In the latest issue of Notre Dame Magazine, author Matt Storin summarizes the current research on concussions and football, expressing an understandable uneasiness that comes with being a football fan today:
I am, like many who read this magazine, a fan of Notre Dame football and also football in general. (Dr. McKee is also a football fan, having spent her undergraduate years as a Wisconsin Badger.) A Notre Dame graduate and, in 1963, a head football manager, I’ve also been a staffer and faculty member. But being a Notre Dame alum perhaps means you never drift too far from underlying moral issues. And that’s part of the problem facing collegiate football today.
Which leads me to wonder: What should be the position of a Catholic high school or university today on the sport of football? What do readers think? I know that many schools are working through this issue, trying to decide whether the health risks outweigh the benefits. I've talked to new parents who have decided not to let their sons play football, citing the data that's emerging about football and head trauma.