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From the untimely deaths of young athletes to chronic disease among retired players, roiling debates over tackle football have profound implications for more than one million American boys-some as young as five years old-who play the sport every year. In this book, Kathleen Bachynski offers the first history of youth tackle football and debates over its safety. In the postwar United States, high school football was celebrated as a \"moral\" sport for young boys, one that promised and celebrated the creation of the honorable male citizen. Even so, Bachynski shows that throughout the twentieth century, coaches, sports equipment manufacturers, and even doctors were more concerned with \"saving the game\" than young boys' safety-even though injuries ranged from concussions and broken bones to paralysis and death. By exploring sport, masculinity, and citizenship, Bachynski uncovers the cultural priorities other than child health that made a collision sport the most popular high school game for American boys. These deep-rooted beliefs continue to shape the safety debate and the possible future of youth tackle football.

A timely look at the ethical, legal, and policy issues surrounding brain injury and collision sports. American tackle football is an industry like any other. And like many industries, it sells a product that is dangerous to those who use it—or, in this case, those who play it. In Tackle Football and Traumatic Brain Injuries, Daniel S. Goldberg explores the connections among traumatic brain injury, collision sports, and the industry's continuing efforts to manufacture doubt. Focusing especially on youths and adolescents—the most vulnerable population that comprises over 99% of tackle football players in the US—Goldberg addresses the ethical and social implications of their participation in tackle football. Goldberg discusses the true scope of the danger and the costs to society and individuals of caring for injured participants. If these risks were to become widespread public knowledge, the profitability and perhaps even the viability of American football would be at risk. As the tackle football industry has consistently worked to mask the health hazards involved in playing football, it has used a particular tool that has proved highly effective in achieving this subterfuge: the manufacture of doubt. Goldberg advocates for using public health laws as a tool for countering these efforts at obfuscation, and he outlines specific policy proposals intended to address the population health and ethical problems presented by tackle football. The book draws on public health ethics, public health law, and the histories of occupational and public health to assess the limits of parental choice to expose their children to risks of injury. Should kids play tackle football at all—and who decides if they should? Goldberg offers practical answers to these critical legal, ethical, and social questions. Chris Nowinski, former Harvard football player and WWE wrestler, provides a timely and insider's perspective on these critical issues in the foreword.

In collision sports, the tackle has the highest injury incidence, and is key to a successful performance. Although the contact load of players has been measured using microtechnology, this has not been related to tackle technique. The aim of this study was to explore how PlayerLoad[TM] changes between different levels of tackling technique during a simulated tackle. Nineteen rugby union players performed twelve tackles on a tackle contact simulator (n = 228 tackles). Each tackle was recorded with a video-camera and each player wore a Catapult OptimEyeS5. Tackles were analysed using tackler proficiency criteria and split into three categories: Low scoring([less than or equal to]5 Arbitrary units (AU), medium scoring(6 and 7AU) and high scoring tackles([greater than or equal to]8AU). High scoring tackles recorded a higher PlayerLoad[TM] at tackle completion. The PlayerLoad[TM] trace was also less variable in the high scoring tackles. The variability in the PlayerLoad[TM] trace may be a consequence of players not shortening their steps before contact. This reduced their ability to control their movement during the contact and post-contact phase of the tackle and increased the variability. Using the PlayerLoad[TM] trace in conjunction with subjective technique assessments offers coaches and practitioners insight into the physical-technical relationship of each tackle to optimise tackle skill training and match preparation.

In collision sports, the tackle has the highest injury incidence, and is key to a successful performance. Although the contact load of players has been measured using microtechnology, this has not been related to tackle technique. The aim of this study was to explore how PlayerLoad™ changes between different levels of tackling technique during a simulated tackle. Nineteen rugby union players performed twelve tackles on a tackle contact simulator (n = 228 tackles). Each tackle was recorded with a video-camera and each player wore a Catapult OptimEyeS5. Tackles were analysed using tackler proficiency criteria and split into three categories: Low scoring(≤5 Arbitrary units (AU), medium scoring(6 and 7AU) and high scoring tackles(≥8AU). High scoring tackles recorded a higher PlayerLoad™ at tackle completion. The PlayerLoad™ trace was also less variable in the high scoring tackles. The variability in the PlayerLoad™ trace may be a consequence of players not shortening their steps before contact. This reduced their ability to control their movement during the contact and post-contact phase of the tackle and increased the variability. Using the PlayerLoad™ trace in conjunction with subjective technique assessments offers coaches and practitioners insight into the physical-technical relationship of each tackle to optimise tackle skill training and match preparation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 12% carbohydrate (CHO) beverage on tackling technique and running performance during rugby league activity. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised, crossover design, 15 academy rugby league players ingested a 250 ml bolus of a 12% CHO solution (30 g maltodextrin and 30 g sucrose in 500 ml) 15 minutes before two bouts of rugby activity. The rugby league match simulation for interchange players was used to standardise the movement patterns of activity and provide reliable outcome measures, whilst also reflecting the duration of a typical field-based conditioning session. Measures of tackling technique, external responses (e.g., fatigue index from sprint data) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded throughout. Gut discomfort was measured before each bout. The interaction effect was largely compatible with the hypothesis for relative distance ( P <0.001, η 2 = 0.217) and fairly compatible for tackling technique ( P = 0.068, η 2 = 0.0640). The time effect for tackling technique, relative and high-intensity distance, sprint, and sprint to contact velocity, time at high metabolic power, PlayerLoad™, and RPE (all P <0.05; η 2 = 0.131–0.701) was compatible with the hypothesis. Data for tackling technique, relative and high-intensity distance, sprint, and sprint to contact velocity, sprint, and sprint to contact fatigue index (all P <0.05; η 2 = 0.189–0.612) was compatible with a supplement effect overall despite few differences in the pattern of change (interaction). Minimal gut discomfort was reported for the CHO (bout 1 = 27 ± 17; bout 2 = 23 ± 17 AU) and placebo (bout 1 = 23 ± 18 AU; bout 2 = 24 ± 13) trials. This study shows that a 12% CHO beverage before two bouts of standardised rugby activity is a practical and effective strategy for retaining tackling technique, increasing external responses, and reducing RPE without compromising gut comfort.

