Pediatrics association condemns improper tackling in youth football

The risk of serious injury is higher in football than in most other youth team sports, according to an American Academy of Pediatrics report released Sunday. As part of an ongoing debate about the prevalence of head and neck trauma in the sport, the professional association condemned improper and illegal tackles in youth football.

"We need people to enforce the rules and teach players to play with proper technique," lead author Gregory Landry, a University of Wisconsin pediatrics professor, said in a news release.

The study also recommends making non-tackling leagues more widely available to kids and making sure kids don't use helmets as weapons.

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AAP cautioned that eliminating all tackling until a certain age limit — a popular proposal — could backfire because learning to tackle can be more dangerous once kids are bigger and heavier, as opposed to getting accustomed to the motions at a young age.

Read the full report here.