SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — A California bill that would ban youth tackle football for kids younger than 12 is headed to the floor of the Assembly.
Assembly Bill 734 — written by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, a Sacramento Democrat — received strong pushback from parents and kids at a Wednesday hearing of the Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism Committee. A line of people waited outside the committee room to voice their opposition. Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper, a former Assembly member, spoke at length against the bill.
However, after an hour of hearing testimony and discussion the committee passed it to the Assembly floor in a 5-2 vote.
“This is a tough decision,” McCarty told the committee moments before it voted.
Saying he loved the sport, McCarty argued there’s no way to safely play tackle football. Helmets protect the head, but the brain is impacted. One doctor told the committee that repeated impacts to the head lay a foundation for brain injury, regardless of their severity.
McCarty’s bill would allow youth players already participating in tackle football to continue playing. It would take effect in phases. Kids younger than 6 could no longer play tackle football starting Jan. 1, 2025. Those under 10 couldn’t play as of Jan. 1, 2027. Finally, no one under 12 could play starting Jan. 1, 2029.
Ron White, president of the California Youth Football Alliance, said his and similar groups have fought against various attempts to ban football and trample parental rights. The medical opinions heard by committee members came from people who support McCarty’s bill.
“Those opinions are not unilaterally shared by the medical community,” White said. “That’s a fact.”
White pointed to Assembly Bill 1, passed in 2019 and written by then-Assemblymember Cooper as existing, comprehensive legislation for football. That law contains restrictions on practice time, imposes training requirements and helmet safety.
Cooper told the committee that youth football provides discipline and mentorship to children who otherwise might have none. Some players come from underperforming schools and poor neighborhoods. Football can transform them.
“The safety and well-being of youth will always be my top priority,” Cooper said.
Weighing in, Assemblymember Tom Lackey, a Palmdale Republican, said brain injury should be taken seriously. However, the sport is moving in the proper direction on safety, and Lackey said he trusts parents to decide what’s best for their children.
“We’re robbing youth of way more than risk when we do this,” he added.
Assemblymember Avelino Valencia — an Anaheim Democrat and former college football player — said he couldn’t put a value on football’s effect on his life. But he also said he can’t deny data that shows the negative impact physical hits can have.
Assemblymember Mike Gipson, a Carson Democrat and the committee chair, said before the vote that Wednesday’s hearing wasn’t the last stage for the bill. Its passage would mean it moves to the full Assembly, where another round of discussion and vote would occur.
If it passes the Assembly, it would then go through a similar process in the Senate.
Contacted after the hearing, Steve Famiano — a leader of the Save Youth Football California Coalition — said he was disappointed.
“Youth sports is not partisan,” he said. “We just love being out there with our kids.”
Adults typically don’t talk politics when on the field. Some people don’t understand the process and don’t engage in politics. But Famiano said Wednesday’s vote had his phone ringing nonstop.
“He’s just basically woke up the entire youth football community,” he added. “I can’t explain to you how livid people are right now.”
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