Head in the Game

'Head in the game provides illuminating insights that could come only from a diverse group of experts. Each chapter offers a nuanced analysis of oft-overlooked dimensions of sports concussion. Timely and important, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the cultural and social dynamics contributing to a health issue that is increasingly framed as a crisis in sport.' Professor Kathryn Henne, The Australian National University Head in the game brings together scholars from across the humanities, social sciences and scientific disciplines to critically examine one of the most vexing issues in global sport: concussion. Internationally, there are growing concerns that repeated brain trauma puts athletes at risk of long- and short-term neurological damage. These concerns have created a crisis for sport, the solutions to which remain elusive despite the best efforts of the scientific and medical communities. Head in the game argues that science and medicine alone cannot solve the concussion crisis: sociocultural factors must also be considered. This edited collection draws attention to the ways in which social, cultural, historical, political, literary, philosophical and legal factors have shaped the concussion crisis in sport. By employing a socioecological framework, the book reveals a tangled web of sociocultural factors that influence concussion-related attitudes, behaviours and policy. Featuring a fully referenced introduction and conclusion, and fourteen essays written by leading international scholars, Head in the game provides readers with opportunities to examine sports concussion from new and sometimes unexpected angles. This innovative book is essential reading for those who want to understand how the concussion crisis came to be, and provides guidance for developing ethical and evidence-based solutions in the future.