Former professional soccer and football players are both three times more likely to die of brain disease. Soldiers, battered women, and other athletes also suffer from mental health challenges caused by repeated concussions. To address this problem, soccer headers have been banned for youth in the U.S. and multiple states have proposed banning youth football altogether. How do we balance the health benefits of sports and the newly discovered risks for brain disease such as Alzheimer's and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy? This course will explore the science, ethics, and policy debates involved with concussion and repetitive head trauma. We will review the history of the concussion crisis that started in football and was popularized in Will Smith's "Concussion." We will address the question of why America's most popular sport (football) has come under significant regulatory scrutiny while the world's most popular sport (soccer) has had less change but bears similar risk. Related questions investigated in this course will be: Are some sports too dangerous to play? How much scientific data is needed to legally restrict an activity, such as driving without a seatbelt? When should the government step in to protect children and when should parents be trusted to make the decisions? With disclosure and proper compensation, should individuals be allowed to manage their own risk? We will also examine other off-shoots of concussion awareness such as changes to helmet technology, concussion monitoring technologies, and automotive safety. The approach of this class will be reading and discussing primary literature on health risks and debating how they apply to ethical decisions on policy. Students will build skills in scientific literacy and formation of persuasive arguments that are broadly applicable to other areas where health science drives policy debates such as regulation of social media, vaccines, vaping, and autonomous vehicles.
4 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
Former professional soccer and football players are both three times more likely to die of brain disease. Soldiers, battered women, and other athletes also suffer from mental health challenges caused by repeated concussions. To address this problem, soccer headers have been banned for youth in the U.S. and multiple states have proposed banning youth football altogether. How do we balance the health benefits of sports and the newly discovered risks for brain disease such as Alzheimer's and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy? This course will explore the science, ethics, and policy debates involved with concussion and repetitive head trauma. We will review the history of the concussion crisis that started in football and was popularized in Will Smith's "Concussion." We will address the question of why America's most popular sport (football) has come under significant regulatory scrutiny while the world's most popular sport (soccer) has had less change but bears similar risk. Related questions investigated in this course will be: Are some sports too dangerous to play? How much scientific data is needed to legally restrict an activity, such as driving without a seatbelt? When should the government step in to protect children and when should parents be trusted to make the decisions? With disclosure and proper compensation, should individuals be allowed to manage their own risk? We will also examine other off-shoots of concussion awareness such as changes to helmet technology, concussion monitoring technologies, and automotive safety. The approach of this class will be reading and discussing primary literature on health risks and debating how they apply to ethical decisions on policy. Students will build skills in scientific literacy and formation of persuasive arguments that are broadly applicable to other areas where health science drives policy debates such as regulation of social media, vaccines, vaping, and autonomous vehicles.
Offered in Winter 2027 at Stanford University.