Recent interest in the study of concussion and other neurological injuries has heightened awareness of the medical implications of American tackle football injuries amongst the public. Using the National Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) and the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), the largest publicly available all-payer emergency department and inpatient healthcare databases in the United States, we sought to describe the impact of tackle football injuries on the American healthcare system by delineating injuries, specifically neurological in nature, suffered as a consequence of tackle football between 2010 and 2013. The NEDS and NIS databases were queried to collect data on all patients presented to the emergency department (ED) and/or were admitted to hospitals with an ICD code for injuries related to American tackle football between the years 2010 and 2013. Subsequently those with football-related neurological injuries were abstracted using ICD codes for concussion, skull/face injury, intracranial injury, spine injury, and spinal cord injury (SCI). Patient demographics, length of hospital stay (LOS), cost and charge data, neurosurgical interventions, hospital type, and disposition were collected and analyzed. A total of 819,000 patients presented to EDs for evaluation of injuries secondary to American tackle football between 2010 and 2013, with 1.13% having injuries requiring inpatient admission (average length of stay 2.4 days). 80.4% of the ED visits were from the pediatric population. Of note, a statistically significant increase in the number of pediatric concussions over time was demonstrated (OR = 1.1, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.2). Patients were more likely to be admitted to trauma centers, teaching hospitals, the south or west regions, or with private insurance. There were 471 spinal cord injuries and 1,908 total spine injuries. Ten patients died during the study time period. The combined ED and inpatient charges were $1.35 billion. Injuries related to tackle football are a frequent cause of emergency room visits, specifically in the pediatric population, but severe acute trauma requiring inpatient admission or operative interventions are rare. Continued investigation in the long-term health impact of football related concussion and other repetitive lower impact trauma is warranted.

We exploit relatively new data collected by the NFL, since 2009, on the number of hits taken by a team’s quarterback to estimate the benefits and costs of employing an elite left tackle. We model the effect of an elite left tackle using a system of equations, which is estimated with seemingly unrelated regressions. Our system of equations considers quarterback hits, yards gained, and the probability of a quarterback injury. Overall, an All-Pro left tackle increases offensive production by 106 yards, or 8.5 points, and reduces the probability a team’s quarterback misses a game due to injury by 10.3 percentage points. However, the estimated compensation premium for elite left tackles is$1,151,000 to $ 1,528,000. Furthermore, the cost of an elite left tackle is far greater than the cost associated with an equal increase in points scored acquired through the running back market. Taken together; our results suggest elite left tackles are valued far above their expected contribution to offensive production due to the very large reduction in quarterback injury risk.

Background. The tackle is an important component of rugby union. The tackle situation carries the  highest risk for injury for both the ball carrier and tackler. Little is known about the epidemiology of tackle injuries in koshuis rugby players.Objectives. To (i) calculate the tackle-related injury rate, (ii) determine if the tackler or ball carrier is more susceptible to injury, and (iii) determine the most common location and type of injury during tackles.Methods. Data were collected by means of injury report forms from the medical centre during koshuis matches of 2012 and 2013. All data collected were captured into an online database. Only data related to tackle injuries were evaluated for this retrospective, descriptive epidemiological study.Results. The tackle led to 61% of all injuries (11.4 injuries/1 000 playing hours). The tackler sustained 23% more injuries than the ball carrier. Injuries to the face (3.1 injuries/1 000 playing hours, 95%  confidence interval (CI) 2.8 - 3.3) were most prevalent. The most common type of injury was lacerations (3.4 injuries/1 000 playing hours, 95% CI 3.2 - 3.7).Conclusion. The tackle contributed to 61% of all injuries, making it the most dangerous phase of play. The tackler is more at risk than the ball carrier, especially for injuries to the face, with lacerations having the highest prevalence. For the ball carrier the location of the most injuries was the head, although joint sprains were the most common type of injury for the ball carrier.