Krown Countdown U: Concussions and Youth Football

By: Ameeta Vohra

With the recent stories linking Chronic Traumatic Encephalpathy (CTE) and professional football, a leading researcher has refuted the claims.

In an interview with Jim Mullin on the first episode of Krown Countdown U, Dr. Uzma Samadani, a concussion specialist and cranial surgeon from the University of Minnesota said there is research that indicates no correlation between youth football and brain injuries.

Three specific studies demonstrate the findings. Two of those studies followed Minnesota children for 50 years while the third focused on a comparison between varsity football players and less contact sport players.

“If you look at the literature surrounding youth sports and concussions, what you will find is that a number of papers have shown that there is no increased risk for dementia in the long term in children that play football at the high school level,” elaborated Samadani. “Children who played football were not at increased risks for dementia, or Alzheimers or Parkinson’s disease than other children who participated in group sports such as the glee club or the band.”

With the findings, Samadani offers that children and parents should focus on the positives of playing the sport.

“It’s great to see our children participating in sports, interacting with other children and developing from a cognitive and a psyho-social aspect,” she expressed.

For the full interview, watch the first episode of Krown Countdown U. Tune into Krown Counrtown U weekly on CHCH on Thursdays at 11:30pm EST and Saturdays at 1:00pm EST. The episodes are also available on 3 Down Nation every Wednesday.