SLI Newsletter: Major Advances in Prevention and Policy - Hit Count Symposium Webcast LIVE Tomorrow!

Sports Legacy Institute Newsletter

SLI teams up with US Women's Soccer legend Brandi Chastain and SCU ISLE to educate on risks of soccer headers before high school

SLI has teamed up with the Santa Clara University Institute of Sports Law and Ethics and former US Women's National Team players Brandi Chastain, Cindy Parlow Cone and Joy Fawcett on a campaign to educate parents and coaches on the risks of headers in soccer prior to the high school level. Visit SaferSoccer.org to learn more and view media coverage from:

and more....

We invite youth soccer organizations to pledge to eliminate heading under high school by emailing us. Want to support #SaferSoccer? Donate today.

Hit Count® Symposium tomorrow, Tuesday, July 15

Visit HitCount.org tomorrow to view live Webcast

SLI is holding the 2014 Hit Count® Symposium this Tuesday in Boston. Featuring top researchers and policy makers, as well as early-adopting schools and sports organizations, the symposium will explore how head sensors, and specifically counting impacts using a universal threshold shared by multiple products (the Hit Count®), can be used to make athletes safer. The event will be webcast LIVE for free. Athletic trainers attending in person will receive 6.0 CEUs! View the event program here.

2014 Hit Count® Symposium

Tuesday, July 15

8:00am - 4:00pm EST

Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA

Learn more and register here.

SLI honors Bears legend Jim McMahon at Chicago Dinner

Thank you to the over 250 supporters that joined SLI in Chicago for a special dinner honoring Jim McMahon, who shared his personal fight against the long-term effects of brain trauma. SLI thanks special guest Bob Costas, as well as speakers Rob Johnson and Gary Fencik, and the event committee, advisory board, and sponsors for helping SLI raise over $100,000 for SLI programs.

From L: Chris Nowinski, Dr. Len Messner, Jim McMahon, Rob Johnson, Bob Costas, Dr. Robert Cantu, Otis Wilson, Gary Fencik

Chris Nowinski and Dr. Robert Stern testify before Senate Aging Committee

On June 25, Chris Nowinski & Dr. Robert Stern testified at a hearing that explored the long-term impact of sports-related traumatic brain injury and its possible relationship to the development of neurological diseases later in life. View the hearing here, and read his written testimony here.

Head Games: The Global Concussion Crisis new book and documentary now available

Head Games added 45 minute of new footage from around the world in this new, 75 minute edition of the award-winning documentary directed by Steve James. If you live outside the US, care about soccer, rugby, or Australian rules football, or haven't seen the original, this is a MUST SEE.

The book that started in all has been updated in a 3rd edition by Chris Nowinski as well, with new, highly controversial chapters on how CTE has been accepted outside the US and updating the Concussion Crisis through 2014. Get your paperback or kindle copy here, or visit the Head Games website.

Donor Spotlight: High school student Adam Koeppel raises $8,000 for SLI

SLI extends a special thanks to Deerfield Academy (MA) student Adam Koeppel, who became passionate about helping solve the concussion crisis after the devastating effects of concussions touched his life. To help raise awareness, Adam shared his story with friends and family and raised $8,000 to support SLI. Chris Nowinski will join Adam at Deerfield Academy this fall to lead an SLI Advanced Concussion Training for students and faculty.

Do you want to raise money to support SLI programs? Email Liz Cahn here.

SLI in the news

Daily Mail - Will pro sports governing bodies continue underplaying long-term risks of concussions? Chris Nowinski comments. Read here.

CBS News - Illinois Eye Institute study led by Chicago Concussion Coalition co-chair Dr. Len Messner aims to identify CTE in the living. Read here.

Boston Herald - The Silvio Cella Family Foundation partners with SLI to provide concussion education for four high school football programs who received grants this year. Read here.