What It Is
On October 12, 2006, 13-year-old Zackery Lystedt hit his head while making a tackle in a middle school football game in Washington State. He sat out for a short time, went back into the game, and collapsed afterward with a serious brain injury that needed emergency surgery and changed his life. In May 2009, Washington passed the Zackery Lystedt Law, the first state law of its kind for youth sports concussions. It says a young athlete suspected of having a concussion must be removed from play and cannot return until a licensed health care provider trained in concussions gives written clearance. By 2014, all 50 states had passed youth sports concussion laws.
Why It Matters
The law turns "Can I go back in?" into a medical decision made by a trained health care provider instead of the athlete, the coach, or the crowd. It also requires young athletes and their parents to sign a concussion information sheet every year before the season starts, so families learn the warning signs early. Athletic trainers help carry out rules like these on sidelines, watching for signs of a concussion and keeping athletes out until they are cleared. On the sideline, one of an athletic trainer's most important calls is also one of the hardest: keeping a player out of the game.
