New rules for youth sports were recently introduced with the goal of mandating rest and reducing injuries.
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association has approved rules that limit pitch counts for modified, freshman, junior varsity, and varsity athletes. U.S.A. Football, the national governing body for amateur football, created a new format called "modified tackle" that reduces tackling and pileups. This comes after declining participation among young athletes, whose parents think the game is not safe for children.
Are the new rules realistic? Do they go far enough? We discuss these questions with student athletes and members of the medical community. Our guests:
- Dr. Michael Maloney, M.D., chief of sports medicine and professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at UR Medicine
- Dr. Gregg Nicandri, M.D., sports medicine physician and associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at UR Medicine
- Caleb Punter, member of the Webster Schrader baseball team
- Ashton Fantigrassi, member of the Webster Thomas football team
