Head Injury Seminars can Change Sports Culture, One Coach at a Time

When a high-school football player takes a hard blow to the head, who makes the decision on whether he can stay in the game or practice? Not a doctor, most times. Not the athletes – they almost always want to stay in. Parents? Sometimes, but they’re not always on hand.

It’s usually the coach – often a teacher who volunteers before or after school. And who designs the practices and decides how often to have full contact, and what kind of contact? The coach.

That’s a lot of responsibility and trust placed on a teacher-volunteer’s shoulders. And how much do these coaches know about head injuries – and how far are they prepared to go to risk the wrath of the team, parents and athletes themselves in defence of a possibly injured brain?

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