Sports take: Trump administration threatens future of funding for brain injury patients, research
By Kalena Reynolds | Staff Writer A recent request from the Trump Administration has put high school and youth sports in jeopardy. The administration’s 2026 fiscal budget request sent to Congress proposes eliminating funding for traumatic brain injury (TBI) research and education. While this would detrimentally impact the medical field directly, the significance lies in […]
A recent request from the Trump Administration has put high school and youth sports in jeopardy. The administration’s 2026 fiscal budget request sent to Congress proposes eliminating funding for traumatic brain injury (TBI) research and education.
While this would detrimentally impact the medical field directly, the significance lies in addressing head injuries in sports among young athletes.
“Each year, between 1.6 and 3.8 million concussions occur in the United States as a result of sports or recreational activities,” according to an article published by the National Library of Medicine. “Concussion is a type of mild traumatic brain injury.”
The proposed budget was released on Friday and includes funding cuts for traumatic brain injury research within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This would mean withdrawing the $8.25 million that was previously funding TBI research within the CDC and public education on the dangers of concussions. In addition to the money going directly to TBI research, the administration is also considering cutting $3.59 billion for CDC funding.
While this would initially impact high school and youth sports, the repercussions of this change would also cause immense problems for college athletics.
Here’s the good news: although Trump proposed this, Congress still has to approve the final budget; however, the fact that this is being considered is highly concerning. Concussions and head trauma are a considerable factor affecting all of athletics, and jeopardizing funding for that is putting young adults and youth at risk.
To further deepen the issue, cutting funding would also affect concussion-prevention programs as well as employees working in the area of head trauma research at the CDC.
Patients with brain trauma often require ongoing treatment, and eliminating funding would mean stopping services that those patients need to continue functioning in life and facilitate recovery.
For people who have experienced brain injuries, there is often no permanent solution, and this request would mean leaving someone with a lifetime problem with no help.
A concussion-prevention program called “Heads Up” is already having a significant impact. The program was created for athletic trainers, youth and high school coaches and other sports officials. The CDC workers who ran the program were put on leave, leaving the forty-five states that utilized the program empty-handed.
“A pause in federal funding would disrupt many brain injury programs throughout the country and would directly impact brain injury survivors and the healthcare professionals providing treatment and support,” Rick Willis, president and CEO of BIAA, said. “Survivors of brain injury face so many obstacles in their day-to-day life, and many require ongoing support and services. Suddenly stopping programs that many of them rely on is inexcusable, especially with no warning.”
Ultimately, this request comes with a multitude of problems that would create a domino effect of chaos for both government workers and people affected by head injuries. Research would be significantly hindered, and athletic programs across the country would suffer immensely due to the lack of resources and information the cut would cause.
’Tis golf season. Since my Spring semester ended in May, I’ve been hitting the range almost every other day and playing a couple of rounds each week. And it’s not just me. Where I live, the morning driving ranges are full of middle-aged and retired players, while evenings bring out a swarm of high school […]
’Tis golf season. Since my Spring semester ended in May, I’ve been hitting the range almost every other day and playing a couple of rounds each week.
And it’s not just me. Where I live, the morning driving ranges are full of middle-aged and retired players, while evenings bring out a swarm of high school kids and 20-somethings. Tee times on weekends? You either book early or hope your country club member-friend picks up the phone. I even saw a friend write up Python code to immediately make reservations in public courses when they’re open.
So, what is it about golf that makes it so enduringly fun for its fans—for both watching and actually playing? Unlike many popular sports, golf isn’t primarily a spectator pastime. It’s a sport that people of all ages and genders actively engage in.
I think my theory of liberating engagement—which I’ve used to describe why some activities are more fun than others—can help explain why golf has such a unique grip on so many of us.
Golf Is Hedonically Engaging
Golf hits the sweet spot between skill and challenge, the classic ingredients for what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called “flow.” Whether you’re a total beginner trying to break 100 or a seasoned player chasing par, there’s always a new milestone to strive toward. It’s never boring. Time certainly flies (four hours, already?) when you’re out on the field, too.
Each course is different—sometimes dramatically so—with new obstacles, changing wind conditions, and ever-varying terrain. Even within a single round, each hole is its own little story. That relative novelty—what researchers like Berlyne (1960) have tied to arousal and interest—is essential for hedonic engagement. Golf keeps you interested because it never lets you fully master it.
Golf Feels Liberating—Especially for Adults
A round of golf gives you 4+ hours where the outside world fades away. No Slack notifications, no emails, no dishes or deadlines. Just you, the ball, and the greenery. This is where my theory of liberating engagement really comes in: Fun isn’t just about enjoyment—it’s about a temporary liberation from cognitive and emotional burdens.
