1. Set Focus
Frame the inquiry with these essential questions: What makes an activity too risky to participate in? Who gets to decide that it’s too risky?
2. Read and Discuss
Have students read the debate and then answer the following questions:
- What is the issue being debated? How does it relate to current events? (The issue is whether football is too unsafe for kids to play the sport. Recent severe injuries to two players in the pro league have renewed the debate about the dangers of youth football.)
- Evaluate why these two authors might be interested in and qualified to comment on this issue. (Chris Nowinski is a neuroscientist who co-founded and leads a foundation that promotes sports safety and concussion research. Jon Butler is the executive director of one of the largest youth football organizations in the country.)