Craig Welch

Why Are So Many Teen Girls Still Tearing Their A.C.L.s?

In the NYT Magazine: Over 4 years, a dozen of my daughter’s current and former teammates (including my child) ruptured a combined 19 ACLs. Knee injuries have become a global crisis for teen girls. Yet we’ve known for 25 years how to reduce ACL tears. What went wrong? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/m...

See story online below or in Sunday, March 1 issue.

Both an incredibly reported and devastatingly personal piece - kudos @craigwelch.bsky.social

🎁 link

Thank you so much. As you can imagine, this story and issue mean a lot to me. 🙏

Ugh. So sorry. 😢

This is very true as well.

Why Are So Many Teen Girls Still Tearing Their A.C.L.s?

A must read from my friend and fellow Nieman @craigwelch.bsky.social
Why Are So Many Teen Girls Still Tearing Their A.C.L.s? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/m...

a great story on the devastating growth of ACL injuries which can be prevented for many through effective active warm up regimens like the FIFA11+ routine

A stunning story by @craigwelch.bsky.social with an equally striking comment thread, full of people who can relate to Craig, his daughter Edie and her teammates:

▪️"My daughter has your daughter's story verbatim"
▪️"After three of my teammates tore their ACLs in a single week"
▪️"I tore my ACL twice"

I am so sorry to hear this. And sorry that I keep hearing it over and over. Good luck to you and definitely look into Fifa 11+. The research is pretty overwhelming ...

As one expert told me, "It’s probably the biggest youth sports issue in the world right now, apart from concussions.”

And we've known how to address for 25 years, yet injuries just keep rising.

My new piece in this weekend's New York Times Magazine.

Thank you!!

My daughter, too. Very solid piece.

Thank you, Michael. Appreciate you reading and sharing.

Thanks, Casey.

All the many months I spent with this story, and in one paragraph in one morning, you described the phenomenon more crisply and coherently than I have yet.

Editors, man. We all need 'em. Just don't tell anyone I said so.

And thanks for sharing.

Why Are So Many Teen Girls Still Tearing Their A.C.L.s?

My friend @craigwelch.bsky.social wrote this fascinating, lucid, sometimes enraging, sometimes heartbreaking but ultimately half-hopeful story about the spike in ACL injuries among teen girls — including his daughter. Gift link! www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/m...

Thank you. And I'm so sorry to hear that. So, so many others in the same boat. But I appreciate very much that you're sharing it ...!

Alas, it's hard to know the answer. The whole system is so bifurcated. I can't even tell you what the coaches of all the teams that played against my daughter are doing, let alone what entire organizations are doing. But I think you've hit on the right questions ...

Thank you, Mike. Really appreciate you reading.

My labor of love and heartbreak coming Sunday in The New York Times Magazine.

A hard one to write, but proud of my teen. When I asked if we should share her story, she only had one question. “Do you think it might help someone?”

Here’s hoping it does

🙏🙏

Why Are So Many Teen Girls Still Tearing Their A.C.L.s?

Have a kid (or know one) in youth sports? Excellent piece by @craigwelch.bsky.social in @nytimes.com on the rise in ACL injuries.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/m...

Thank you, Clare!!

Why Are So Many Teen Girls Still Tearing Their A.C.L.s?

In 4 years, a dozen of my daughter's current and former teammates tore a combined 19 ACLs. It’s a global crisis for teen athletes, yet we’ve known for 25 years how to reduce ACL tears. How did we get here? And what can we do?

Our story, in the NYT Sunday Magazine: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/m...

Why Are So Many Teen Girls Still Tearing Their A.C.L.s?

In the NYT Magazine: Over 4 years, a dozen of my daughter’s current and former teammates (including my child) ruptured a combined 19 ACLs. Knee injuries have become a global crisis for teen girls. Yet we’ve known for 25 years how to reduce ACL tears. What went wrong? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/m...

Why Are So Many Teen Girls Still Tearing Their A.C.L.s?

In 4 years, a dozen of my daughter's current and former teammates tore a combined 19 ACLs. It’s a global crisis for teen athletes, yet we’ve known for 25 years how to reduce ACL tears. How did we get here? And what can we do?

Our story, in the NYT Sunday Magazine: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/m...

Scientists thought they understood global warming. Then the past three years happened. The fastest warming period since 1880 occurred in the past 30 years, according to a Washington Post analysis of NASA data.

Two reminders:

1) While we deal with ...waves arms at everything...climate change appears likely to be *accelerating*

2) The @washingtonpost.com, recently gutted by layoffs, has consistently done VERY good #climate reporting. @shannonosaka.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Who were the other men in the Epstein files? This is the FBI’s own list FBI employees shared a PowerPoint presentation in the summer of 2025 covering the Epstein case, including a slide about 11 powerful men.

NEW this am:

Turns out there WAS a list, just not by Epstein.

It was compiled by Trump’s FBI. And guess who is on it?

Also: Did Kash Patel lie to Congress?

More groundbreaking reporting from @jkbjournalist.bsky.social

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...

Fired while literally trying to inform us about threats to democracy, even through the cold darkness.

Ahem. A suggestion... (h/t @marilynfd.bsky.social)