Ahead of Super Bowl 50, Blumenthal Leads Bill to Protect Young Athletes from Concussions, Tackle False Safety Claims for Sports Gear

(Washington, DC)  – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and U.S. Representatives Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) in introducing bipartisan legislation aimed at protecting young athletes from the dangers of sports-related traumatic brain injuries. The Youth Sports Concussion Act would help ensure that safety standards for sports equipment, including football helmets, are based on the latest science and curb false advertising claims made by manufacturers to increase protective sports gear sales.

Their announcement comes just before Super Bowl 50, as doctors, players, researchers and others are talking about the need to protect players — especially young athletes — from experiencing debilitating head injuries. Sports are the second-leading cause of traumatic brain injuries for youth 15-24 years old, and athletes suffer up to 3.8 million concussions every year. An extensive National Academy of Sciences report, Sports-Related Concussions in Youth: Improving the Science, Changing the Culture, previously found that there is a lack of scientific evidence that helmets and other protective devices designed for young athletes reduce concussion risk — yet some manufacturers continue to use false advertising claims that prevent athletes, parents and coaches from making informed safety decisions. 

In 2012, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned nearly 20 sports equipment manufacturers that they might be making deceptive concussion prevention claims, but the FTC's actions thus far have not been an effective deterrent. The Youth Sports Concussion Act would empower the FTC to seek civil penalties in such cases.

“Today we are sending children onto football fields unaware of the long-term dangers of concussions and head traumas. But we know that people as young as 18 — people who never played a down of professional or even college football — show evidence of CTE,” Blumenthal said. “Though the dangers of head injuries are real, the science around prevention is still developing. This legislation empowers the FTC to crack down on manufacturers of athletic equipment who use misleading safety claims to profit off parents’ fears. False advertising regarding a particular gear’s safety features puts children’s short and long-term health at risk. Our youngest athletes — our future sports heroes — deserve truthful and accurate information to make informed decisions so that the sports they play today can be sports they play for a lifetime.”

Numerous sports, medical and consumer organizations have supported the Youth Sports Concussion Act, including: 

American Academy of Neurology
American Academy of Pediatrics
Brain Injury Association of America
Brain Trauma Foundation
Cleveland Clinic
Consumer Federation of America
Consumers Union
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball Players Association
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer Players Union
National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
National Athletic Trainers' Association
National Basketball Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Consumers League
National Federation of State High School Associations
National Football League
National Football League Players Association
National Hockey League
National Hockey League Players’ Association
National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association
National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment
Safe Kids Worldwide
United States Brain Injury Alliance
US Lacrosse
US Soccer Federation
USA Hockey
Xenith

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