Udall Bill to Curb False Advertising Claims on Protective Sports Gear Clears Commerce Committee

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall announced that the Youth Sports Concussions Act (S. 1014) , a bill he introduced with Commerce Committee Chairman John D. "Jay" Rockefeller IV (D-W.V.), cleared a major hurdle when it passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The legislation would help protect youth athletes from the dangers of concussions by curbing false advertising claims made by sports equipment manufacturers to increase protective sports gear sales. Action on S. 1014 coincides with Youth Sports Safety Month: an April campaign by STOP Sports Injuries to raise awareness and educate parents, coaches, and athletes about children's sports injury prevention. The Udall-Rockefeller bill now awaits action by the full Senate.

"Sports are a fun and healthy part of growing up, but athletes, coaches and parents need accurate and honest information about equipment so they can make safe decisions," Udall said. "As we continue to look for the best ways to tackle the problem of sports concussions at all levels of athletics in New Mexico and nationwide, I am pleased we're making progress in taking false advertising out of the game. I want to thank Senator Rockefeller for his persistence with this bill as we move closer to its final passage."

"Concussions are a very serious issue for children playing sports, and we should be doing everything to prevent and treat them," Rockefeller said. "So it's deeply frustrating that manufacturers are still able to make false promises about the protective qualities of their products, yet there's no evidence I've seen that proves sports equipment is actually protecting youth athletes from concussions - and the Institute of Medicine backs this up. Senator Udall and I have remain committed to this bill that will help athletes, and their parents, fully understand the risks of concussions and other injuries when they use sports equipment."

The Youth Sports Concussion Act, as amended today in the committee, will increase potential penalties for using false injury prevention claims to sell youth sports equipment. S. 1014 is supported by major sports leagues and players' associations, high school and college sports associations, pediatricians, scientists, and several consumer groups. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences recently released a report concluding there is little to no medical evidence that youth sports equipment protects against risks of concussions. At Udall and Rockefeller's urging , the IOM studied how best to protect young athletes from sports-related concussions so parents and coaches can make informed decisions about how to keep athletes safe.

The legislation was introduced after the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing in October 2011 on sports equipment marketing and concussions. During the hearing, it was revealed that sports equipment manufacturers have repeatedly made claims that their equipment "prevents concussions" or "reduce the risk of concussions" without scientific evidence to back those claims.

Numerous sports, medical and consumer organizations support the Youth Sports Concussion Act, including:

American Academy of Neurology
American Academy of Pediatrics
Brain Injury Association of America
Brain Trauma Foundation
Cleveland Clinic
Consumer Federation of America
Consumers Union
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball Players Association
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer Players Union
National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
National Athletic Trainers' Association
National Basketball Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Consumers League
National Federation of State High School Associations
National Football League
National Football League Players Association
National Hockey League
National Hockey League Players' Association
National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association
National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment
Safe Kids Worldwide
US Lacrosse
US Soccer Federation
USA Hockey
Xenith