As science develops understanding of the brain, we are seeing a sea-change of attitudes towards contact sports and concussion. Athletes, including household names, are speaking up about their symptoms and speaking out about their life-limiting diagnoses of MND, CTE and dementia. But there remains, particularly on social media, reticence to change. Victoria Silverwood, a lecturer in criminology at Swansea University’s School of Social Sciences, recommends changes that sport can make to reduce the risk of brain injury in athletes and looks at how societal attitudes can be impacted by social media and campaigning.
