The Brain on Youth Sports: The Science, the Myths, and the Future

by Julie M. Stamm

Overview

A 2022 Choice Reviews Outstanding Academic Title

Dispels the myths surrounding head impacts in youth sports and empowers parents to make informed decisions about sports participation

“They’re just little kids, they don’t hit that hard or that much.” “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) only happens to former NFL players.” “Youth sports are safer than ever.” These are all myths which, if believed, put young, rapidly maturing brains at risk each season.

In The Brain on Youth Sports: The Science, the Myths, and the Future, Julie M. Stamm dissects the issue of repetitive brain trauma in youth sports and their health consequences, explaining the science behind impacts to the head in an easy-to-understand approach. Stamm counters the myths, weak arguments, and propaganda surrounding the youth sports industry, providing guidance for those deciding whether their child should play certain high-risk sports as well as for those hoping to make youth sports as safe as possible. Stamm, a former three-sport athlete herself, understands the many wonderful benefits that come from playing youth sports and believes all children should have the opportunity to compete—without the risk of long-term consequences.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538143193
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/06/2021
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.91(d)

About the Author

Julie M. Stamm, PhD, is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She brings a unique perspective on the issues of repetitive head impacts in youth sports as a scientist and expert in the field, an anatomist, an athletic trainer, and a former athlete. She resides in Fitchburg, Wisconsin.

Table of Contents

Preface: Why I Wrote This Book vii

Part I Youth Sports: The Wins and the Losses 1

1 Why We Should Care about Repetitive Brain Trauma in Youth Sports 3

2 How Youth Sports Can Provide a Lifetime of Benefits 9

3 Why Sports Culture Needs a Transformation 15

Part II The Science: What We Know about Repetitive Brain Trauma in Sports 27

4 Why Kids Really Do Hit That Hard 29

5 Why the Young Brain Is Vulnerable 41

6 Why It's Not All about Concussions 51

7 Why Head Impacts in Youth Sports May Be Disrupting Brain Development 65

8 Why CTE Is More Than an NFL Problem, and What It Means for Youth Sports 75

Part III Bad Arguments for Maintaining the Status Quo in Youth Contact Sports 87

9 Why the Argument That "Other Sports Are Dangerous Too" Is a Bad One 89

10 Why Helmets and Other Technology Won't Solve the Problem 95

11 Why "Safer Than Ever" May Not Be Safe Enough 107

12 Why You Don't Have to Hit at a Young Age to Be a Superstar 121

13 Why the Benefits of Sports Can Be Gained Without Repetitive Brain Trauma 129

Part IV The Future of Youth Contact Sports 137

14 How We Can Change Contact Sports to Protect Children's Brains 139

15 What Families and Athletes Can DO to Stay Safe in Youth Sports 155

16 What You Can Do to Improve the Safety of Youth Sports in Your Community 165

Conclusion: How Much Do We Have to Know and How Bad Do this Risks Have to Be? 171

Acknowledgments 175

Notes 177

Selected Bibliography 213

Index 225

About the Author 233

Editorial Reviews

Clearheaded and productive conversation on brain injury from football is rare. Dr. Stamm has been an athlete, an athletic trainer, and a researcher. Her comprehensive experience provides an invaluable perspective. The Brain on Youth Sports is a gift to anyone aiming to gain an objective understanding of brain injury from football and other contact sports.

Chris Borland

Clinical assistant professor Julie Stamm, Ph.D applies her expertise in anatomy, childhood development, and athletics in The Brain on Youth Sports: The Science, the Myths, and the Future, a balanced scrutiny of the risks to the brain involved in youth sports. Stamm explains the science and medical knowledge behind concussions, CTE, and subconcussive impacts in terms accessible to parents, educators, and readers of all backgrounds. Stamm is emphatically not against youth sports; she is an ardent advocate of the physical and social benefits of athletic competition, but stresses that those benefits do not have to come at the cost of potential brain trauma. The Brain on Youth Sports offers practical suggestions for making youth sports safer for everyone, and is highly recommended especially for parents, educators, and youth coaches.

Library Bookwatch/Midwest Book Review

We say we would do anything to protect our children, yet each year millions of parents enroll their children in dangerous sports that may damage their developing brain. Dr. Julie Stamm has written the most up to date guide to the complex science of concussions and repetitive brain trauma in sports. Whether you are a parent choosing the appropriate sport for your child or a coach wrestling with how to keep your athletes safe, the reader will walk away educated and inspired to do the right thing – and not hit children in the head.

Chris Nowinski

This well-researched, thoroughly sourced work focuses on the dangers of repetitive brain trauma, particularly in youth contact sports. The chapter organization and accessible format shows a particular strength…. Another strength of this book is in the author's clear explanations of the science that informs current understanding of brain injuries, how those injuries happen, and why youthful brains are vulnerable during development. The author deftly dismantles common arguments and myths used by some in defending the current version of youth sports. A primary takeaway is that although people might not know everything, they do know enough to take the threat of brain injury seriously at the youth level and need to make changes now. This book offers practical solutions for doing just that and is important for anyone concerned about safety in youth sports. Essential. All readers.

Choice Reviews

Nearly 900,000 children ages 6 to 12 play tackle football. Is it so horrible for them to whack their noggins? Yes. “Common sense tells us that hitting our heads is bad for the brain,” says Stamm, a former high school athlete with a PhD in anatomy and neurobiology who studies chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or brain degeneration. She nixes the notion that helmets can be “concussion proof.” Even with a covering, a head can move rapidly after a blow. More than a third of athletes don’t report symptoms, sometimes because they’re afraid they’ll be labeled “soft,” lose their scholarships, or end their career. How about getting kids to stick to flag football? Tom Brady played it until ninth grade, while Walter Peyton and Jerry Rice didn’t play full contact until tenth grade. Stamm celebrates sports, which help prevent obesity while teaching discipline, dedication, perseverance, and teamwork. But she worries about blows during games of football, soccer, rugby, and ice hockey that can cause blurred vision, headache, dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, and nausea. There are lifesaving lessons here for young athletes, parents, and policymakers.

Booklist

Stamm's book is a must read for all parents contemplating allowing their young child to play a collision sport as it will allow for an informed, highly-educated decision.

Robert C. Cantu