Research has reaffirmed that head injuries suffered in high-contact sports like football and hockey can lead to brain damage later in life. Knowing this, some high-school athletes and coaches are now weighing the risks and rewards of playing the games.
Dennis Frenkel, who played for several years with the Cougars youth hockey club in Cupertino, had to give up the game after suffering a series of concussions. After his most recent injury, “I was at home for two weeks because it was so severe. I quite literally couldn’t do anything.”
Frenkel, a junior at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, said his head “hurt like crazy, no matter the amount of medication I took for it. It did nothing to me, and then I also threw up twice, and then that’s when my mom was like, ‘It’s time to get out.’”
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, has become a well-known malady among professional football players. A recent study found that of 338 donated brains from deceased former NFL players, over 90% showed symptoms of CTE.
Since the condition can be diagnosed only after death, the incidence among younger athletes has not been firmly established. Nevertheless, many involved in prep sports are aware of the risks.
“In our age range … there have been significant measures in ensuring that athletes are noticing their symptoms early to prevent severe consequences or conditions,” said Arthur Tsagaan, a third-year football player at Gunn High School in Palo Alto.
“A lot of people think of severe symptoms that can correlate with CTE, but a lot of the symptoms can resemble those that you would see in common mental health disorders such as irritability, mood changes, anger, suicidal thoughts.”
Dan Calcagno, football coach at California High School in San Ramon, said he’s seen the sport change over almost 35 years of coaching in Bay Area high schools. He now limits player contact in practices during the week.
“We talk about it before the season,” he said. If a player does get his “bell rung,” he said, “there are (diagnostic) sequences that we go through … and then we ultimately leave it up to them, their parents or the trainer. I want no part of diagnosing a concussion.”
Tsagaan says he doesn’t worry about getting CTE. “High school-level hits are not as fast compared to in the NFL and college teams, which accumulate over time.”
Others are less sure. Calcagno says concerns about long-term effects beginning with high school injuries have resulted in fewer students playing the game. “A couple of high school programs have had to cancel their programs due to low participation,” he said. “So the sport has definitely taken a hit.”
Frenkel knows it was time for him to quit hockey, but he still misses it. “The sport really meant everything to me. I mean, it was my life,” he said.
At the same time, he admits he stuck it out too long. “As much as you want to like power through it and keep playing, it’s not worth it in the end.”
But the allure of the sport does entice some to keep playing.
“To me, it’s worth it,” Calcagno said. “My kids play football. I still have a son that’s playing college football. Am I nervous about it? Absolutely. But you know, I still think that it’s such a great, great thing to be a part of.
“And if you ask all those NFL guys that have CTE … probably 95% of them would do it again.”
Kaitan Pawar is a member of the class of 2028 at Gunn High School in Palo Alto.
Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Program for Bay Area high school students, an intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.