Concussions and the Marketing of Sports Equipment

Some sports equipment manufacturers are exploiting our growing concerns about sports concussions to market so-called “anti-concussion” products to athletes and their parents. As our experts are going to tell us today, any company that claims a particular piece of sports equipment will protect young athletes from concussions is making an empty, unsubstantiated promise. While safety equipment like mouth guards and helmets have been proven to reduce the risk of certain sports injuries, there is little evidence at this point that they protect athletes from concussions. Athletes and their parents have a lot of legitimate questions about the risk of concussions in sports. They deserve honest answers to their questions.