Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis

Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis by Christopher Nowinski. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780578083933.

This is the book that started the concussion revolution. In 2003, WWE wrestler Chris Nowinski took a kick to the head that knocked him out of professional wrestling and sent him on a journey that changed the way contact sports are played. Nowinski, a former Harvard football player, suddenly found himself suffering from a constellation of debilitating symptoms that included cognitive problems, severe headaches, and depression. Doctors eventually diagnosed him with post-concussion syndrome (PCS), but they couldnt tell him why that specific kick to the head created this problem, nor if he would ever recover enough to return to his job. His personal quest to understand his condition led him to discover that if the public knew what a handful of doctors understood about the serious consequences of concussions, we would change how we play sports forever. But information wasnt reaching the American public, because, as Nowinski was the first to expose, NFL officials actively sought to undermine and discredit the legitimate and valuable research that could make the difference between life and death for so many. Head Games takes readers through Nowinskis journey to diagnosis, then deeper into an understanding of this far-reaching national crisis. The book includes interviews with NFL Hall of Famer Harry Carson, Merril Hoge, Leigh Steinberg, Sylvia Mackey, dozens of college and youth football players, and top doctors in the field of sports concussion. This book is a must read for any parent, coach, or medical professional, and reveals the changes we must make to keep children safe in sports.