You can alter the rules of any school sponsored sport to prevent head injuries as much as possible . Accidents like wrecking a bike will always happen , but it is not an essential part of the sport like tackling is . Adults deciding to perform those moves at a professional level are one thing , but when you have parents which very often force their children into contact sports they do not get the choice . It is the government ' s duty to protect the health and safety of our young . Sports do not change until guidelines are required . Helmets were strongly frowned upon at first , too . New science has come out and it is our responsibility to respond to new evidence . Saying life is tough is not an adequate argument when considering the very real issue of brain damage . Saying Teddy wouldn ' t have liked it is ridiculous when Teddy was all for progressive action based on protecting the people . If the evidence had existed indicating the level of danger then , I ' m very sure he would have taken the proper action . I refuse to hide behind historical precedence set BEFORE scientific and medical research and evidence was available . I think you idolize Teddy to the point that you forget that the PARTY stands on PROGRESSIVE stances . This isn ' t the Teddy Roosevelt Party , it ' s the Progressive Bull Moose Party . I think Teddy was the best president we ' ve had , but we can move forward without fetishizing everything he said to the point of losing our purpose .