Tiger Woods's Back and Tommy John's Elbow: Injuries and Tragedies That Transformed Careers, Sports, and Society

by Jonathan Gelber M.D.,M.S.

Overview

How has today’s society changed because of Sandy Koufax, Tom Brady, or Tiger Woods? How have courtrooms and the law changed because of the tragic loss of a No. 1 NBA Draft Pick and a NASCAR driver? And what effect did Magic Johnson’s announcement regarding his HIV diagnosis have on the NBA and testing across the nation?

Dr. Jonathan Gelber has compiled a list of impactful injuries and tragedies in Tiger Woods's Back and Tommy John’s Elbow: Injuries and Tragedies That Transformed Careers, Sports, and Society and the ripple effect they have had on players across several different sports and on society in general.

Among the athletes featured in this book are:

• Tommy John and how the surgery that bears his name may have led to a youth injury epidemic
• Dale Earnhardt and how his devastating crash led to new rules and safety concerns for NASCAR and changes in privacy laws
• Lyle Alzado and how the conversation on steroids was driven underground
• Len Bias and how his death shaped today's drug laws
• And many more!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683582595
Publisher:	Sports Publishing LLC
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Jonathan Gelber, MD, MS is an orthopedic surgeon. He attended the University of Miami, where he received both a BS in biology and a BA in chemistry with honors. Dr. Gelber completed a master's degree in biomedical engineering at Columbia University and graduated with distinction in research from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He then went on to complete an Orthopedic Surgery residency at Harbor-UCLA and additional subspecialty fellowship training in sports medicine at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Gelber is an author on numerous scientific journal papers and chapters as well as the author of The Ultimate Guide to Preventing and Treating MMA Injuries. 
Jonathan Gelber, MD, MS, is an orthopedic surgeon. He attended the University of Miami, where he received both a BS in biology and a BA in chemistry with honors. Dr. Gelber completed a master's degree in biomedical engineering at Columbia University and graduated with distinction in research from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He then went on to complete an Orthopedic Surgery residency at Harbor-UCLA and additional subspecialty fellowship training in sports medicine at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Gelber is an author on numerous scientific journal papers and chapters as well as the author of The Ultimate Guide to Preventing and Treating MMA Injuries. 

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Cobra Effect vii

1 Sandy Koufax, Tommy John, and an Epidemic 1

2 The Magic and Cookie Johnson Effect 15

3 Lyle Alzado and the Steroid Conversation 43

4 Len Bias and "Biased" Drug Laws 63

5 Hank Gathers, Dale Lloyd, and Athlete Screening 79

6 Ayrton Senna, Dale Earnhardt, and NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow 95

7 Duk-koo Kim and Boxing's Biggest Tragedy 115

8 Tom Brady and Protecting the Quarterback 137

9 Tiger's Back 157

References and Sources Used 177

Editorial Reviews

Not every sports book opens with a tale of combatting cobras in imperial India—but then, not every sports book is as original, informative, and entertaining as this one. Jonathan Gelber deploys medical knowledge and skillful storytelling to examine how the ripples of sporting injuries and tragedies can reach into broader society, prompting a search for solutions and cures that can have unintended and far-reaching consequences.”

—Kieran Mulvaney, co-host of Showtime Boxing podcast

"Dr. Gelber has given us a fascinating read on the far-reaching ripple effects of some of the most notable sports injuries and tragedies in history—the ones that touch you and me and everyone else. Jonathan Gelber's careful, Freakonomics-like approach reveals truths that most of us never knew existed."
—Lars Anderson, New York Times best-selling author and longtime Sports Illustrated writer

“A fascinating look at all sorts of big stories throughout the history of sports because it broaches many threads beneath them in ways most that may be familiar with the topic don’t realize some of the context. It takes you down a lot of different thought-provoking rabbit holes.”

—Bruce Feldman, college football reporter for FOX Sports and The Athletic; author of Meat Market:

Inside the Smash-mouth World of College Football Recruiting

“Extremely well-researched book written by a qualified orthopedic surgeon who turns to history to show how injuries and tragedies in sports dramatically transformed athletes, their sports, and society. If you like sports—and care about athletes—it’s a must-read.”

—Eddie Dominguez, author of Baseball Cop: The Dark Side of America’s National Pastime

From the Publisher