A bill to ban tackle football for kids cleared its first hurdle in California last week, as it passed out of committee 5-2 and will now head to the full Assembly.
State Rep. Kevin McCarty, a Democrat, introduced the measure last year, which requires children be at least 12 years old to play tackle football. He argues the legislation would protect youth from brain damage associated with injuries in the sport and has instead pushed flag football as a safer alternative.
“Flag football is an alternative that is safer for youth and can still give them the opportunity to learn the skills to be successful at tackle football later in life,” McCarty said at the time. “The 2023 NFL Pro Bowl was a flag football game for the safety of the players. Why can’t we have that for our youth? AB 734 will help protect kids and nurture their brain development, and not put them in a situation that’s proven to cause irreparable harm.”
Though a similar effort failed in 2018, California already has some regulations in place surrounding tackle football.
California law already bans full-contact practices for high school and youth football teams during the offseason and limits them to two practices per week during the preseason and regular season. A law that took effect in 2021 also requires youth football officials to complete concussion and head injury education in addition to other safeguards. (AP)
The bill has plenty of critics.
Ron White, president of the California Youth Football Alliance, said the measure is misguided and discriminatory because if passed, it will greatly impact underserved communities. White also said the science on CTE is constantly evolving.
“There is not medical consensus in this area, far from it,” White said. “So, when you’re informing public policy, we believe that the (legislative) body should really take that into consideration and know there’s competing science and work with the people, not against them.”
Tyrone Jones coaches youth and high school football in the Bay Area and he’s not a fan of the proposed state bill.
“I think it’s a move in the wrong direction," he said. "We would lose the far, greater benefits that football provides to a limited risk, to injury," he said. (AP)
Ashley Bertram, a mother of three boys, criticized the logic of the bill in the pro-choice state.
“In the state of California, I get to choose whether my child lives or dies in my womb. But I can’t decide what sport he plays?” she said at the hearing.
Lawmakers only have until the end of January to approve the legislation.