They'd invite dignitaries from the sports' myriad levels — from pee-wees to high schools, from colleges to the NFL — to a high-profile Washington summit. C-Span would televise it, gavel to gavel.
Once there, coaches, players, administrators and equipment-makers would listen to researchers describe the mounting evidence that the prevalence of head injuries — often unreported or deemed part of the game — can have life-altering effects on players.
Coaches would explain how they teach safe techniques. Players would estimate how often they report head injuries — from merely "getting their bell rung" to full-blown concussions. Administrators would detail the resources they dedicate to training and medical staffs, and the authority they hold over players' safety.
At summit's end, the president and his advisers would strongly urge changes to this uniquely American game — not to dilute it, not to destroy it, but to enhance its integrity.
Recall this part of American history. In 1906, Roosevelt became the first U.S. president to address the brutality that characterized the college game in the early 20th century. The hearty and athletic Roosevelt was appalled by the fact that 18 players had died in 1905 from on-field injuries.
Seeking to fix the game before it killed itself, Roosevelt brought experts from the East Coast's top football schools to the White House. The goal was to recast football's rules and policies so that unsportsmanlike conduct and other vicious actions would be lessened.
Roosevelt, a fan, wanted Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Princeton to keep fielding teams. Wilson, as president of Princeton, also played a strong role in saving the early game from its own violence.
Today, the game is not in danger. Its popularity is unchallenged. But recent studies have shown two key findings: (a.) NFL players are strongly susceptible to long-term health risks such as dementia because of repeated, and often untreated, concussions; and (b.) medical experts are now considering the long-term effects on players who never suit up past the high school or college level, but may be in danger of similar effects, nonetheless.
These findings should give Americans pause, particularly parents of young players. That congressional hearings have been held on the prevalence of football concussions only strengthens that concern.
Monday's New York Times carried productive news on this front. It reports the NFL is preparing teams to seek advice from independent neurologists when treating a player with a brain injury. The co-chairmen of the league's committee on brain injuries have resigned as this topic has intensified.
The NFL's one thing; college and high school is another. On any given fall Friday, teens suit up and mimic the Sunday pros. Bodies collide; injuries occur; head injuries large and small seem unavoidable, even with proper tackling techniques and cutting-edge equipment.
Perhaps it's time for a Rooseveltian approach. If there's a problem in the game, let's minimize it the best way possible. The sport is too splendid to allow it to endanger those who play it.
