Synopses & Reviews
“This is an important, cutting-edge work by the premier specialist in his field. If you watch sports, or if you have a young athlete in your family, you need to read this book.” —Dan Shaughnessy, author of The Curse of the Bambino
From Washington to Quebec, from offices at the NFL to the New York Times, from the NHL players’ union to the soccer fields of Anytown, U.S.A., people are talking about concussions. At the center of this crisis—and one of the key reasons for this increased awareness—is Dr. Robert Cantu, the country’s leading expert on athletic brain trauma and a pioneer in the study of the link between concussions and progressive brain disease in athletes.
Concussions and Our Kids is the first prescriptive book of its kind to address the issue of head trauma in sports and to offer guidelines for playing sports safely. Described as “the single most important issue in sports today,” concussions are widespread and devastating. Dr. Cantu has treated thousands of patients, from pro athletes to peewee players, and his groundbreaking research is changing how sports are played. Parents, coaches, and players can learn from this combination manifesto/manual, helping to reduce concussions now and prevent more brain trauma down the road.
“A well-researched, riveting story that every coach and parent of a young athlete should read.” —Christine Brennan, USA Today sports columnist and author of Best Seat in the House
Review
Comprehensive and well-developed. Although there are many good books on parenting young athletes, this one should be considered essential.
Library Journal Starred
Synopsis
In an era when parents and kids are overwhelmed by a sports-crazed, win-at-all-costs culture, here is a comprehensive guide that helps parents ensure a positive sports experience for their children. In Whose Game Is It, Anyway? two of the countrys leading youth sports psychologists team up with a former Olympic athlete and expert on performance enhancement to share what they have gleaned in more than forty years of combined experience.
The result is a book unique in its message, format, and scope.
Through moving case studies and thoughtful analyses, Ginsburg, Durant, and Baltzell advocate a preventive approach through a simple three-step program: know yourself, know your child, know the environment.
They look at children in age groups, identifying the physical, psychological, and emotional issues unique to each group and clarifying what parents can expect from and desire for their kids at every stage.
They also explore myriad relevant topics, including parental pressure, losing teams, steroid use, the overscheduled child, and much more.
Illuminating, impassioned, and inspiring, Whose Game Is It, Anyway?
is required reading for anyone raisingor educatinga child who participates in sports.
Synopsis
The brain trauma crisis in sports and what must be done to protect young athletes.
About the Author
ROBERT CANTU, M.D. is the Chief of Neurosurgery, Chairman Department of Surgery and Director Service of Sports Medicine at Emerson Hospital as well as the Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery and co-director of Boston Universitys Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. He also serves as special advisor to the National Football League.MARK HYMAN is a sports journalist and the author of Until It Hurts.
Table of Contents
Preface ix Acknowledgments xiv Introduction: Character Counts 1
Part One Knowing Your Child Athlete 1. Your Childs Development and the Three-Step Approach 17 2. The Early Years (Ages 15): Safety and the Joy of Movement 30 3. The Elementary School Years (Ages 612): Building Competencies, Exploring Interests, and Making Friends 47 4. The Teen Years (Ages 1318): Identity Development, Independence, and Achievement 71 5. Higher Learning and Higher Stakes (Age 19 and up): College Sports and Sports for Life 95
Part Two Pitfalls and Possibilities in Sports 6. Should We Push Our Children? How Much? 119 7. When the Apple Falls Far from the Tree: What to Do When Our Kids Athletic Abilities and Interests Differ from Our Own 144 8. Boys and Girls: Similarities and Differences in Sports 153 9. Rage and Explosions: Learning to Practice Emotional Control in Sports 171 10. Quitting, Burning Out, and Moving On: Helping Children Know When Enough Is Enough 185 11. Does the Coach Know Best? Knowing When Coaches Are Doing Right or Wrong by Our Children 201 12. When Is a Good Team Bad and a Bad Team Good?
Recognizing Best Team Experiences for Kids 214 13. Overweight Children: Surviving the Teasing and Prejudice and Finding Healthy Exercise and Eating Patterns 224 14. Eating Disorders, Body Image, Steroids, and Supplements 237 15. Tips for Top Performance: The Art of Being SHARPP 256 16. Questions and Answers: Finding Solutions for Kids Dilemmas in Sports 268
Notes 285 For Further Reading 291 About the Authors 299 Index 301