Must-See TV About Concussions

Don’t mean to scare anyone, but if you haven’t had a chance to check out the latest episode of "Real Sports" on HBO, do yourself – and a young athlete you may know – a big favor and watch it.

The lead story on this month’s episode deals with concussions among young athletes. The story examines how difficult it is to pinpoint when a concussion might actually occur on the field (partly because kids don’t recognize the symptoms, partly because “shaking off” an injury shows toughness, and is embraced by coaches and teammates). The two cases highlighted involved football players who suffered concussions on what appeared to be routine plays. One has suffered severe brain damage leaving him unable to speak clearly or walk; another died.

Even though the story centered on high school football players, this is a critical issue for every young athlete. There is potential for a concussion in every team sport. If you don’t watch the episode, at least speak to a school’s athletic trainer about how to spot concussion symptoms. As the "Real Sports" story showed, it could save your life.