This may be why golf resonates so strongly with certain people in their 30s through 50s, the peak years for juggling careers, parenting, and aging parents. A friend of mine—a scratch golfer and a successful entrepreneur—dreaded going out for a round last week, having been invited to play for a business event. He told me the only time he doesn’t enjoy golf is when he’s overwhelmed with business stress. “I can’t relax into it,” he said. That’s telling. To enjoy golf is to let go of everything else in that moment.
Golf Is Social in a Special Way
Golf has built-in social rituals that make it surprisingly connecting. Most courses require foursomes, meaning even if you show up solo or with one friend, you’re likely to be paired with strangers. But that’s part of the charm. You introduce yourself, shake hands, and spend hours together, all focused on the same shared task.
What’s interesting here is that the social bonding happens around a focal activity—playing the game—which fosters a sense of connectedness without forcing it. Golf provides that social structure, a key ingredient that can enhance the fun of the same activity.
There’s also a low-key, non-competitive camaraderie that helps: Everyone is just trying to hit the ball, find their ball, and get it in the hole—eventually.
The Hook is Gentle, but Lasting
There’s a learning curve to golf, yes—but once you’re good enough to keep up and hit some clean shots, it’s easy to get hooked (yes, some pun intended). Especially if you go out with someone more experienced who’s patient enough to teach you the rhythm and etiquette of the game.
And then… you’re in. The fun sneaks up on you and stays. As Chi-Chi Rodriguez aptly said, “Golf is the most fun you can have without taking your clothes off.”
I’ll wrap this up now—I’ve got a 9 a.m. tee time tomorrow
Today Youth golf U.P. Junior Tour, at Wawonowin Country Club, Champion, 9 a.m. American Legion baseball Westwood at Post 44 Reds (doubleheader), at Haley Memorial Field Complex, Field #1, Marquette, 5 p.m. Tuesday High school softball MHSAA Division 3 quarterfinals, at Cheboygan: Boyne City regional champion vs. Houghton Lake regional champion, 4:30 p.m. MHSAA Division […]
Last Wednesday evening Lamppost Head, playing for the first time on their designated home field, Oak Glen’s new synthetic turf Field of Dreams, broke a slump by crushing the ball to the fence and racing around the bases for an inside-the-park home run. Two days later he did It again on the same field but […]
Last Wednesday evening Lamppost Head, playing for the first time on their designated home field, Oak Glen’s new synthetic turf Field of Dreams, broke a slump by crushing the ball to the fence and racing around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
Two days later he did It again on the same field but against a different team, scoring even through he slipped and fell on the “slide-friendly” turf rounding second. These teams play in rain – they have to, if they want to get a season in – but this was a steady downpour and the game was called, erasing Lamppost Head’s home run.
A couple of days before, his brother, The 747, pitched four and a third innings and struck out 13, walking only four. On Friday, playing catcher on a rural baseball Field of Mud, where the rain was not so heavy as to prevent play, he went hitless at the plate and overthrew a pickoff attempt at third, allowing a tying run to score. He had an awful game, as did almost the whole team.
So it goes in spring youth baseball.
We grandparents bring our own chairs and sit with daughter Shark behind the chain-link fences, squinting into the sun or bundling against a chill wind or dripping on each other with our umbrellas. We cheer the good plays and moan at the bad ones, calling out “You’ve got this” to a pitcher searching for the strike zone and “Get the next one” when he doesn’t find it. We use their names when we yell encouragement to the players because they can hear us, at least when they want to.
Our daughter Shark’s boys play every organized youth sport available, including basketball, track, and soccer, which is probably their favorite. They tried football one year over Grandma Honey’s objections. She made them watch the movie “Concussion” before she would reluctantly agree to attend their games.
They both love baseball, at least when they’re not in a hitting slump. When Lamppost Head got out of his, he marveled that it was like a switch suddenly turned on. Coach moved him up in the lineup. The 747, a usually dependable hitter batting leadoff, is doing everything right at the plate but not finding that switch. We know he will.
Lamppost Head is 13, playing in the Pony Division of the Ohio Valley Youth Baseball League. The 747, 12, plays 12 and under, the Bronco Division. There are nine Pony teams and 23 Bronco teams in the league this year, all from towns in the valley or just up out of it, from East Liverpool down to Brilliant.
In that Field of Mud game, the balls in play were all uniformly brown after a few minutes. Except for the muffed throw to third, The 747 played his position well, even cutting down a runner stealing second.
