Athlete's Dilemma

Sports provide people around the world with unmatched entertainment, from the excitement of victory to the agony of defeat. Unfortunately, it also has become painfully clear that the agony of sports goes well beyond athletes losing games or competitions. Playing through concussions, the abuse of pain medicine, the use of performance-enhancing substances, and other health-related issues have become a constant reminder that being a professional athlete can be as dangerous as it is lucrative.
In The Athlete's Dilemma: Sacrificing Health for Wealth and Fame, John Weston Parry examines the health-related transgressions and hot-topic issues in America’s top spectator sports, particularly in football, baseball, hockey, soccer, cycling, tennis, and Olympic competitions. Parry delves into the unique health risks that pertain to each individual sport and scrutinizes how the various leagues and organizations have handled these issues. Controversies and scandals surrounding elite athletes are also included, highlighting the need for changes in how sports are governed and regulated in the United States and worldwide.
From football and soccer players returning to the field too soon after concussions to Olympic athletes using performance-enhancing substances, The Athlete’s Dilemma provides a broad perspective on the health risks prevalent in sports and what can be done to reduce these risks in the future. Accessibly written yet carefully researched, this book will be of interest to athletes of all levels, sports fans, academics, and health professionals.

John Weston Parry is a lawyer, writer, and host of the website and blog sportpatholgies.com. He is the former director of the American Bar Association's Commission on Disability Rights (1982-2012) and editor/editor-in-chief of the Mental and Physical Disability Law Reporter (1979-2011). He has published numerous books and articles on mental disability and health law, diversity, and the rights of persons with disabilities, including Mental Disability, Violence, Future Dangerousness: Myths Behind the Presumption of Guilt (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013).

Preface Introduction PART I: PAIN, INJURIES, DRUGS, AND TEAM DOCTORS Chapter 1: Real Men Play Hurt Chapter 2: Teammates, Coaches, Fans, and Other Unhealthy Influences Chapter 3: RG3's Painful Stay in Washington Chapter 4: The Pitfalls of Team-Directed Medical Care PART II: PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING SUBSTANCES: THE PERILOUS SEARCH FOR THE HOLY GRAIL Chapter 5: Performance-Enhancing Measures: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Chapter 6: Baseball's Tarnished Legacy Chapter 7: Football's Brazen Lack of Compliance Chapter 8: Cycling, Olympic Sports, and WADA Chapter 9: The Laissez-Faire Approach To Doping in Tennis Chapter 10: The IOC, WADA, IAAF, and State-Sponsored Doping in Russia Chapter 11: Regulating PEDs to Promote Athletes' Health PART III: PHYSICAL AND MENTAL IMPAIRMENTS Chapter 12: A Litany of Sports-Related Impairments Chapter 13: Football Concussions in the NFL: Myths, Deceptions, Denials, and Lies Chapter 14: Concussion-Related Lawsuits Filed against the NFL Chapter 15: Football's Unholy Trinity: Brain Traumas, Bounties, and Deliberate Injuries Chapter 16: Children Playing Football: The NFL's Achilles Heel Chapter 17: Following Suit: Concussions in the NHL and NCAA Football Chapter 18: Concussion Concerns for Female Athletes Chapter 19: Brain and Other Severe Injuries in Baseball PART IV: WHY ELITE ATHLETES SACRIFICE THEIR HEALTH Chapter 20: Performance-Risk Rewards Undermine Health Chapter 21: Arm Injuries to Elite Young Pitchers in Baseball Chapter 22: Football Injuries in the NFL and College Chapter 23: The NCAA Provides Shamefully Inadequate Health Care for Its Student-Athletes Chapter 24: Stigma, Stereotypes, and Secrecy Undermine Athletes' Mental Health Conclusion: Protecting Athletes' Health in Cartel-Governed Sports Notes Bibliography About the Author