Concussed: Sport’s Uncomfortable Truth

The definitive account of sport’s concussion crisis, how its ‘dirty secret’ was finally made publicand what sport must now do to save itself. By recounting the untold story of the most influential sports campaign in British newspaperhistory, which turned concussion in professional rugby from a niche issue into front and back pagenews, Concussed poses the questions all sports lovers need answering as evidence grows linkingsports-related concussions to premature deaths and dementia. Written by Sam Peters, the journalist who spearheaded the Mail on Sunday’s Cudlipp Prize nominatedconcussion campaign, Concussed reveals one man’s attempts to blow the whistle on a mounting headinjury crisis. For years, his efforts saw him labelled a ‘pariah’ and almost forced him out of thesport he loved for good. Including exclusive interviews with bereaved families whose stories have never been told before, aswell as high-profile administrators, medics, current and past players, coaches, lawyers and mediafigures, Peters recounts the countless battles he fought and the threats he faced in a sport whosemacho culture masked the urgent need to radically overhaul player welfare standards.Expanding his research from rugby to football, NFL and cricket, Peters brings an unparalleledbreadth of experience and depth of knowledge to a subject he has written about and campaigned overfor almost a decade. Now sport’s ‘dirty secret’ is out in the open, Peters asks what it must now do to ensure futuregenerations of players are not left permanently damaged and how parents can be persuaded theirchildren are safe to play contact sports. Ultimately, in an increasingly risk-averse world, Concussed: Sport’s Ticking Timebomb asks: will concussion kill sport? — ISBN13: 9781838955779