By: Dianne Marie Normand Hartley, chief editor, US Healthcare Journals
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA), which oversees high school sports across the state, is facing growing scrutiny after refusing to disclose concussion and brain injury statistics for public school football players. This lack of transparency has raised concerns about the safety of a sport known to cause both short-term and long-term brain damage. Despite overseeing sports for public schools, the LHSAA is a private organization with no public oversight, leaving critical data on player health hidden from view.
Private Organization, Public Schools:
The LHSAA governs athletics for more than 80% of Louisiana's public high schools, making decisions that directly affect thousands of student-athletes. Despite its critical role, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the LHSAA is a private entity—not subject to public records laws. This means the LHSAA can legally refuse to provide the public with important data, including concussion rates and the impact of mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) on players.
In football, concussions are just the tip of the iceberg. Sub-concussive hits—blows to the head that do not cause immediate symptoms—are increasingly recognized as contributing to long-term brain damage, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease that leads to memory loss, depression, and dementia. The LHSAA’s refusal to release concussion and TBI data on public school athletes shields it from accountability at a time when the dangers of football to brain health are becoming more widely understood.
A Dangerous Game with No Accountability:
Football is a high-risk sport for brain injuries, with growing evidence linking repeated head trauma to both short-term impairments and long-term neurodegenerative diseases. Concussions have immediate effects, such as headaches, dizziness, and confusion, but the repeated sub-concussive hits that occur in practices and games may have even more devastating consequences. Recent studies have found that these repeated impacts, even when they do not cause immediate symptoms, contribute to lasting damage to white matter in the brain—the network of fibers that connect different brain regions and are crucial for communication between neurons.
One recent study on high school football players revealed white matter changes after just one season of play, even in athletes who did not suffer diagnosed concussions. This underscores the danger not just of singular concussive blows, but of repetitive, sub-concussive hits that go undetected but can still lead to significant brain changes over time.
Public Health Crisis Hidden Behind Closed Doors:
While brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases like CTE have been documented extensively in professional athletes, research is now showing that the risk begins much earlier—in high school football players. Without access to data on how many Louisiana students have suffered concussions or sub-concussive brain injuries, families and educators cannot fully grasp the scope of the problem.
The LHSAA, by refusing to disclose these statistics, is effectively participating in a cover-up of a growing public health issue. In refusing to release data, the association hides the potential harm being done to Louisiana’s student-athletes, many of whom go on to experience lingering brain damage from repeated head trauma.
Recent research has shown that even mild TBIs and repeated sub-concussive impacts can lead to short-term cognitive deficits as well as long-term neurodegenerative effects. In high school players, changes to white matter in the brain have been observed after a single season of play. These changes are associated with cognitive and emotional difficulties that could worsen over time. Without oversight, the LHSAA can continue operating without accountability, shielding itself from the responsibility of addressing this growing health crisis.
Football's Lasting Impact: From Concussions to CTE:
Football’s long-term effects on brain health are now well understood, with evidence showing that repetitive brain trauma can lead to CTE, a condition that can only be diagnosed posthumously. But it’s not just professional players at risk. A growing body of research suggests that even teen athletes are at risk of CTE and other forms of neurodegeneration after years of repetitive impacts during high school and college football.
The short-term effects of concussions—such as mild TBIs—are well-documented, including confusion, headaches, and cognitive impairment. However, what remains hidden in Louisiana is how these impacts accumulate over time, leading to chronic brain injury. The refusal of the LHSAA to release concussion data exacerbates this problem, as parents and players are unable to make informed decisions about their participation in a sport that could impact their long-term brain health.
The Cost of Secrecy: Hidden Health Data in Public School Athletics:
The LHSAA’s refusal to share this vital health information is not just about player safety—it’s about transparency and accountability. Football is played in public schools with public funding, but the private organization overseeing these games operates in secret. Meanwhile, evidence of white matter brain changes in young football players continues to mount, highlighting the dangers of the game for young athletes.
According to a JAMA Report published in Healthcare Journal of New Orleans even after one season, high school players can experience white matter changes in their brains. These findings show the urgent need for more public access to data and better oversight of high school sports. By hiding this information, the LHSAA denies parents, players, and educators the chance to address a growing health concern affecting Louisiana’s youth.
In Louisiana, the sport of football is as much a part of the state’s culture as its food and music. But as the LHSAA withholds data on brain injuries, it becomes clear that the cost of secrecy is too high. Public school parents, whose children play under the LHSAA's rules, deserve access to this critical health data to protect their children from long-term damage. It’s time for the state to demand public oversight of high school athletics, ensuring that transparency is prioritized over privacy for the sake of young athletes’ safety.
In an era where CTE and brain injuries are better understood than ever, we cannot continue to allow a private organization to operate without accountability in matters of public health. Educators and the public should be demanding answers.
© 2024 US Healthcare Journals. Printed with permission. https://www.ushealthcarejournals.com