SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - A study by a Dakotas-based hospital shows that middle school football players are getting hit just as hard as older kids, but not as often and not enough to cause short-term damage.
The Sanford Sports Institute study used in-helmet sensors to measure the force and location of hits to the head for players ages 11 to 13. It focuses on 22 players from the same South Dakota team.
The project found that the median number of hits taken by a player during the season was 252. That's about half of what a high school player absorbs.
Institute officials say the players suffered no ill effects over the season.
Sanford Health is based in Sioux Falls and Fargo, North Dakota. It has more than 26,000 employees in the two states.