Three dead in a week: The tragedy continues in American high school football

On Wednesday this week, a 16-year-old high school student died while playing American football in New York State.

Tom Cutinella died after what was described as “typical contact” with an opponent during a game at Shoreham-Wading River High School.

Astonishingly, his death was the third in a dark week for high school football in the States, after Demario Harris and Isaiah Langston, both 17, died in Alabama and North Carolina respectively last Friday.

When I read about this, I was dismayed that three teenagers could die playing a sport that they loved.

But upon closer examination, I was appalled to discover that on average, 12 kids die each year at high school playing American football.

The statistics are damning. A study conducted by the National Centre for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, Annual Survey of Football Injury Research 1931-2013 showed that in the period between 1960 and 2013, 66 per cent of all deaths directly attributed to American football happened at High School level.

That’s a total of 686 children.

And that’s not all. In the same period, ‘indirect’ football deaths (defined as deaths from over exertion or complications relating from non-fatal injuries) accounted for 502 High School player deaths, also 66 per cent of all fatalities of this manner.

That’s a total of 1,188 deaths of children at school, playing American football, in 53 years.

In 2013, there were 8 deaths attributed to playing American football at all levels. All of them occurred in high school. All 9 of the indirect deaths recorded last year also happened at school – 7 heart related conditions, 1 anaphylactic shock and 1 stoke.

On average, per 100,000 people who play the sport at High School, 0.71 die doing so.

As a huge fan of American football, I was shocked. These are huge numbers, and I couldn’t believe that kids were pushing themselves so hard that they were literally dying to play the sport.

Depressingly, this high death-rate is replicated in the rates of serious, catastrophic injuries in other similar contact sports around the world.

The RFU-funded Catastrophic Injuries in rugby union – An assessment of the Risk by Dr Colin Fuller, contains some statistics from other sports.

Catastrophic in this instance is defined as “fatalities and brain/spinal cord injuries that result in permanent significant neurological deficits.”

Sport Location Incidence of Injury (per 100,000 people)*
Rugby union England (1956-2002) 0.84
Rugby union Australia (1976-2002) 4.40
Rugby union NZ (1976-2005) 4.20
Rugby union USA (1970-1996) 3.30
Rugby league Australia (1984-2002) 1.90
Australian Rules Australia (1986-2003) 0.43
American Football – High School USA (1982-1997) 0.98
American Football – College USA (1982-1997) 2.10

According to these statistics, American Football is not even the most dangerous sport.

So what do these three deaths mean? And more importantly, what can be done?

It will certainly draw focus back onto the safety of contact sports for athletes both young and old.

There are plenty of people with a lot more information and know-how than me debating what can be done to avoid these shocking, freak events. A simple internet search shows the level of research into making the sport safer.

At high school level, contact sport can be inherently risky due to the potentially different stages in physical development of the players. In Scotland recently, the first XV rugby team of Glenalmond College were withdrawn from playing two matches last season due to mismatches in physique – a move that was widely praised by parents.

Perhaps this is an option in America too – although it would take a brave decision to abandon matches or tell kids not to play based on their physique, when sport is an activity that should be practiced by all.

The superintendant of Shoreham-Wading River High School, Steve Cohen said that an investigation would be held, including a review of the team’s protective equipment.

Perhaps the fact that so much padding is worn gives the players a false sense of security? Spear tackling, when players tackle using their helmet as a battering ram, has been outlawed in high school and college football since 1976, but it’s still all too easy to get into the wrong position when making a tackle.

However, adding protection has helped reduce injuries in other sports, such as hurling, where helmets have reduced head injuries tenfold since becoming mandatory.

No matter what is done, the instances of these injuries needs to be reduced. Any death on a football field is a tragedy. Twelve per year at high school is simply too many.