traumatic brain injury.

Three of 14 high school players' brains had mild CTE; it was absent in two pre-high school players.

Skeptics will caution that even the study's senior author stated the sample was "skewed" because the brains were donated by families or individuals who suspected football-related injuries or symptoms led to their demise. The study concluded that CTE "may be related to prior participation in football," the Journal of the American Medical Association reported.

High school coaches such as Batavia's Dennis Piron, a member of the Illinois Advisory Council on Player Safety, will say the game is safer than ever due to improvements in equipment, conditioning, tackling technique - including a reduction of live tackling in practice - awareness, diagnosis and protocol.

Even in the face of the concussion scare players maintain the sport's character-building and camaraderie aspects outweigh the risks.

Still, people have voted with their feet.

In August the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) reported that while 2016-17 athletic participation increased nationwide a 28th straight year - fueled mainly by the largest jump in female athletes since 2000-01 - participation in 11-man football decreased by 25,901 athletes. For boys football remains king, with 1,086,748 players last term followed by track and field with 600,136.

In Illinois the NFHS tells us that in 2016-17 there were 42,682 players. Though well over the 29,975 footballers in the 1969-70 school year, that's a drop of 8,652 since 2007-08.

It's seen and felt. Programs have eliminated entire levels. Facebook posts encourage freshmen to play. Coach Paul Murphy of Waubonsie Valley - which has made the playoffs 10 straight seasons - said he had 28 freshmen come out this year and his varsity roster lists 50 players, both the lowest totals in his 13 years with the Warriors.

It's not just injury. Specialization and club sports have largely relegated three-sport athletes to antiquity. Athletic options have boomed; Naperville Central, for example, offers 15 boys sports.

As Glenbard South coach Ryan Crissey said, football is not only a physical game, it's a difficult one. The mental grind and discipline alone could make prospective players instead seek a 55-inch monitor and "Madden NFL 18" rather than the real thing.

With participation comes participation fees. Many of us don't need Samuel L. Jackson asking what's in our wallet. The answer is mainly lint, and it can be a big hit for parents supporting multiple football players, or even one.

Football remains a great game. While we can go on and on, we asked several people from varied walks of football life to answer the simple question: How do they see the future of Illinois high school football? Not surprisingly, most touch on the injury factor.

Fred Bennett

Winfield resident, grandfather of Glenbard West junior lineback Cade Bennett

I would like to see high school football grow and prosper. To do so, I think we need to modify the football programs at the lower levels - play flag football through sixth grade and introduce hitting and tackling in seventh and eighth grades. This would prevent some of the burnout that occurs when you start organized, tackle football at the lower levels.

I know no one would consider six-man intramural teams, but we played that in junior high. Everyone can be an active part of the team as even the center can catch passes. Football should be fun and not drudgery at the lower levels. You can get as serious as you want in high school and that's OK with me.

Luke Ricobene

IC Catholic Prep senior quarterback

Personally, I'm not too worried about the future of high school football. I've noticed the decline in numbers at the grammar school level, but I haven't seen it happen at the high school level.

As for the concussion issues, I believe football in general can overcome this problem. New, advanced equipment will be manufactured every year that will limit injuries and convince parents to allow their children to play football.

Football will forever be a popular sport in Illinois. There are too many people, like me, who live for football and love everything about it.

J.R. Niklos

Former NFL fullback, general manager of Midwest Boom Football, co-owner of Acceleration Sports Performance in Naperville and Aurora, Neuqua Valley offensive coordinator

When I was in high school you played football, soccer or cross country in the fall, even if you weren't considered an "athlete." ... There were no online video games, no apps, no DVRs, no Netflix.

The pressure of specialization is weighing on athletes to choose one sport. Spring baseball players now do fall ball, basketball players do open gym, and track sprinters now do cross country. They do this because they feel they will be at a disadvantage to those that do specialize, both in skill and recruiting.

I believe (7-on-7) is the saving grace for football, especially at the youth level. Some parents love football, know their kids love football, but are nervous of what they hear in the news. Seven-on-seven keeps those athletes in the game until they are ready. (It's) incredibly fun, competitive and still works on football skills like passing, catching, running with the ball, guarding and pursuing the ball carrier. It also allows athletes to understand offensive plays, defensive coverages, and basic football terminology without the contact.

Sixth grade was my first year playing tackle football. I played "7v7" since second grade. I still made it to the NFL and I have a lot of friends that did not play tackle until high school.

I have sons (age) 9 and 5 who play "7v7." My game plan for them is for them to play that until I see that they are mature enough to understand how to tackle, engage in contact and take on a hit. I want them have a good strength base so that they can generate force with their hips and not just throw their body leading with their head. When I see those qualities and they are still into football at that time, I will let them play tackle football.

I love what football develops in a person beyond the sport starting with how a group of individuals with one goal can achieve amazing things with sacrifice, focus and discipline. I think the good football brings most certainly outweighs the bad. I also have complete faith in the high school concussion prevention programs and "return to play" protocols in place.

Vittorio Tricase

Glenbard North Class of 2017, University of Chicago freshman running back

I do believe the game is becoming less and less of what we know the game of football to be, due to the inclination of injuries (and) concussions. I know all high schools' numbers have been falling tremendously these last couple years, and I have not thought of a way to get more kids to come out.

Many people see football as a sport of aggression, because men line up across from each other and beat the heck out of each other until the end when one team has 1 more point on the scoreboard. What people don't see or know about football is that it creates a bond between men that is inseparable. One phrase you hear a lot in football is "two teams are going to war" or something along those lines. That is because the bond someone makes with their teammates is just like the bond of brotherhood that men make in the Army.

