Teen Permanently Disabled in High School Football Game

Photo courtesy of Google Images. The quarterback for Chula Vista High School is examined by coaches after landing on his knee when he was tackled.

Redmond, CA- Pete Stenhoff was a physically fit, 210-pound linebacker for the Chula Vista High School when he cracked vertebrae in his spine during a game. Now, he is confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Stenhoff is among the 20,000 other high school football players that are injured each year playing the sport. He is also part of the 2,400 players that are disabled permanently. Thirteen youths died last year.

Many critics blame the helmet for the amount of injuries that players encounter, since 35% of injuries occur to the neck or head (attribute in a real article). Stenhoff’s injury came from ramming his own head into another player’s chest.

Stenhoff is not bitter about his injury. He said, “I knew the risks involved when I decided to play football, but I wish I would have known just how bad it could be.”

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Consider these preventative measures if your child plays football:

• Knowledge and Skill development: Know the game and the rules.
• Conditioning: Use resistance training for muscle and neck strengthening.
• Equipment: Make sure all the right equipment is bought and is being used at every practice and at every game.
• Emergency Preparation: Know what to do if a player does get injured.

Jordan Still Scores with Nike After 25 years

Photo by Google Images. Jordan makes his way up the court with the ball and his new signature sneakers.

Michael Jordan is scoring as many points in the game of endorsements as he did in the game of basketball. Earning $33 million a year from endorsements alone, the sports icon is worth over $500 million, according to Forbes.

Gatorade, McDonald’s, General Mills, and Hanes have all been endorsed by Jordan, but perhaps his biggest success in endorsements comes from his endorsement deal with Nike.

This season marks 25 years since Jordan and Nike teamed up to create Air Jordans.

With a signature shoe for such a prized player, Nike’s sales went through the roof. Nike’s total revenue was about $900 million in 1984. By 1997, when Jordan was closing in on the fifth of his sixNBA titles, revenue increased to $9.19 billion, according to Dan Wetzel.

“He’s the single most influential endorser that will ever live,” said John Paul Vaccaro, who pitched the idea of signing Jordan back when it was unthinkable.

Even now, 25 years after he first signed up with Nike, Jordan has his own brand at Nike, and sales continue. With more than 20 models of signature shoes, Jordan continues to earn millions in endorsements from Nike alone.