Hit Count

About this book

I hit him so hard the clash of helmets and pads sounded like a gunshot across the field. I crushed him with the hit held on to him and crushed him again when I slammed him into the ground . . . I had arrived. Arlo Brodie loves being at the heart of the action on the football field getting hit hard and hitting back harder. Thats where he belongs leading his team to championships becoming Starlo on his way to the top. Arlos dad cheers him on but his mother quotes head injury statistics and refuses to watch games. Arlos girlfriend tries to make him see how dangerously hes playing; when that doesnt work she calls time out on their relationship. Even Arlos coaches begin to track his hit count ready to pull him off the field when he nears the limit. But Arlos not worried about tallying collisions. The winning plays the cheering crowds and the adrenaline rush are enough to convince Arlo that everything is OKin spite of the pain the pounding the dizziness and the confusion. Hit Count explores Americas love affair with football and our attempts to reconcile the clear evidence of its dangers with our passion for the game.