Wisconsin Republicans are at it again, and this time they are looking to strip protections for child athletes. The original bill to strengthen existing laws was passed by the Assembly this past fall, and now an amendment to the bill being circulated in the State Senate seeks to dramatically weaken it. It appears there is no limit to the lunacy of Senate Republicans in Wisconsin, yet not one of the Senators had the balls (or uterus) to own up to the amendment.
The original bill laid out guidelines on how to educate coaches, players, and parents about concussions, as well as how to deal with a concussed athlete after the fact. The original bill required the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) to develop the guidelines and standards. Those guidelines were to then be distributed among those involved in coaching, those participating in the activity, and any applicable guardian or parent so anybody involved understood the effects of concussions on juvenile athletes.
The original bill also called for removing a player from the activity if he/she is known or suspected to have a concussion. Returning to the activity is then contingent upon approval from a health care provider. Needless to say, the original bill was not all that comprehensive, or impressive.
Now, the new amendment to the bill from the Senate changes the language dramatically. The definition of athletic activity has been changed, making the new definition ambiguous and open to interpretation. Critics claim that the bill removes protections from those activities that are not sanctioned by Government entities (I.e. Pop Warner, or private youth hockey programs).
The amendment also instructs school boards to adopt educational guidelines for concussions, rather than having a standard guideline from the DPI and WIAA. This could mean that standards would vary from town to town, and there would be no uniformity. Also, the provision requiring that players be removed from a game after becoming or being suspected of being concussed has been removed. Instead, the language requires the school boards to adopt their own policy for dealing with concussed athletes after their injury.
In Wisconsin, especially in small towns, we love football. Friday night in a small town during the fall means its football night. So what’s going to happen when pressure is put on a coach, or school board member, or player for that matter, and they are forced to play with a concussion? I can’t help but think of the movie “Varsity Blues” where James Van Der Beek walks in and sees his friend getting injected with cortizone.
While I realize that was just a movie, the situation displayed translates to the real world. These things do happen. Those in search of glory via their child or the team they coach are often blinded by the desire to win at all costs. I, for one, would rather sacrifice a state championship if it ensured the safety of my players. Not Wisconsin Republicans though I guess.
Frankly, I can’t believe anybody would want to weaken the original bill. The original wasn’t that great in the first place! I don’t understand why there is not a requirement for a certain number of instructed hours from a medical professional. Coaches are supposed to be the first line of defense in player safety, and that responsibility should be bolstered by education. I doubt a coach would scoff at the idea of watching game tape to study an opponent, so why can’t they study some medical video and learn how to prevent injuries to their players?