Highlights From Issues and Ales: Concussions and the Price of Playing Football
HEAR HIGHLIGHTS FROM ISSUES AND ALES
In Alabama, football is a way of life. But after recent revelations about the dangers of football-related head injuries, players and parents are reconsidering their involvement. How are health concerns changing who plays football? How does it change the culture around football, and what will it mean for the future of the sport?
On Thursday, July 23, WBHM talked with players, coaches, parents, and scientists about the sometimes-high cost of playing ball. The program was hosted by WBHM’s local Morning Edition host Andrew Yeager.
Panelists included
· Bobby Humphrey, former running back for the Denver Broncos and University of Alabama
· Kevin Drake, Former UAB Quarterback and NFL Veteran, TBI sufferer, Program Director of Wise Up! Initiative
· Dr. Michael F. Bergeron, Youth Sports of the Americas, Lemak Sports Medicine
· Dr. Sara Gould, sports medicine physician with UAB Sports Medicine at Children’s of Alabama where she specializes in the evaluation and treatment of pediatric concussion patients.
· Dr. Joe Ackerson, Neuropsychologist, Chairman of the Alabama Statewide Sports Concussion Task Force
· Laura Dreer, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Opthalmology and Director of Psychological & Neuropsychology Clinical Research Services, UAB
· Matt Price, head athletic trainer for Samford football
· Shawna Holley, member of the Hoover Youth Football Board of Directors
· Johnny Webb, coach for Irondale Titans
Former Football Players Discuss Rule Changes and Concussions
07-27-2015
At WBHM’s Issues and Ales: Concussions and the Price of Playing Football, Bobby Humphrey, former running back for the University of Alabama, the Denver Broncos, and the Miami Dolphins; and Reginald Greene, former offensive tackle for North Alabama and Florence, answers some audience questions that the panelists didn’t get to address in the discussion. Humphrey addressed how […]
Former UAB Quarterback Talks Concussions
07-27-2015
At WBHM’s Issues and Ales: Concussions and the Price of Playing Football, former UAB quarterback and NFL veteran Kevin Drake answered some audience questions that the panelists didn’t get to address in the discussion. Drake is the program director for the Wise Up Initiative, and he says one of the biggest problems with concussions is that too many go under the radar.
See Photos From Issues and Ales: Concussions and the Price of Playing Football
07-24-2015
On Thursday, WBHM gathered a panel of doctors, former football players and concussion experts at Workplay for the annual Issues and Ales. Andrew Yeager led the panel and opened up the end of each session for audience questions. You can listen to the discussion on the air on Wednesday, July 29 at 2 p.m. […]
Parents Look to Headgear to Protect Soccer Players from Concussions
07-24-2015
Football players suffer the highest concussion rates among athletes. But players of the “other football,” soccer, also experience a notable number of concussions. It’s a sport where most players don’t wear protective headgear. But that’s changing as parents look for ways to protect their kids.
In Football Country, Concussions Spark A Parental Dilemma
07-22-2015
More and more people are learning about the risks contact sports pose to the brain. So even here in football-loving Alabama, parents and young athletes are wrestling with a serious dilemma, one that could affect them decades later: to play or not to play. To help parents facing that decision, WBHM’s Dan Carsen got some […]
