Concussions in Athletics: Risk-Taking Behavior, Compensation, and Legal Remedies
DeAngelis, Scott Andrew
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2018-03-30
Abstract
This dissertation seeks to shed further light on the issue of concussions in athletics—a topic that has garnered increased attention over the past decade. Chapter 1 examines youth sports concussion laws, which have now been implemented by every state. Specifically, I study the impact that these state laws have on participation in high school athletics and the reporting of youth concussions. Chapter 2 looks at how risk and compensation schemes related to concussions currently operate at the youth, college, and professional levels of football. This chapter then provides recommendations for how risk-management systems can be implemented at each level so as to promote levels of risk and compensation that are closer to the optimal level than currently exist. Chapter 3 studies how commitment and payment schemes affect risk-taking behavior through the use of an incentivized experiment. In doing so, I analogize these risk decisions to those faced by professional football players, who must decide whether to continue their careers in the face of potential long-term health effects due to concussions.