Student Well-Being Blog

Schooled in Sports

Education Week contributing writer Bryan Toporek brought you K-12 sports coverage that reached far beyond box scores. He wrote about education for Education Week and Education Week Teacher, high school sports for the Falls Church News-Press in Virginia, and was a Quality Editor for Bleacher Report. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: sports.

Student Well-Being HBO's 'Real Sports' Examines Risks, Safety Efforts in Youth Football
In Tuesday night's episode of HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, the safety of youth football came under the microscope.
Bryan Toporek, November 23, 2016
2 min read
Student Well-Being Few States Meeting Guidelines for H.S. Football Concussion Prevention
Only 12 of 50 states are meeting three or more of the five high school football concussion-prevention recommendations from the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Bryan Toporek, November 21, 2016
2 min read
Student Well-Being Three-Fourths of U.S. Children Aren't Meeting Physical-Activity Guidelines
Three-fourths of children across the United States aren't meeting the recommended amount of physical activity per week, according to a report card from the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance.
Bryan Toporek, November 18, 2016
3 min read
Student Well-Being Study Gauges Single-Sport Specialization Trends Among NCAA Athletes
Though single-sport specialization increases throughout high school, those interested in pursuing an athletic career in college don't need to follow that route, suggests a new study.
Bryan Toporek, November 10, 2016
2 min read
Student Well-Being NBA Unveils Rest, Participation Guidelines for Youth-Basketball Players
The National Basketball Association and USA Basketball unveiled guidelines aimed at reducing burnout and overuse injuries in youth basketball players.
Bryan Toporek, October 18, 2016
2 min read
Student Well-Being Michigan High School Association Releases Head-Injury Findings for 2015-16
High school girls in Michigan reported head injuries roughly twice as often as boys among those who played the same sports during the 2015-16 school year.
Bryan Toporek, October 7, 2016
2 min read
Student Well-Being Concussion Diagnoses Among Youths Nearly Doubled from 2010 to 2015
Concussion diagnoses increased by 71 percent from 2010 through 2015 among children between the ages of 10 and 19, according to a new report from Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Bryan Toporek, October 3, 2016
2 min read
Education Boys' Soccer Team Cites Religious Beliefs in Refusing to Play Team With Two Girls
A high school boys' soccer team in Mesa, Arizona, opted to forfeit a game because the opposing team had two female players.
Bryan Toporek, September 29, 2016
2 min read
Student Well-Being Obesity Ranks as Second-Biggest Child-Health Concern Among Adults
Bullying is the only health-related concern for children that outpaces obesity among U.S. adults, according to the latest C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.
Bryan Toporek, September 29, 2016
2 min read
Student Well-Being NFL Announces $100M Safety Initiative With Youth-Football Component
The National Football League's goal is "to equip parents with the best available information to make decisions about their children's participation in football and other contact sports."
Bryan Toporek, September 19, 2016
3 min read
Student Well-Being Protests During National Anthem Spreading to High School Sports
A number of high school athletes have followed in his footsteps of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in recent weeks, refusing to stand during the national anthem.
Bryan Toporek, September 16, 2016
4 min read
School Climate & Safety ESPN's 'Outside the Lines' Airs Special Report on Youth-Athlete Hazing
On Tuesday evening, ESPN's Outside the Lines debuted an hour-long feature about the growing number of youth-athlete hazing incidents that have involved teammates sodomizing one another.
Bryan Toporek, September 15, 2016
2 min read
Student Well-Being Soccer-Related Concussions Increased Drastically Over the Past 25 Years
The annual rate of concussions that sent youth soccer players to the emergency department increased by nearly 1,600 percent from 1990 to 2014, according to a new study.
Bryan Toporek, September 12, 2016
2 min read
Student Well-Being Delaware Expands Youth-Concussion Law to Non-School Leagues
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed a law that expands the state's existing youth-concussion legislation to cover sports leagues not affiliated with schools.
Bryan Toporek, September 9, 2016
1 min read