Modern research and studies are raising significant concerns over the long-term health consequences that can result from sports concussions and other types of play-related head injuries. As the concerning evidence mounts, American tackle football has become the topic of considerable controversy. Dangerous collisions/injuries can happen accidentally in any sports, however in tackle football the risk factors are significantly higher since collisions are an intentional rather than accidental part of the game. In American tackle football, the primary method of downing the ball carrier is by tackling the ball carrier to the ground, which inherently results in collisions. The magnitude and repetition of these collisions can cause concussions and head injury.
Research is showing that it's not always just one large collision that leads to injury, but even repetitive smaller collisions that can make the brain more susceptible to injury over time. This is concerning, since tackle football players experience repetitive collisions as part of the games, practices, and drills. In regards to youth football, there are some further unique concerns. Youngsters are not miniature adults. For starters, their brains are not yet fully myelinated, meaning nerve cells in the brain lack the complete coating that offers protection. This makes youth more susceptible to concussions, and also means they recover more slowly from them compared to adults. Children have big heads relative to the rest of their bodies and weak necks, creating a “bobblehead effect” that elevates the risk of concussion. Kids typically play in the oldest equipment, with the least educated coaches, and with little or no available medical care. And finally, kids are unable to provide meaningful informed consent. Rarely do kids really understand the situations and risks they're putting themselves in.
Flag football is an alternative to tackle football. However, most football enthusiasts would view flag football as an inferior version of the game. In Flag football, there is no tackling. Instead, all players wear one or more flags that, when removed from a ball carrier, indicates that the ball carrier is down, thereby signifying the end of that play. The flags are typically flat, narrow strips of nylon or fabric. One end of the flag is normally releasably secured to a belt worn around the player's waist. A hook-and-loop (i.e., VELCRO®) type attachment is a common means to secure one end of the flag to the player. The other end of the flag hangs freely down toward the players knees. As the players run, the flag is free to bounce, move, and flutter around (as the name “flag” would suggest). The flag therefore has its own movements independent from the ball carrier. This dynamic, independent motion of the flag makes it difficult to grab the flag even if a player has a good position or grip on the ball carrier. In fact, often it takes a bit of luck to grab the flag. For example, players can be in what's considered a good defensive position to down the ball carrier, but the elusiveness of the flag allows the ball carrier to escape and continue advancing the ball. This attribute makes flag football a unique sport to defend. In tackle football, defensive players are taught to focus on a ball carrier's movements (specifically the torso) when tracking and downing the ball carrier. Many other sports and games similarly share this common ingredient, whereby defense has to watch and interpret movements of opposing players in order to make a defensive stand. Flag football is distinctly unique, in that defensive emphasis is placed on movements of an independently moving flag instead of movements of a player. Many football and sports enthusiasts alike do not care for this non-conventional emphasis.
In flag football, the flags generally attach approximately at the player's waistline, and the flags hang freely down toward the player's knee region. This attachment location is not ideal for head safety. Even though there's no tackling in flag football, the low flag positioning often results in players lowering their heads to make a play for the flag. Any time players are lowering their heads to reach for a flag, it is creating a dangerous situation in terms of head injuries. For example, accidental collisions between a ball carrier's knee and a defender's head can be very dangerous in terms of concussions and head injuries. Positioning flags on the lower body (waist down) is a poor location, as it requires players to lower their body and head to make a play for the flag, which puts players' heads at risk of experiencing collisions.
Furthermore, the flag is a flat strip of fabric, or the like, with very minimal thickness. Flag length is often around 12-16 inches. Flag width is typically around 1.5 inches. And, flag thickness is typically only around 0.062 inches (typical fabric thicknesses). This slim thickness profile along with the fabric type construct can make the flags difficult to distinguish or grab, as they can easily slip out of the defenders' hands. Essentially, flags are not ergonomically designed to be grasped by a hand, as they lack any sort of grab features or dimensions. Therefore, the flag construction and profile further adds to the luck factor in downing the ball carrier. For many American football enthusiasts, the emphasis on a flag rather than a player, combined with the proportion of luck versus skill in downing the ball carrier is unappealing for flag football.
With the growing awareness and evidence associating tackle football with head injuries, concussions, and long term health implications, there exists a need for alternative ways to down the ball carrier. Specifically the alternative means of downing the ball carrier should avoid tackling, thereby minimizing collisions associated with head injuries and concussions. Furthermore, downing the ball carrier should encourage upright play, such that players don't have to reach low to down the ball carrier, thereby lowering and exposing their heads to dangerous situations. Furthermore, there exists a need for alternative ways of downing the ball carrier that reward good defensive positioning, and minimizes the luck factor in downing the ball carrier. Furthermore, there exists a need for alternative ways of downing the ball carrier that preserve conventional defensive focus on a player's movements, rather than arbitrary movements of an accessory.