Concussion, by Jeanne Marie Laskas

Pages 1-86

The book, Concussion, starts out by introducing the main character, Bennett Omalu. The first fifty or so pages give background information on Bennett, his past life in Kenya, and how he got to be a doctor in America. Bennett comes from a small village in Kenya. In Kenya at that time, there was a lot of political tension and uprising. Omalu was going through a stage of serious depression and left Kenya to be able to study the body in America. After he is introduced, the book goes into the Steelers at that time and how good they were, followed by introducing Mike Webster, the best lineman to ever go through the NFL. After going insane and dying of what people think is a heart attack, Omalu is given Websters body so he can perform an autopsy. When Omalu removes the brain, he is confused as to why Webster seemed to have a normal looking brain, but went insane. This is when Omalu decides that he is going to go against the rules and keep Webster's brain for more tests. 

"Collision football. Snap the ball back to Bradshaw, then explode into other guys, head first, smash mouth football, the sound of helmets crashing, grunting, howling, war" (Laskas 94).

This is a quote from Websters attorney when he was talking about Websters football career. Mike Webster was the quintessential NFL lineman. He loved contact and moving people against their will, but not only that, his work ethic was off the charts. At 6,1'' 250 pounds, he was an undersized lineman for the NFl, but he made up for size in strength. Webster was always in the weight room working out, trying to be the best he could be. On the field Webster was a monster, never driven back or taken down, always the enforcer, the hammer not the nail. This aggression and will to be the best is what ended up taking his life. 

This quote stuck out to me because this is the game I love to play. I am on the line in football, and every play I bash my head into the player lined up across from me. The best feeling in the world is driving an opponent back so far you make him lose his balance, thus "pancaking" him. Even though these are the things that drive lineman to do well, they can also be the things that hurt us the most. The line is a very dangerous position to play in football regarding head injuries because every single play we smash our heads into the man lined up across from us. By the end of the game I could have had anywhere from 100-150 head smashed into another player, increasing my chance of a concussion. This quote spoke to me because it relates to me and what I love to do, and it awoke me at the real dangers of playing lineman in football.