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The Six Pillars of Concussion Risk Management: The MomsTEAM Approach

Head injuries in football, as in other contact and collision sports, cannot be completely eliminated, but there ARE steps that can be taken to minimize risk. The Smartest Team

MomsTEAM's high school football concussion documentary, The Smartest Team,TM  focuses on what I call The Six PillarsTM of concussion risk management, all of which, it should be emphasized, are backed by peer-reviewed evidence and/or the consensus of experts: ​

Pillar One: Comprehensive concussion education

When MomsTEAM, with the help of one of the country's pre-eminent concussion experts, Dr. Robert Cantu, launched its comprehensive concussion safety center in 2001 - becoming, in Dr. Cantu's words, the "pioneer" in youth sports concussion education - the subject was years away from gaining the attention of the national media.

Today, virtually every expert in the field puts concussion education at the top of the list of ways in which football - and all contact and collision sports - can be made safer.

A comprehensive concussion risk management program begins with education. All stakeholders in football - athletes, referees, administrators, parents, coaches, and health care providers - should be educated about:​

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has developed a comprehensive set of educational materials for parentscoaches, athletes, and sports officials, all of which are available in Spanish and all of which a sports program can customize with their own logos.