Searching for Common Ground: High School Football’s Risks and Rewards (Opinion)

Pedro Noguera and I have a podcast called Common Ground: Conversations on Schooling. Pedro and Pedro discuss the safety concerns of high school football and its value for student athletes.

Pedro is concerned about the amount of resources spent on football teams and sports. He was an athlete in school and college and he still watches sports on TV. Pedro believes that football should be played more like rugby. Rick is also concerned with the safety of football. Rick and Pedro discuss the 7-on-7 football and the physicality of the game. They also discuss rugby and its safety. The sport is still very physical but not deadly. It's also a source of discipline and formative experience. In New Zealand, athletes are required to perform community service. There are fewer head injuries than in the U.S.