BaselinesSport-specific baselines
Baseline Testing in Youth Flag Football
Safer than tackle is not the same as safe. As flag football scales, baseline programs should scale with it.
Flag football is now the fastest-growing youth sport in America, driven partly by parental concerns about tackle football concussions. The sport was added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. But flag football isn’t concussion-proof — collisions, falls, and inadvertent contact still occur.
As participation scales rapidly, baseline testing programs should follow. The conversation isn’t whether flag football is safer than tackle (it is) — it’s whether brain safety infrastructure should scale with participation (it should). See also concussions in “safe” sports.
When to re-baseline
Plan every year before the first competition for athletes under 18, and every two years for adults in flag football. Always capture a new baseline after medical clearance from a concussion, after invalid or low-effort test results, when ADHD or other cognition-affecting medications change, or after 12+ months away from the sport.
See the sports baseline & re-baseline directory, baseline by pathway hub, how often to re-baseline, and the complete by-sport guide. Tackle football cadence: tackle football guide. Olympic & national pathway context: pathway hub.