The Athlete's Dilemma : Sacrificing Health for Wealth and Fame

"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."-- Description provided by publisher Real men play hurt Teammates, coaches, fans, and other unhealthy influences RG3's painful stay in Washington The pitfalls of team-directed medical care Performance-enhancing measures: the good, the bad, and the ugly Baseball's tarnished legacy Football's brazen lack of compliance Cycling, Olympic sports, and WADA The laissez-faire approach to doping in tennis The IOC, WADA, IAAF, and state-sponsored doping in Russia Regulating PEDs to promote athletes' health A litany of sports-related impairments Concussions in the NFL: myths, deceptions, denials, and lies Concussion-related lawsuits filed against the NFL Football's unholy trinity: brain traumas, bounties, and deliberate injuries Children playing football: the NFL's achilles heel Following suit: concussions in the NHL and NCAA football Concussion concerns for female athletes Brain and other severe injuries in baseball Performance-risk rewards undermine health Arm injuries to elite young pitchers in baseball Football injuries in the NFL and college The NCAA provides shamefully inadequate health care for its student-athletes Stigma, stereotypes, and secrecy undermine athletes' mental health. This book examines the health-related controversies and scandals that plague America's top spectator sports. It covers such issues as the use of performance-enhancing substances, playing through pain, the abuse of pain medicine, playing with concussions, and why athletes take these unhealthy risks in the pursuit of profit and fame