The opposing team was short a couple of players and apparently called up a boy from a Mustang team, but still had only two in the outfield. (Players can play up an age group, but not down.) The call-up boy, who was very undersized, played left field, right in front of where we were sitting. He had a different uniform, and his name, “Pettit,” was stitched on the back, prompting unkind remarks from me because it’s from the French for “small.” My doubts abouthis abilities were dead wrong. This kid could throw and hit, and he caught the only fly ball our team managed to send to the outfield.
After the game, I heard our coach chew out our players when I walked on the field to get a picture of them in their muddy uniforms. He told them they played line a 1-and-9 team instead of a 10-and-0 team.
“It’s a win and we’ll take it, but you’d better get your heads on straight for these next games,” he said.
Yep, they won, 4-3, and are undefeated with three games left before playoffs. Lamppost Head’s team is also undefeated. Both teams have won with blowouts and squeakers, winning, I think, not because they are loaded up with the top players, but because they are good teams: solid defense, good pitching, smart and aggressive base-running and not bad at the plate. They have good coaches who care about the kids and can be tough, but don’t abuse their players like some coaches we hear.
The hero of Friday’s Field of Mud game was Brody, who earned three RBIs and pitched the last couple innings with a broken arm. A mostly healed broken arm, they said. Whatta guy.Our son-in-law Snickers is an assistant coach on The 747’s team. When he told the players I wanted to get a picture, one of them ran back to the infield and slid heavily into second because his uniform wasn’t muddy enough. It was just the right thing to do.
The coaches laughed and one yelled “sorry about the laundry” to his mother.
The synthetic turf has its advantages, but it would be a sad thing for baseball if kids never got to play on a Field of Mud.
By STEPHANIE UJHELYI
Staff Writer
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San Antonio Spurs Forward Julian Champagnie youth basketball camp in Los Fresnos
San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie hosted his youth basketball skills camp at the Los Fresnos United School in Los Fresnos. 85 kids registered for the camp that started at 12 p.m. and ended 4 p.m. They went through fundamental skills, dribbling, shooting and passing. The campers ended the day with a 5v5 game having […]
San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie hosted his youth basketball skills camp at the Los Fresnos United School in Los Fresnos.
85 kids registered for the camp that started at 12 p.m. and ended 4 p.m. They went through fundamental skills, dribbling, shooting and passing. The campers ended the day with a 5v5 game having the chance to go up against Champagnie.
Channel 5 news asked him about the importance of bringing these camps to the Valley.
“It’s super important because there aren’t any NBA games down here. I think we’re the closest ones out of the three Texas teams so coming out here is super important giving the kids something to look forward too and someone to look up too,” said Champagnie.
He also said he would love to come back out here and hopes to be here as soon as August.
Community and school youth football field support grants
OUR GRANT OPPORTUNITIES: Youth Today’s grant listings are carefully curated for our subscribers working in youth-related industries. Subscribers will find local, state, regional and national grant opportunities. THIS GRANT’S FOCUS: Youth Sports, Youth Football, Physical Activity, Low-income Community/YouthDeadline: June 30, 2025 “The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program provides non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations with financial and technical assistance […]
OUR GRANT OPPORTUNITIES: Youth Today’s grant listings are carefully curated for our subscribers working in youth-related industries. Subscribers will find local, state, regional and national grant opportunities.
THIS GRANT’S FOCUS: Youth Sports, Youth Football, Physical Activity, Low-income Community/Youth Deadline: June 30, 2025
“The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program provides non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations with financial and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety and accessibility of local football fields. Athletic fields can serve as tremendous community assets by offering opportunities for recreation, education and relaxation that contribute to the local quality of life. The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program seeks to redress the shortage of clean, safe and accessible football fields in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. There are two levels of funding available: (1) General Field Support and (2) Field Surface Grants.
(1) General Field Support: applicants may submit requests of up to $50,000 for capital projects not associated with the actual field surface. This support includes the installation/refurbishment of bleachers, concession stands, lights, irrigation systems, etc.
(2) Field Surface Grants: Matching grants of up to $250,000 are available to help finance the resurfacing of a community, middle school or high school football field. Matching grants of up to $250,000 will be available to applicants seeking to install new synthetic sports turf surfaces. The ability of these new surfaces to withstand constant use and require little ongoing maintenance costs makes this an attractive option for communities, schools and youth groups to consider.
A smaller number of matching grants of up to $100,000 will be available to help finance the resurfacing of a community, middle school or high school football field utilizing natural grass/sod surfaces.”
Funder: The NFL Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Eligibility: Community-based organizations, middle schools or high schools serving a neighborhood consisting of low- and moderate-income families and individuals with 501 (c)(3) tax exempt status or school tax exempt status. Amount: Up to $250,000 Contact:Link →
Related: Q&A: From summer slide to summer glide — Blending learning, engagement and fun
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