Ivy League limits full-contact football practices

The new Ivy League policy goes well beyond NCAA guidelines.

The Ivy League has decided to limit the number of full-contact football practices that teams can have in an effort to reduce the chance of head injuries to players, according to a New York Times report. A study published last year indicates that players receive more hits to the head in practices than in games. (Practices, of course, consume far more of players' active time on the field than games do.)  The new Ivy policy goes well beyond the NCAA's guidelines on the subject, and is quite possibly the most stringent of any conference.  

For additional background, read the 2010 article "Hits, Heads, Helmets" from the Harvard Magazine archives; it explores some of the issues in football-related concussions and describes a new helmet designed to mitigate them. 

Related topics

You might also like

Introductions: Dan Cnossen

A conversation with the former Navy SEAL and gold-medal-winning Paralympic skier

England’s First Sports Megastar

A collection of illustrations capture a boxer’s triumphant moment. 

Harvard Football: Villanova 52, Harvard 7

The Crimson’s inaugural playoff appearance is nasty, brutish, and short.

Most popular

Can Slime Molds Think?

A seemingly primitive creature’s complex ability to detect mass from a distance.

Getting to Mars (for Real)

Humans have been dreaming of living on the Red Planet for decades. Harvard researchers are on the case.

This TikTok Artist Combines Monsters and Mental Heath

Ava Jinying Salzman’s artwork helps people process difficult feelings.

Explore More From Current Issue

A girl sits at a desk, flanked by colorful, stylized figures, evoking a whimsical, surreal atmosphere.

The Trouble with Sidechat

No one feels responsible for what happens on Harvard’s anonymous social media app.

Lawrence H. Summers, looking serious while speaking at a podium with a microphone.

Harvard in the News

Grade inflation, Epstein files fallout, University database breach 

A man skiing intensely in the snow, with two spectators in the background.

Introductions: Dan Cnossen

A conversation with the former Navy SEAL and gold-medal-winning Paralympic skier