The worrisome trend of gun violence at high school football stadiums has national officials commenting on some disturbing numbers. Gun violence is on the rise at high school football games, and it is dimming what is special about Friday Night Lights.
Rather than fans jumping for touchdowns to support their local high school, on 17 occasions this year alone, fans have instead had to run away from the bleachers due to gunshots at games. A recent shooting in Baltimore saw players running full speed into the locker room at the sound of gunfire from next to the stadium.
In a story compiled and researched by NBC News, individuals such as Karissa Niehoff, the executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations, are beyond concerned by the numbers this year at high school football games.
Although the season isn’t even a month old, there have been 17 shootings nationally at high school football stadiums.
“It’s been sad to watch,” Niehoff told NBC News. “Horrific. It’s definitely the worst I can remember in 35 years as a teacher, coach, leader in sports.”
A criminologist, David Reidman agrees with Niehoff’s bigger point about the seriousness of the issue and the worrisome direction that the numbers indicate.
“I would call it an alarming trend,” Riedman said. “Right now, it appears we’re on pace with last year when there was at least one shooting at a football game each week on the season.”
There have been two deaths and 13 injured during these shootings.