Honoring scientific leadership in an era of change.

摘要

In the early part of the 20th century, concern over the neurological health of athletes in the United States was growing, fed mainly by the catastrophic brain injuries being seen in football players around the country. As the number of deaths mounted, the call for protecting athletes was loud and significant, leading to rule changes, the introduction and improvement of protective equipment, and the establishment of an organization charged with looking after the health and safety of collegiate athletes: the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). These changes were ushered in as the result of a groundswell of public concern and political intervention, without a clearly established base of science to help provide a well-measured response. These interventions were, however, largely successful, as football saw a dramatic decrease in the number of deaths from traumatic intracranial injury.