An Exploratory Investigation Into Youth Tackle Football Safety in Mississippi

Abstract

A football field in the south is a place where young men grow as friends and teammates, but, unfortunately, it is also a very dangerous arena. Players are often concussed, bruised, or have broken bones. These injuries are sometimes shrugged off, but there is increasing evidence that the injuries that young players sustain in their youth will impact their lives in years to come. In this thesis, I examine the current concerns in youth tackle football safety policy and what improvements can be made to the policies that exist. The literature provides evidence of current debate being had over safety; however, I conduct interviews with experts in the field throughout the state of Mississippi in order to better understand the issue as it relates to youth tackle football safety policies. I found that there are various philosophies surrounding the game of football and what to do to make it safer, there is a lack of adequate safety policies and oversight of those policies, and there is inadequate funding for equipment and personnel that help to make the game safer. These inadequacies do have a way to be improved. By using Kraft and Furlong’s Policy Process Model, I present various policy recommendations in order to better the safety of youth tackle football in the state of Mississippi