Questions about football persist

Thousands of fans and players are taking part in that annual rite of fall, the start of the high school football season.

Meanwhile, enthusiasts are suddenly finding they have to defend the game.

The National Football League may have settled the lawsuit against it over concussions. But the issue is likely to continue.

High School football participation numbers have gone down each of the past four years, according to data from The National Federation of High School Activities Associations.

“The headlines indicate football’s headwinds. ‘Is American Football Evil?’ ‘Should Kids Play Football?’ ‘Is Football Wrong?’ ‘Should We Ban Football?’ Some questions give answers just by asking,” wrote Daniel J. Flynn in The American Spectator. He is author of “The War on Football: Saving America's Game.”

It’s all worth a discussion. At the very least, rules for football practices should be reviewed and revised when necessary, as has been done by Pop Warner, the  oldest and largest national youth football organization.

Ultimately, however, this is America, land of the free, a nation where football is entrenched in our culture. Any decisions about the sport ultimately ought to be left up to the participants and, for youth, the parents. They just need to be sure they have all the facts.