The Brian Lehrer Show The ACL Injury Crisis in Girls' Sports
Mar 9, 2026
Craig Welch, New York Times Magazine writer who investigated teen ACL injuries and drew on his daughter's experience. He explores why girls tear ACLs more often, the emotional and long-term fallout, biological and social risk factors, effective 20-minute prevention programs, barriers to adopting them, and how equipment and surfaces contribute to rising injury rates.
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Girls Have Higher Teen ACL Rates
- Teenage girls tear ACLs at much higher rates than boys, a pattern researchers noticed starting in the late 1990s.
- Craig Welch ties this to biological differences and growing incidence, noting the problem is longstanding and worsening.
Reporter’s Daughter Experienced Recurrent ACL Tears
- Craig Welch recounts watching his daughter's teammates repeatedly tear ACLs and then her own ACL tear, showing the local epidemic effect.
- His daughter missed a year of sport, then re-tore an ACL later, illustrating long recovery and recurrence risk.
Multiple Causes Behind Sex Gap In ACLs
- Multiple factors explain higher female ACL risk: anatomy, movement patterns, footwear, and social training differences.
- Welch notes girls often are trained like boys and miss early strength training advantages boys get.