Time to Get in the Game: Opportunities for More Involvement in Sport-Related Concussion Management

Many college athletes who have a sport-related concussion experience changes in cognitive-communication abilities. Unfortunately, nearly half of all sport-related concussions go unreported. Information on why collegiate athletes report or conceal their symptoms is important for improving reporting rates and increasing athletes’ access to services for cognitive-communication impairments. This study examined whether changes in cognitive-communication abilities affected college athlete’s intentions to report a sport-related concussion. Findings showed that approximately two-thirds of the college student-athletes who participated in the research were unlikely to report that they had a sport-related head injury. The study found that participants’ concerns for cognitive-communication deficits differentiated student-athletes who were more likely to report an injury from those who were less likely. This study has important clinical implications for increasing awareness and knowledge about the sequelae of sport-related concussion and the valuable role that rehabilitation specialists, such as speech-language pathologists (SLPs), can play in concussion management and prevention

Statistical Anomalies Associated with NBA Scorekeepers: A Bootstrap Investigation

In 2009, a Deadspin article documented how an anonymous NBA scorekeeper skewed statistics for various purposes. This research sets out to test the assertions set forth by the author of the Deadspin piece and uses prospect theory and unique statistical techniques to do so. The findings support the assertions proposed in the Deadspin piece that scorekeepers for various venues are skewing the statistics. The discussion provides suggestions for correcting this bias as well as demonstrates how asymmetric incentives by scorekeepers in favor of the home teams could be misused in determining salaries, playing time, trade negotiations, and media attention