Head Games

I played football for seven years, so when I started hearing this CTE talk around '09/'10 I covered my ears. I didn't want to hear any brain injury talk about the game I loved. I knew of concussions, but that was just a part of the game. A concussion was a badge of honor. If you hadn't had at least one concussion in your playing career then you weren't playing hard enough. Ronnie Lott used to knock himself silly laying the wood to opponents.

Was it that I valued the game of football more than the players? Looking back at my previous attitude, I'd say yes I did. It's taken me ten years to finally unplug my ears and listen to the facts about football and brain injuries. "Head Games" is a real eye opener to the role sports play in life altering brain injuries and the development of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). Until watching this documentary I didn't even know what CTE stood for nor what it was.

I think "Head Games" is very important viewing for any parent who has children interested in contact sports. Don't be like me, don't bury your head in the sand.

I was unexpectedly moved and also quite shocked by this fine documentary about the potential for CTE in contact sports at all levels.

The film moves far beyond the now widely-known phenomenon of concussions in the NFL to focus on the potential for serious damage to younger kids who play football, hockey, lacrosse and even soccer. The anguish of those parents and coaches who both understand the risks yet love sports and want to support their children is heartbreaking. And, due to interlacing footage of a fantastic inner-city pee-wee game, the viewer experiences much of the same conflict.

I can see why people might give this film a low rating. It runs long, and covers material that, frankly, is unpleasant to view or think about. Nevertheless, this is an extremely important and well constructed film. If you're a parent of a younger athlete, you need to see it, today.