Brooke de Lench's blog

If you are involved in a private youth sports program which plays on publicly-owned fields, diamonds, rinks, or courts, or are in local government, you have probably been hearing a lot lately about what is being dubbed the "power of the permit": the authority municipalities and towns around the country are using to condition use of their athletic facilities by private programs on compliance with state concussion safety laws from which they would otherwise be exempt, or, in an increasing number of instances, to fill gaps in their state's law.

One of my biggest gripes about the media in the age of Twitter and ever-shorter attention spans is that it doesn't lend itself well to an examination of issues in the depth they deserve.  

Recently, I was asked a series of questions by a newspaper journalist for a story on a concussed athlete who had decided to quit football despite being cleared by the team doctor to return to play.

Even though I knew that 95% of what I said in my emailed response would never make it into the story, I nevertheless spent the time formulating thoughtful responses, hoping that at least some of what I offered would avoid the cutting room floor.

The story which broke this morning in The New York Times that nine present or former high-ranking members of FIFA, soccer's global governing body, had been arrested in Zurich, Switzerland after being indicted on corruption charges in the U.S., didn't surprise me in the least.

While the FIFA scandal has made national headlines, allegations of embezzlement and theft in sports organizations, large and small, are an almost every-day occurrence in cities and towns across America.

Although April - which was both National Youth Sports Safety Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month - is now over, it doesn't mean that the work of parents in helping keep kids safer playing sports is over.

People often ask me often what I think the most important piece of safety equipment is for a particular sport. I know I catch them off guard when, instead of saying a helmet, mouth guard, shin guard, or safety goggles (all of which are very important, of course), I say that it is best-made and best-fitting pair of shoes and socks which are the critical to a successful day of activities.