CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It's the game we love to watch and many boys love to play, but football is the leading cause of sports related injuries.  Few in Charlotte know more of such injuries than the Sports Medicine Team at Ortho Carolina.  The injuries they are already seeing in these beginning weeks?  "When somebody is running down field, slows down to change direction, plants, cuts and their knee gives away," says Bill Heisel of Ortho Carolina.  In fact, Ortho Carolina has Saturday morning clinic hours to deal with Friday night football injuries.  "It is designed specifically for that, to get those kids seen, to get them evaluated," says Heisel.

For 14 year old Nick Burger who has played football since he was seven, love of game definetely out weighs concern of injury.  "It's a possibility but you still play because you love the sport," says Burger.  His dad adds, "if he wants to play we're going to let him play, I think the coaches are doing an excellent job of teaching them the fundementals, teaching them the correct techniques which will minimize the risk of injury," says Doug Burger.

 While the game itself has remained timeless over the years there are many aspects of the game that have changed and boys from a very early age are taught how to play football and prevent injury.  Heisel says "make sure their flexibility is as good as it can be because flexibility is absolutely incredibly important to injury prevention."

Those are the lessons boys like Nick must remember as he hopes to play college football one day.  He has the kind of determination parents and coaches want to hear, "even if I have no chance, I am still going to try."