Illinois football has slowly been adjusted every year (since I) walked in as a (Glenbard North) freshman where we had multiple two-a-days with each practice being 2-3 hours until my senior year where two-a-days were limited and each practice was cut to an hour and a half.

I love the game and hope it stays true to what everyone knows as football, but I see Illinois high school football moving in the direction of touch football (rather) than staying in its place of true tackle football.

Bob McMillen

St. Francis coach, director of Patriots Youth Football in Naperville, Arena League Hall of Fame player and coach

I believe there is a still a very positive future for football at all ages, as long as the game is being properly coached beginning at a young age.

The game has changed over the years with bigger, strong, more physical players. There is a need to focus on safety and improved techniques. Youth and high school kids can continue to learn and improve with revised tackling drills using bags, tackling wheels and safety-focused "Seahawk" tackling drills (a tackler's lead shoulder targets a ball carrier's nearest hip, rather than the head leading in front of the body). Less contact during the week and more emphasis on technique tackling plays a huge role today and I feel this will continue in the future to help avoid unnecessary injuries.

With improved technology, research data and equipment - like new helmets, concussion technology, concussion benchmark testing and additional education on safety - I feel that the appropriate steps are being taken to ensure that all players remain safe on the field.

Dr. Lenard LaBelle

Wheaton Warrenville South team physician, Northwestern Medicine orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine

As players (Zion-Benton Class of 1975), in addition to providing a lot of fun, football has taught valuable life lessons to me and my boys (Michael, Mark, Tom, John). Discipline, toughness, teamwork, strong work ethic, and the ability to overcome adversity are now part of our character.

As a parent, I share the concerns about serious injury that every player faces, and every parent has to decide if they will accept the risks. Players today are stronger, faster and more powerful than in the past. Injury risks get even higher at the collegiate and professional level, and for that reason I did not encourage my sons to play football after high school.

On the sidelines, physicians collaborate with athletic trainers and coaches to provide more prompt injury recognition and initial treatment than was possible in years past. Advanced surgical techniques and rehabilitation provide faster recovery and safer return to play. Our athletic trainers work with our concussion specialists to improve concussion detection and provide better return to play recommendations. (For more information visit rmg.nm.org/sportsmedicine)

Improvements in medical care, equipment, tackling techniques and rules changes are coming together to try to save a game that many of us have loved. While we should never stop trying to make football safer, there is still reason to believe high school football has a better future and that "Friday Night Lights" will continue to shine.

Matt Troha

Assistant executive director, Illinois High School Association

Declining numbers in high school football participation has been a hot topic recently, but the numbers are still incredibly healthy overall, as it remains the largest high school participation sport in the country ... I expect that we are nearing a leveling off point in terms of participation, where we will see smaller spikes up and down from year-to-year, but not as significant of drops. That has forced some schools and conferences to change how they handle football at the lower levels and might eventually make an eight-man football playoff class a reality, but we haven't seen a groundswell of support for that yet. (Five Illinois schools will play eight-man football this season, he said.)

In the micro sense I think you will continue to see rule changes trickle down from the pro and collegiate game (special teams changes with kickoffs and punts are a hot topic right now). At a state level I also anticipate that you could see some provisions that determine the appropriate amount of rest a student-athlete must have after participating in a game or practice, before they participate in their next practice or game.

In a macro sense I believe strongly in the collaborative efforts that have occurred within the high school game to make it safer for student-athletes over the past decade. That evolution was starting to occur naturally when I played (for Dan Sharp at Joliet Catholic) almost 20 years ago ... The precautions many coaches were beginning to take on their own then have simply become mandated now.

Given all the steps that have been made for safety, I think that high school football needs to rebrand itself in some ways and move away from other levels of football. Some of the research coming out now regarding long-term cognitive function for high school football players seems to reiterate the thought that playing four years of high school football is the safest for an athlete's long-term health in the game. With any study you have to acknowledge the era the subjects played in and the overall differences in how the game is played.

However, I feel that the practice restrictions, contact restrictions, return-to-play guidelines, concussion education and training, and all the other things that have been implemented for the safety of the game will be validated in future research. I think we need to do a better job of spreading that word so that high school football is not being judged based on what is or isn't happening at other levels of the game.

Jay Lyons

45-year Illinois High School Association football official

My sense is that we're finding a lot of problems on the officiating side of football. We're not getting as many officials in and I don't think that has anything to do with injuries. We've talked about this for ages - demographically our football officials are seriously graying. We're not getting any new guys in and some of the older guys who are trying to retire are being talked into continuing their careers.

The other thing that we've started seeing, even last year, is some schools that have fielded teams at freshman A, freshman B, sophomore and varsity (levels), now that preliminary game on Friday night sometimes doesn't have enough sophomores. The trend seems to end up being kind of a frosh-soph game instead of a sophomore game. I think what we're going to see is the B teams, the sophomore B games are probably going to have smaller and smaller numbers so what happens is they don't actually have a game like you see from beginning to end. They may play a scrimmage with no kicking game involved and just give kids the opportunity to play a game and go out there and hit somebody.

The rules are becoming stricter and stricter with what is allowed with the targeting rules so the game is getting safer. It used to be a big deal where you have your play on ESPN where you really pop somebody. Now, of course, there's penalties involved but also coaches are teaching kids how to tackle properly and not tackle with your head, not tackle with the crown of the helmet. They're doing a pretty good job of it, as far as I can see.

I think a lot of the fears that parents have are unfounded because the games has gotten safer. If I had a high school-age kid I'd let him play football.

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

Follow Dave on Twitter @doberhelman1

  Quarterback Luke Ricobene, a 2017 football player at IC Catholic Prep, looks downfield to pass the ball. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
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