Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis by Christopher Nowinski

If you are a parent of a child in any contact sport you must read this book. If you participate in any contact sport you owe it to yourself to check this book out. This book should be mandatory reading for every sports coach in America.

The book starts off with Chris's concussion issues and the difficulty he had in finding a proper diagnosis for his condition. Due to his frustration over the questions involving concussions he took it upon himself to write this book. Chris is a Harvard graduate and his research ability shines through. He has taken a very complex issue and made it very understandable for anyone to follow.

One of the biggest problems with the concussion epidemic in youth football is that the NFL has an image to protect. It appears that their image is more important than the safety of your children. The head of the NFL's Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) Committee, Dr. Pellman, is the clown that also represented MLB at their Congressional hearings about steroids and was the biggest buffoon of that embarrassing day. This guy also has ethical questions dealing with resume exaggerations. Unfortunately, this guy has great credibility with the media and what he says is followed by coaches nationwide. The best thing I can say about this guy is that if I was an injured Jets player I would rather be treated by Dr. Kevorkian than this guy. I'm willing to wager that Wayne Chrebet might feel the same way.

It's not just the NFL that is protecting themselves. The manufacturers of football helmets have a lucrative business to protect and they too are responsible for some shady studies.

This book brings many questions to light. Unfortunately, many of these questions still remain unanswered. Hopefully one day the medical mysteries of the concussion will be answered but until that day comes, Chris has offered some great advice that parents, players, and coaches should be following.