TY - JOUR
T1 - Sport Structured Brain Trauma is Child Abuse
AU - Anderson, Eric
AU - Parry, Keith
AU - Turner, Gary
AU - Hardwicke, Jack
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2023/11/30
Y1 - 2023/11/30
N2 - This article first summarizes research regarding the relationship between sports that intentionally structure multiple types of brain trauma into their practice, such as rugby and boxing, and the range of negative health outcomes that flow from participation in such sports. The resultant brain injuries are described as ‘now’ and ‘later’ diseases, being those that affect the child immediately and then across their lifetime. After highlighting how these sports can permanently injure children, it examines this harm in relation to existing British laws and policies concerning child abuse. The conclusion drawn is that neither children nor adults on their behalf are legally able to give informed consent for participation, and that impact sport organisations effectively groom children into sustaining and accepting brain trauma. Adults providing brain-traumatizing versions of these sports are thus described as being complicit in a form of child abuse that we term brain abuse. The contradictions in existing sports policy are highlighted, where policy describes that children are to be protected from harm, and yet the very practice of such sports creates harm by design. Implications of the argument are that children should be prohibited from partaking in impact sports.
AB - This article first summarizes research regarding the relationship between sports that intentionally structure multiple types of brain trauma into their practice, such as rugby and boxing, and the range of negative health outcomes that flow from participation in such sports. The resultant brain injuries are described as ‘now’ and ‘later’ diseases, being those that affect the child immediately and then across their lifetime. After highlighting how these sports can permanently injure children, it examines this harm in relation to existing British laws and policies concerning child abuse. The conclusion drawn is that neither children nor adults on their behalf are legally able to give informed consent for participation, and that impact sport organisations effectively groom children into sustaining and accepting brain trauma. Adults providing brain-traumatizing versions of these sports are thus described as being complicit in a form of child abuse that we term brain abuse. The contradictions in existing sports policy are highlighted, where policy describes that children are to be protected from harm, and yet the very practice of such sports creates harm by design. Implications of the argument are that children should be prohibited from partaking in impact sports.
KW - Child abuse
KW - Concussion
KW - Contact sport
KW - Rugby
KW - Sport
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85178419406&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/cedec811-5e73-3868-a4c5-96b68db6ede9/
U2 - 10.1080/17511321.2023.2284923
DO - 10.1080/17511321.2023.2284923
M3 - Article
JO - Sport, Ethics and Philosophy
JF - Sport, Ethics and Philosophy
SN - 1751-1321
ER -