Louisiana ranks second to last in the U.S. in sports participation rates for girls (39%), behind only Mississippi, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health. Far more Louisiana boys (55%) participate in sports. A similar gender gap exists in Baton Rouge.
Baton Rouge youth are socially isolated and struggling with mental health
Transportation is limited for children in Baton Rouge to access sports
East Baton Rouge Parish Schools offers magnet programs to retain students, but that has consequences for extracurricular activities: Thousands of students don’t attend schools near their homes and are transported right after school back to their homes. For many children, their only way home is the school bus, which can be a long ride across the parish.
How sport activities can help mental health struggles
Kansas City takes steps to serve youth with disabilities through sports, but opportunity gaps remain
Ohio State AD: Eliminate tackle football for kids until age 13
Tackle football becomes embedded culturally with many children in the Central Ohio region at young ages. They practice and play during the week – it’s not hard to find tackle leagues as young as kindergarten – and then join their parents to watch the pageantry of major college football on fall Saturdays at Ohio State University.
But if Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith had his way, football would dramatically shift to flag as the only option until age 13, in order to protect children from brain injuries.