NFHS Playing Rules Committees Address Religious, Cultural Concerns of Participants

In every rules publication published by the NFHS, the following statement appears on the first page:

“To maintain the sound traditions of this sport, encourage sportsmanship and minimize the risk of injury, the National Federation of State High School Associations writes playing rules for varsity competition among student-athletes of high school age.”

With almost eight million participants in high school sports, NFHS rules are written for more individuals than all other levels of sports combined. Since the first high school sports rules publication was published in 1932 (Football Rules), to to...