The New York Daily News makes a point.
In the second episode of our two-part special on the history of rugby union and concussion, we take a look how attitudes changed with the coming of professionalism.
For a sport that came into the world with deep links to the medical profession, the 21st century saw it abandon those links in favour of new relationships with sports scientists - and it would be the players who lost out.
Personal Declaration: I have carried out historical research on concussion and rugby for Ryland's Law, the solicitors acting on behalf of the players who are currently taking legal action against the rugby authorities.
References in this episode:
Dorothy Gronwall and Philip Wrightson, Mild Head Injury: A Guide to Management (Oxford University Press, 1999).
Ann B. Shuttleworth-Edwards & Sarah E. Radloff, ‘Compromised visuomotor processing speed in players of Rugby Union from school through to the national adult level’ Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 23 (2008).
Vini G. Khurana & Andrew H. Kaye, ‘An overview of concussion in sport’ Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 19 (2012).
Neil Pearce, Valentina Gallo & Damien McElvenny, ’Head trauma in sport and neurodegenerative disease: an issue whose time has come?’ Neurobiology of Aging 36 (2015).
W. Stewart, P.H. McNamara, B. Lawlor, S. Hutchinson & M. Farrell ‘Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: a potential late and under-recognized consequence of rugby union?’ QJM: An International Journal of Medicine (2016).
The ‘Concussion in Sports Group’ conference statements can be found in the relevant issues of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The controversy about the work of Paul Mcrory can be found in this Guardian article and the Retraction Watch article.