Recently, the Boston Brain Bank completed a study that showed 110 out of 111 NFL players had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) issues with their brain.
This cause for concern has filtered all the way down to the junior football league in Marysville as the numbers are currently down 100 players signing up to play tackle football.
Last week, Marysville Schools announced it is delaying the $8.9M football stadium and track project by a year to get the funding in order. We see this as a good move on many different levels.
First, because the fundraising atmosphere is pretty crowded right now as many local dollars are being sought and have been committed to other drives, especially the Memorial Hospital campaign.
Second, because there is a new high school football head coach and despite what some think, it will take time for him to get his feet on the ground. The Journal-Tribune was the first to suggest that it could take him three to five years to develop his program, so having a new facility without a proven product doesn’t make sense.
Third, and most important, is the decrease in the number of youngsters participating. If the program is down 100 tackle football players today, where will the numbers be in three to five years?
The ground swell has happened. Parents are asking more questions about their child’s safety, realizing the choices made early in life can have ramifications down the road. Parents also know there are many other choices that can be made these days to keep their children active without the risk of serious head injuries.
We agree with the school for hitting the pause button. We think that while looking at these factors, the school might decide to not only delay the project timeline but also look to have a plan B. That secondary plan could be to just spend the $4.5M already in the bank to build the high school track and the Bunsold football field that were acknowledged as needs for the district. It would help school officials to be smarter with their dollars and allow them to see what the future holds before they take on a bigger project that may not fit the community need or have the numbers to justify it down the road.