America’s most popular game might actually turn out to be the most dangerous game. Over the decades, Football is one of the most competitive sports that require, hard work and dedication like any other sport, but are the hard blows and constant injuries too much? On average, a high school student may take 200 out of 1,800 blows in each season. “Clinicians would say that if you don’t have any concussion symptoms, you have no problems. However, we are finding that there is actually a lot of change, even when you don’t have symptoms,” said Larry Leverenz, clinical professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology director of Athletic Training Education. As stated by PBS, 101 of 128 professional and semi-professional (high school and college football players) tested positive for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after their deaths. When asked if football programs were cut at Joliet West, sophomore Vyanet Arias said, “It would bring down the school spirit, because people look forward to attending the football games to watch their team play, to spread positivity, and it also brings the Joliet West community together.” Agreeing with that statement JV football player Jonathan Pullen also said, “I would be highly upset because, football has been a sport I’ve loved and have been accustomed to my entire life, Id fight for it.” With countless amount of concussions, and severe injuries, that often result in death, some schools in the U.S. have decided to pull the plug for school football programs and replace America’s favorite sport.

According to RT Question More an online news source, there were three reported deaths in the month of September 2015 alone, including quarterback Evan Murray from Warren Hills Regional High School in New Jersey, Tyrell Cameron a sophomore who went to Franklin Parrish High School in Louisiana, and the 16-year- old linebacker Ben Hamm, from Wesleyan Christian High School in Oklahoma.

In this season, three U.S. schools have made the decision to cut their football programs, starting with Camden Hills Regional High School, who sacked their football team after four players were injured in one of their last games on September 24. “This was a difficult decision because so many people, especially the Five Town Football community, worked extremely hard to bring football to our school,” Camden Hills High School Principal continued. “Unfortunately, dwindling numbers of players have created a serious safety issue, and we are simply not willing to put any more students at risk.” Maplewood Richmond High School, located in New Jersey also scrapped their team to replace the football program and glorify soccer in their 2015 Homecoming game, according to The New York Times. “I was very concerned about the number of injuries I saw our student athletes were suffering,” said Nelson Mitten, Maplewood Richmond High School’s president. “I didn’t think there was any need for them to be doing that if that’s what was going to be the result.”

In order to maintain Joliet West’s football program, activity and athletic director Steven Millsaps has taken careful precautions in order to keep our football athletes safe on the football field. “We follow IHSA and NFHS safety guidelines, policies, and procedures in all of our athletic programs. All JWHS coaches are CPR/AED certified.” That being said, Joliet West has always been concerned about the safeness of our football players while on the field. But, if these matters persist in the U.S., the Joliet community may wonder what will be in store for Joliet Township’s football program in the future?