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Concussed

Sport's Uncomfortable Truth

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Concussed

By: Sam Peters
Narrated by: Sam Peters
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About this listen

By recounting the untold story of the most influential sports campaign in British newspaper history, which turned concussion in professional rugby from a niche issue into front and back page news, Concussed poses the questions all sports lovers need answering as evidence grows linking sports-related concussions to premature deaths and dementia.

Written by Sam Peters, the journalist who spearheaded the Mail on Sunday's Cudlipp Prize nominated concussion campaign, Concussed reveals one man's attempts to blow the whistle on a mounting head injury crisis. For years, his efforts saw him labelled a 'pariah' and almost forced him out of the sport he loved for good.

Including exclusive interviews with bereaved families whose stories have never been told before, as well as high-profile administrators, medics, current and past players, coaches, lawyers and media figures, Peters recounts the countless battles he fought and the threats he faced in a sport whose macho culture masked the urgent need to radically overhaul player welfare standards.

Expanding his research from rugby to football, NFL and cricket, Peters brings an unparalleled breadth of experience and depth of knowledge to a subject he has written about and campaigned over for almost a decade.

Now sport's 'dirty secret' is out in the open, Peters asks what it must now do to ensure future generations of players are not left permanently damaged and how parents can be persuaded their children are safe to play contact sports. Ultimately, in an increasingly risk-averse world, Concussed: Sport's Ticking Timebomb asks: will concussion kill sport?

©2023 Sam Peters (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd
Rugby Injury
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What listeners say about Concussed

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  • Overall
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Compelling if not a little heartbreaking

A well researched account of concussion in Rugby and beyond by an experienced, knowledgeable campaigner.

A must read for any parent considering letting their child take the field in any contact sport. The mantra ‘If In Doubt Sit Them Out’ will be ringing in your ears days after completing this book.

Not sure about some of Sam’s accents though, haha!

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Expert in depth analysis

Very thorough and thought provoking analysis of significant issue. Very enjoyable listen, focussed on rugby but also cover other sports

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An eye-opener

Is you have any interest in sport (amateur or professional) this is a must-listen.

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The quickest I’ve listened to a book

I am a rugby lover. It’s given me everything I have today. This means that this book is a tough listen. Whatever you may feel about head injuries in sport this book lays out (sometimes a little repetitively but never anything less than clearly) the progressive and prolonged fight that one person (then many to follow) have had with the RFU and other governing sports bodies to seek the truth and some justice in recognition of brain trauma in contact sports. I could hardly switch the audio off. I’ve already recommended this to several people and will be recommending it more widely now I’ve finished.

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FANTASTIC PIECE OF WORK FROM AN AUTHOR WHO REFUSED TO BACK DOWN!!!

A rollercoaster of emotions as Sam Peters took me through years of hard work, research and campaigning in the fight to recognise and remove head injuries from sport.


No surprise it only took a chapter before the blood began to boil. But also it was great to learn more about Sam. He reminded me a lot of myself in his younger days. So it made things even more relatable. After the initial anger subsided it turned to an overwhelming feeling of gratefulness to Sam for putting himself well and truly in the firing line but sticking to his moral compass and that takes a special kind of person in the day and age of pat my back and I’ll pat yours.

It helped me to understand a bit more about myself. There were points where it made me feel very low, but also points that made me laugh and smile - even if it was at the obscene way in which for 100 years + this has been swept under the carpet by people who should have cared.

Sam has been a shining beacon among an industry of thorns who want to prick anybody who gets too close to the guarded secret.

I think my only hope is, this doesn’t disappear as quickly as Sam brought it to the forefront of so many minds and while he’s around I’m truly convinced he’ll not let it.

It’s an incredible piece of work and so much more than a book. He should be immensely proud and I am extremely thankful for all he’s done and continue to do to make sure a 15 year old with dreams doesn’t have their life dashed due to the criminal mismanagement of head injuries.

He can’t help being English, but apart from that he’s an absolute legend!

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Should be essential reading

I follow both Rugby Union and the NFL, two sports which are facing the same threat due to brain injury. They appear about 10 years apart in terms of acknowledging the extent of the problems they face and taking meaningful action.

I suspect that Rugby Union, with a fraction of the funding and no real central management, will fail to adapt in even the limited ways the NFL has and will significantly decline in relevance. It's hard to say it doesn't deserve to.

All of this doesn't even cover the tragedy of how wilful ignorance and dangerous cultures within collision sport are leading to such huge health consequences for players, who are lionised during their careers and then so often dismissed once they are over.

Loved this book. Reads as a damning and thorough indictment of sports management bodies, and as a passionate call to action for long overdue change

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