A Minnesota doctor is calling for a ban on high school football.

It all stems from concerns around the long-term effects of concussions and the peer pressure students feel to join their school's team.

Experts here in Winnipeg say more can be done to protect athletes while still allowing the game to be played.

Kaiden Bannon, 13, plays bantam football in Winnipeg and will soon move on to the high school ranks.

His dad, Jeffrey Bannon, supports the 13-year-old’s passion for the game even though he knows it comes with risks.

"Do kids get concussions? Yes they do. We'd be a fool not to say that,” said Bannon. “But if the game is taught the safe way – if you tackle and you play the game the safe way, the right way – you're going to be okay."

University of Minnesota bioethics professor Dr. Steven Miles said the risk of head injury is far too great for any public school program to take on.

Miles is calling for a ban on high school football in the United States in an effort to prevent concussions and reduce peer pressure on students to play the game.

"There's tremendous pressure on those kids to play,” said Dr. Miles. “(Move) football outside of the school, then the kids could truly decide whether they wanted to play football."

Miles will publish an editorial on the topic in the January 2016 issue of the American Journal of Bioethics.

In his research, the professor found youth between the ages of nine and 15 suffer 250 head hits per season in games and practice; while kids who play at the high school level take 650 hits to the head.

Hits, he said, that can do both short and long-term damage.

"This type of injury causes short-term academic loss and performance and in the long-term may be associated to more severe brain injuries," said Miles.

Glen Bergeron is the director of the University of Winnipeg's Heads Up Concussion Institute and also works with the Winnipeg High School Football League. He said more needs to be done to prevent blows to the head and manage concussions when they do happen.

"I think it's real important we need to err on the side of caution, but I don't think it should be going so far as to ban the sport," said Bergeron. "It still is a macho thing to try and hide the fact that you've had a concussion and that's something that really has to be ingrained in our athletes that kind of thing should not be happening."

In 2015, there were 21 confirmed concussions reported to Winnipeg High School Football League commissioner Rick Henkewich; however, he said calling for a ban on high school football is an overreaction.

"To stop your kids from playing, I don't think you can, I don't think you should," said Henkewich. “We can't live in a protected bubble."

Henkewich said the league has taken steps to protect kids by teaching safe contact and introducing new protocols two years ago to keep concussed players off the field.

Miles said concussions are also a concern in hockey, but added the sport has done a better job than football of eliminating hits to the head.