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.

Julie 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 with knowledge of childhood development throughout the body and the brain, and an athletic trainer who has provided medical care for athletes in a variety of sports. As an avid sports fan and a three-sport high school athlete from a small town in Wisconsin, she values the importance of sports participation for children. She resides in Fitchburg, WI.

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." "Girls soccer is the most dangerous sport." "Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy only happens to former NFL players." "Youth sports are safer than ever." These are all myths propagated with the goal of maintaining the status quo in youth sports, which can subject young, rapidly maturing brains to hundreds of impacts each season. In this book, Julie Stamm dissects the issue of repetitive brain trauma in youth sports and their health consequences, explaining the science behind concussions, CTE, and subconcussive impacts written in an easy-to-understand approach, so you can be a well-informed consumer and decision maker. It's not all about concussions. Those repetitive impacts that happen on every play in football or with every header in soccer can damage the brain, too. The consequences can be even worse for a child's developing brain. Stamm counters the myths, bad arguments, and propaganda surrounding the youth sports industry. This book also provides guidance for those deciding whether or not their child should play sports with a high risk of repetitive brain trauma as well as for those hoping to make youth sports truly as safe as possible for young athletes.

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 play sports without the risk of long-term consequences. No athlete has to sustain hundreds of impacts and repetitive brain trauma in order to gain the benefits of sports. This work is a must-read before you suit up your child for another practice or send your team out for another game.

Introduction: Why I Wrote this Book

Part I: Youth Sports: The Wins and the Losses

Chapter 1: Why We Should Care About Repeated Brain Trauma in Youth Sports

Chapter 2: How Youth Sports Can Provide a Lifetime of Benefits

Chapter 3: Why Sports Culture Needs a Transformation

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

Chapter 4: Why Kids Really Do Hit That Hard (At Least That's What Their Brain Feels)

Chapter 5: Why the Young Brain is Vulnerable

Chapter 6: Why It's Not All About Concussions

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

Chapter 8: Why CTE is More Than an NFL Problem, and What it Means for Youth Sports

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

Chapter 9: Why the Argument that Other Sports are Dangerous, too, is a Bad One

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

Chapter 11: Why Safer Than Ever May Not Be Safe Enough

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

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

Part IV: The Future of Youth Sports

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

Chapter 15: What Families and Athletes Can Do to Stay Safe in Youth Sports

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

Conclusion: How much do we have to know and how bad do the risks have to be?

Bibliography

Notes

About the Author