Highschool football is a tradition that has been around for ages, and a tradition that should remain for ages to come as well. Football brings communities and teams together like no other sport. Although coming with its downsides, as does any sport, the traditions , lessons, and sense of community that sparks from football should outweigh everything else.
Football comes with high injury rates, and truthfully, there is no way of trying to hide that. But with the right personnel and protocols being implemented in schools throughout the country, there are ways to prevent the severity of these injuries. According to Boston Sports & Biologists: “Return-to-play guidelines are a gradual process to ensure the athletes safe return to activity…The athlete should return to play only when clearance is granted by a health care professional”. Since injuries are pretty much inevitable, the recovery and return-to-play processes are precise and safe. Injured athletes are able to be treated right away due to the professional athletic trainers being right on site, or quite literally right on the sidelines. Dr. Mark Halstead, a sports medicine physician at Washington University agrees that there are clear steps schools can take in order to reduce the risk of concussions. Key staff members have been taught to work with licensed athletic trainers on site and develop emergency action plans. Ambulances and certified EMS volunteers are present the entire game as well.
Additionally, football has lots of benefits for the players themselves: it allows for valuable learning lessons such as teamwork, discipline, and perseverance. Players need to know how to communicate effectively and trust their teammates. CHS News states: “Football at the high school level plays quite a large role in shaping the lives of young adults, helping them develop critical life skills and building lasting memories”. They learn to set goals for the better of the team, rather than just themselves; learning the value of social and leadership skills in various areas of life.
Coming from a high school cheerleader, I can assure you that football has so much more meaning behind it than the sport itself. Not only do football teams bond, but the teams surrounding it do as well. Marching band, color guard, cheerleaders are all brought together on Friday nights. Bringing communities together, Friday nights are a space to make memories that will last a lifetime. Friday night football is an excuse for everyone to hangout together and to enjoy the late summer/early fall evening weather. As a cheerleader, my favorite high school memories come from football games. Cheering on the team and hyping up the crowd allowed me to feel connected with everyone, giving me a sense of kinship like no other.
