Pop Warner participation drops

They were starting to teach the heads up thing when I played. I know then at least it was more directed at neck injuries (I don't even remember concussions being on anyone's radar in the early 90s).

I really think one big thing, in addition to a helmet technology breakthrough, is how much hitting is done. Obviously a lot may have changed since I played, but I'm guessing Pop Warner and high school teams still go full throttle in practice quite often. Man, our practices were scary in how intense they were and the violence of the hitting. Way more so than games. To an extent it helped me get over anxieties (if I could live through that, I could live through a lot), but there is no way that's healthy to do that day in and day out.

 

Another thing to consider of most the sports I don't think football is one that you need to play from age 6 to be good or even great at it down the road. As I said I didn't play organized football until high school, andI'm not the most gifted athletically or blessed with size, and I more than held my own at a perennial playoff qualifier in the state's largest classification. There was one future NFLer on my team and regularly played against at least three others and I never felt that behind any of them.

 

One of the towns that I cover has always had a very strong Pop Warner program. It was considered the model for others towns.
It still has good numbers at the younger levels, with two teams at the D level, but its A team only had 15 kids and had to forfeit every game. It played every game and won more than it lost, but each game still went into the books as a forfeit.
One of the league organizers told me the concerns about concussions was one factor. Another was that there are more Asian people in the community and they don't play football as much.

 

Certainly, there are kids being held out because of concussion fears, and no doubt, if a parents is holding out a kid at early ages, that kid might decide on his own later he's not interested in the game. But those numbers aren't all about concussions. In a lot of areas, the reflected glory of being on the football team just isn't there anymore. Why practice every day for months, getting your ass beat, just to stand on the sideline on Fridays or Saturdays? Especially if there are a lot of other sports and activities to choose from?

On top of that, if you're already playing year-round travel baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball or whatever at the age of 8, who the hell has time for football?