Concussion Data, Articles, & More

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Now that it's football season (Go Giants!), it's also time to rethink concussions in the sport. There have been some good articles lately, such as Melissa Segura's heartbreaking story about three girlfriends/wives of retired NFL players. Also some indications that the NFL and NCAA are taking concussions seriously: Darrelle Revis was held out of yesterday's Jets game due to last week's head injury, and Arkansas' quarterback Tyler Wilson was held out of yesterday's game against Alabama.

Additionally, some of my students are working on sports infographics, including one dealing with concussions. I collected links to data & graphics for that class here as well.



Data on Concussions

• Concussion in Sports and Play: Get the Facts from the CDC. 
• Concussion resources from MedlinePlus, including these videos and medical encyclopedia entries.
• The Concussion Blog, maintained by Dustin Fink, a certified athletic trainer (ATC) working in Central Illinois. Includes weekly NFL Concussion Report, a compilation of reported head injuries in the NFL. Active on Twitter as @concussionblog.

Recent articles about NFL concussions & related issues

• Battista, Judy. A Player’s Concussion, a Family’s Ordeal: Former N.F.L. Player Mitch White Learns to Adjust To Postconcussion Life. New York Times, September 16, 2012.
• Holt, Bob. Tyler Wilson not OK to play. Alabama.com, September 16, 2012. 
• Leavy, Jane. Neuropathologist Dr. Ann McKee has been accused of killing football, but she may be the sport's only hope. Grantland, August 17, 2012. 
• Segura, Melissa. The Other Half of the Story: Too Often Forgotten in the NFL Concussion Debate are the Wives and Girlfriends. Sports Illustrated, September 10, 2012.
• Shpigel, Ben. Darrelle Revis Ruled Out of Jets-Steelers Game After Concussion. New York Times, September 14, 2012.

Bibliographies & Resources

• NFL Evolution - Health & Safety Resources. News & links from the NFL on their efforts to address concussions in the league. 
• Publications by the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, 2008-present. (see a librarian to get the full-text of any of these articles!)
• Prior CogSciLibrarian blog posts tagged concussion.
• Scientific Publications on CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), generated by the Sports Legacy Institute.