July 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 51

NRPA Update
Sports and Concussions
By Travis Smith, Ph.D.

ccording to PRORAGIS,
more than 78 percent of
responding agencies managed youth sports leagues in 2013.
This implies that park and recreation
agencies are likely one of the largest
facilitators of youth sports leagues in
the country, and may only be rivaled
by school-administered leagues when
comparing numbers of participants.
The positive impacts of sports on
youth in our country can't be overstated. As President Obama recently
said at the White House Healthy Kids
and Safe Sports Concussions Summit, they're a part of our culture that
provides important lessons for young
people that enable future successes.
However, it's clear that the benefits
of many sports are accompanied by
risks that must be recognized and
addressed to ensure we're protecting
kids as we're teaching them through
sports. As one of the largest providers of team sports opportunities for
kids, park and recreation agencies
must remain abreast of developments
as they relate to sports safety.
One of the most concerning types
of injuries that occur in youth sports
isconcussions. The May White House
event brought together stakeholders
to highlight the need for increased research and education regarding the
best ways to prevent, diagnose and respond to concussions. While the longterm impacts of childhood concussions
currently aren't well understood, one
thing is certain - concussions happen
to at least 160,000 kids per year, and
they don't just happen in football. Kids
who play basketball (~17,400), soccer
(~13,500) and baseball (~6,700) also

suffer concussions at concerning rates
(www.safekids.org). In fact, these numbers almost certainly underestimate
the actual prevalence of sports-related
youth concussions, as they only factor
emergency-room visits and not visits
to urgent- or primary-care providers.
According to the American College of
Sports Medicine, at least 47 states have
current or pending legislation regarding responsibilities of youth league
management as it relates to concussion
education, identification and clearance
for return to play.
While we wait for research to fill the
gaps in our knowledge, the best practice
for park and recreation professionals is
to apply what is known about concus-

sions if yours is one of the almost four
out of five agencies that manage youth
sports leagues. Educate yourself and
your staff using the variety of resources that currently exist. If a concussion
is even suspected during the course of
play or practice, remove the participant
from play, and do not permit participation until evaluation and clearance
from a healthcare provider trained in
evaluation and management of concussions has been obtained. For many
agencies, it may not only be the best
way to protect the kids in your leagues,
it may also be a legal responsibility.
Travis Smith, Ph.D., is NRPA's Director of
Research (tsmith@nrpa.org).

Youth Sports Safety

78 percent
21.5

of PRORAGIS
agencies run youth
sports leagues

million kids participate
in youth sports
annually (source: SFIA)

Approximately

kids visit the ER
annually with
brain injuries

250,000
$25 million
Highest rate of concussions:

Football

Ice Hockey

commitment by the
NFL to study youth
sports safety

Girls soccer

W W W. N R PA . O R G | J U LY 2 0 1 4 |

Parks & Recreation

July 2014 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2014 - Parks & Recreation