Zach McCaulley stands with his team at a BAYFL flag game earlier this year. (Photo courtesy of Tc McCaulley)

Growing up in nearby Tyrone, tackle football was a way of life for Brock Anders, president of the Bellwood-Antis Flag Football League.

Anders began playing tackle in Tyrone’s youth league in elementary school and continued all the way through a successful varsity career in the 2000s. But as time goes on, Anders has begun wondering if tackle football is the best option for every young athlete.

“The longer I get away from the game, the more I have changed my opinion on when a kid should begin tackle football. I will get some backlash on this, but I personally believe that a kid should play flag football over tackle as long as they want to,” said Anders, whose flag league functions as part of the Bellwood-Antis Youth Football League (BAYFL). “Realistically, we as parents shouldn’t be the ultimate decision makers. It is up to the kid/the players to decide when they want to play tackle football.”

It’s all about options and meeting kids where they are at, and as far as Anders can see, even good players can get by without starting tackle at an early age.

“This is a sticky subject to get into, but there is a reason we are seeing more and more flag football leagues and teams being created around the area,” he said. “Yes, tackle football is king, but I think the opinions on the sport at a young age vary from parent to parent and player to player. I’ve played with several athletes in high school who never played tackle football until junior high and they were some of the best players on the football field.”

Flag football leagues have begun flourishing locally over the last several years, and that could lead to a change in the way the game is taught in the area, even at traditional football powers like Bellwood-Antis and Tyrone.

Rachel Emigh, who’s a parent from Tyrone, has two sons who played flag football. She remembers before COVID when th Northern Blair Rec Center offered a flag league that was never quite the same following lockdowns. She feels that flag helps bridge the gap to get kids exposed to the game. “With a good coach, you can learn many things in flag football that will translate into tackle,” she said.

Zack McCaulley was a 1,000-yard rusher for Bellwood-Antis who graduated in 2010. He and his wife Tc have watched their two sons play flag and have had a positive experience, although they anticipate the boys ultimately moving to traditional tackle football. McCaulley understands that its beneficial for his kids to be playing flag, but he hopes to see in second grade if they are physically ready for tackling.

“Our decision to remain in flag or to play (traditional) football will be based on each one’s size, ability, and interest. If we believe they are physically ready and they want too, then we will confidently have them put on the pads,” said McCaulley.

However, unlike those who think it’s true preparation for tackle, McCaulley sees it differently.

“Flag football is a different game where bad fundamental football habits are common,” he said.

Parents like these present a solid cross section of the opinions surrounding the rise of flag football.

The discussion over injuries in football has existed since the sport began but it heated up in the 2010s when the focus shifted to head injuries, like Mike Webster, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1974 to 1990.

He led the steelers to 4 super bowls in the 70s and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Once Webster retired, he developed amnesia, dementia, depression, acute bone and muscular pain. In his later years he lived out of his pick-up truck or in train stations. He showed unusual changes in his behavior and became so agitated and restless that he would have to use electroshock to help induce sleep. Ultimately, he died at just 50 years old.

After his death Webster was one of the first NFL players diagnosed with CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). Dr. Bennet Omalu, who is a forensic neuropathologist, examined Webster and eight other NFL players’ tissues, and saw that they showed all kinds of brain damage that match with people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Webster’s brain resembled that of boxers who had punch-drunk syndrome.

Bennet’s findings were ignored by the NFL, until Bengal’s wide receiver Chris Henry was diagnosed later with CTE after he died at 26.

Findings like these led communities to begin questioning the age at which it was appropriate for young people to begin playing tackle football.

While concussions are a severe injury one may receive from tackle football, it’s not the only health concern.

Fractures occurs more than concussions in young people, especially playing tackle football. This most often occurs at practice than at a game as 29% of kids get injured either by dislocating it or fracturing it. The most common fractures are fingers and hands, legs and feet, pelvis, and lastly growth plate fractures.

People have tried addressing the dangers of football in many ways over the years, and often those voices are met with distain. In 2014, when New York assemblyman Michael Benedetto proposed a bill to ban tackle football for children 14 and under in the Empire State there was a similar outcry. As far back as the 1800s players were dying playing the game of football. According to the book The Tyrone Football Story, in November of 1897, the Kansas City journal filled an entire page with a state-of-the-game expose. The casualties resulting from football during the previous season read like a report from the front lines of war – 13 dead, 23 maimed, 126 seriously injured. 

The years right before COVID saw many states pass legislation limiting tackle football for young people.

New York banned children under 12 from playing tackle football in 2019, and they mandated that parents receive information on concussions if their child played tackle football when they are older, but they are not probated from practicing football or playing that doesn’t have tackling in it.

