By John Stump
Dear Honorable School Board and Superintendent of Schools,
The Board of Trustees is beginning the processes for preparation and funding of the upcoming Fiscal Year 2018-19 Budget. I am requesting that your deliberations include a report of the revenues and expenses associated with promoting and subsidizing the injury and brain concussion prone NFL style football as an academic sport at City of San Diego schools. I request that the Board request a report which identifies all of the expenses associated with football, including but not limited to coaching, uniforms, facilities, workers compensation claims, and claims associated with students’ and the public’s participation in this sport. Analysis must consider both costs and revenues to determine the benefits of any budget item.
(Source: frankieleon/Flickr/CC-BY-2.0)
The Sunday, November 26, 2017, Union-Tribune contained two articles here and here that raised concerns regarding football as an academic sport. These articles raise serious questions about the appropriateness of football. Why would TEACHERS promote this sport in academics?
CSPAN recently broadcast hearings on Traumatic Brain Injuries in Sports. House Democratic members of the Energy and Commerce and Judiciary committees hosted a forum to discuss traumatic brain injuries. Doctors and brain injury specialists testified on the latest research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE. Former NFL players and family members also testified about their experiences and health challenges since their time playing football and shared their observations about what the NFL and private youth football organizations are doing–or not doing–to address player safety.
Please end the subsidies for this costly injury and brain concussion prone sport. Please invest in educational activities that minimize injuries and brain concussions. Please consider the substitution of soccer for football.
John Stump is a long-term City Heights resident, his Azaela Park home is under the big tree at 3 LEAF. He has been an active environmentalist for more than 50 years and past Chairman of the San Diego Sierra Club. He is an attorney and has served the City of San Diego as Chairman of its Equal Opportunity Commission under several mayors. John was chairman of the City Heights Community Development Corporation board of directors during its advocacy for covering the 15 Freeway and the addition of City Heights schools and bike paths. He is a past California Bar Commissioner for legal services. His email is mrjohnstump@cox.net
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Too bad football in America can’t be replaced by rugby.
not to mention the huge and dubious cost of replacing natural grass with artificial turf, a known carcinogenic product made from uncontrolled recycled rubber products, including old tires, to provide extra income for the schools for renting out of these toxic fields to other groups because of the “extended playability” of this toxic product, toxic, I’ll say it again, toxic