He also highlighted problems with the marketing of some sports safety equipment which claim to prevent concussions among athletes.

“We all have a responsibility to make sure that kids who play sports are as safe as they can be,” said Rockefeller. “Much of the conversation about concussions has focused on professional athletes, but it affects so many children on the field, court, mat, or track. Last October, I chaired a Senate hearing to help raise awareness about concussions in youth sports, but our job is not done. We need to make sure that everyone in West Virginia knows how to reduce the number of concussions, since they can have long-term consequences for our children’s health.

“Playing sports doesn’t just make kids stronger and healthier. It also teaches them important values – hard work, leadership, and the importance of working together. I encourage everyone here today to tell their friends and family about how to better protect student athletes so that we can reduce injuries, increase awareness about some false marketing of sports equipment, and make sure our kids stay healthy.”

The roundtable provided an opportunity to discuss the dangers of concussions for young athletes, the steps that parents and coaches should take to protect young athletes from concussions, and the limitations of sports equipment in preventing concussions.

The discussion included medical expehttps://m West Virginia to discuss the dangers and frequency of concussions for young athletes, sports officials from the state to explain the steps currently being taken to protect young athletes from concussions on the field, and representatives from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to discuss the role of the federal government in creating safety standards for products and investigating marketing claims made by manufacturers.

On October 19, Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, held a hearing on concussions and the marketing of sports equipment to increase awareness of both the dangers of concussions for athletes participating in sports at all levels and the misleading marketing claims about concussions made by sports equipment manufacturers.

Rockefeller convened the hearing because much of the discussion on concussions had largely focused on the dangers of concussions at the professional level, even though a significant percentage of those suffering concussions are children and high school students participating in sports, especially contact sports like soccer, football, and hockey. Click here to view video of the hearing