Illinois banned tackle football for children under 12 in 2018 with a law called the “Dave Duerson Act to prevent CTE.” New Jersey banned children from playing under the age of 12 in the same year. Maryland in 2018 banned tackle football for the children 14 and under. This bill also requires that children be educated on concussions before kids over 14 are allowed to play tackle football.

Massachusetts in 2019 banned tackle football for seventh grade or lower. It was called “An Act for No Organized Head Impacts to Schoolchildren.”

In 2018, California introduced the “Safe Youth Football Act” bill, which Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law. It limits full contact practice to no more than 30 minutes per day for two days a week, bans full contact practice for youth football teams during the offseason, requires a medical professional to be present for all games, and requires an independent person to attend all practices sessions, with the authority to remove players showing signs of injury.

Pennsylvania hasn’t needed laws to mandate safety. Instead, flag football has grown in popularity for kids who in times past would have begun playing tackle football.

“Some local programs, like Central have completely gone away from having a peewee tackle team and have extended the age for flag up through 6th grade,” Emigh said.

 Flag football has been growing in popularity in the U.S. In 2022, flag football even made an appearance in The World Games in Alabama. Nationwide, there are about 2.4 million kids who are playing under 17.

In the upcoming years, it is said that flag football is expected to overtake tackle football in organized participation. It has even taken hold in Bellwood, where for generations tackle football has been the top sport.

Beyond flag, football for young people can still be safe, provided precautions are taken. One such precaution is wearing guardian caps on practice helmets, as in done on B-A’s varsity team. (BluePrint file photo)

Although the flag leagues aim at limiting injuries from football to the absolute minimum, Coach Nick Lovrich, who coaches the Bellwood-Antis varsity team, believes it’s still possible to keep tackle football safe with the appropriate precautions.

Lovrich said that his team now limits contact in practice much more than in years past.

“It is very rare we do full speed tackle drills. We do a lot of tackling drills, but the actual contact is very minimal,” he said.

Improved gear that promotes player safety is another way B-A works to prevent injuries.

“About 3 years ago, we also purchased the Guardian helmet pads that help prevent concussions by softening the blow when there is a hit on the helmet,” said Lovrich.

B-A focuses on improving players health and making sure they stay healthy.

“As far as our medical staff goes, every athlete does a SWAY test at the beginning of the season to have a baseline score in case they get a concussion. If an athlete is diagnosed with a concussion there is a protocol they must follow to get back to normal participation,” Coach Lovrich said. “That protocol includes monitoring any symptoms they have. Once the symptoms start to go away, they start to do some exercises and then gradually progress back into contact. The trainer will monitor the athlete throughout this protocol.”

Coach Lovrich has a family history of playing football in Bellwood. He played in the BAYFL for East Antis before playing on the varsity team in high school.

“My brother and I both played. My nephew Cooper is on the varsity team now,” Coach Lovrich said. “My other nephew, Myles, plays youth, and my niece, Patty, plays flag football.”

Coach Lovrich thinks that tackle football helps kids develop as athletes, but that maybe it would be best to hold off on tackling until players are close to middle school age. Currently, local leagues begin tackle as early as second grade.

“It depends on the kid. Fourth or fifth grade is probably pretty good,” he said.

Coach Lovrich thinks that people should teach kids the right way of tackling, which would also help to limit injuries.

“I think we need to take precautions all the time. Gone are the days where you do full contact all the time,” he said. 

Flag football could overtake traditional tackle football, but it’s not a substitute. In reality, although similar in many ways, they are very different games. There are much different rules in flag, since you can’t get physical. Offense is similar in ways with tackle, but the defense is completely different, since they aren’t tackling, they will pick up bad habits that could follow them into football, if they so choose to do it. Zach even says that flag football shouldn’t be an alternative to tackle football “Flag football should be viewed as an early introduction to football, much like tee ball is to baseball. Flag should not be an alternative to football.” 

Rachel disagrees with this sentiment, as she understands that some kids might not like or be ready for contact yet and flag is a good option for that “Some kids don’t love contact sports, but you love football, so those kids are better off playing flag football.”

Rachel has even seen this “With more and more info coming out about CTE and football related injuries, I know many parents who have chosen to delay their athlete starting tackle football until Youth or even Junior High. For families who aren’t ready for their child to play tackle football, I think it’s better to play flag than nothing.”

At the end of the day athletes and parents have more options than they used too, even football fans would agree that its better with more options than only one, since kids might not like tackle football.

“Do I want my kids to play tackle football? Absolutely! It’s the greatest team sport I have ever played. But I will not make them play. Some kids just aren’t built for tackle football at such a young age. Whether it be physically or mentally, all kids are different. I would much rather see my kid play flag football until Junior High and fall in love with tackle football later than to see them go play tackle football as a 3rd grader and completely hate it and lose interest in tackle football altogether.”