Dinged, page 15
A lot of people have written to me over the last few years asking why there wasn’t a sequel to Game Changer. My answer was always the same—it seemed like that particular story was complete, even if Teddy Youngblood’s own journey was just beginning. But Dinged could certainly be considered a continuation of sorts. It, too, addresses questions that I, frankly, have no answers for: Why do we still love football? Why do I still love football? What can we do to make sure that those who play the game are as safe as possible? And knowing that it’s not possible to make every player safe all the time, is it acceptable to continue to go to the high school stadium on Friday night, or turn on the TV every Saturday or Sunday or Monday night and watch and cheer and enjoy?
The last thing I want to do with this book is tell readers what to think. I only want to encourage them to think. That’s the gift of complicated subjects and compelling storytelling.
Hopefully, I’ve done my part with the storytelling.
The rest is up to you!
RESOURCES
Here are some interesting articles that touch upon the themes and subjects in this book:
cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pubs/youth_football_head_impacts.html
beingpatient.com/concussions-youth-football
nytimes.com/2021/10/14/sports/catholic-church-football-concussions.html
parents.com/kids/safety/sports/should-you-let-your-kid-play-football-experts-weigh-in
You’ll notice that the book is dedicated to the memory of Mike Webster. Here’s a little more about Mike, who was the first athlete (posthumously) diagnosed with brain trauma directly attributed to playing in the NFL:
wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Webster
theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/12/the-nfl-players-brain-that-changed-the-history-of-the-concussion/417597
sportshistorynetwork.com/football/nfl/mike-webster
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to Erica Finkel for invaluable guidance, as always.
Thank you to Emily, Jenny, Brooke, Kathy, Megan, Chelsea, Deena, Maggie, Andrew, Kim, Hallie, Trish, Jody, Elisa, and everyone at Abrams for being such great teammates on these books.
Thank you to Amy Thrall Flynn and Rubin Pfeffer for stepping in and stepping up.
And thank you to all the athletes, medical professionals, coaches, and parents for continuing the work. It’s not easy navigating the balance between the pleasures and the perils of one of the world’s greatest sports, while trying to make things better—but one thing I know for sure is that at long last, everyone is trying.
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Tommy Greenwald, Dinged
