Documentary Assignment

1.      The documentary I watched was Head Games. This documentary was about head injuries sustained in fast paced athletics such as football, hockey, soccer, etc. Chris Nowinsky, a former college football player, and WWE wrestler, goes in depth with research about head injuries in these sports, and what they mean for athletes. Chris’s main concern is what are big time leagues like the NFL, and NHL doing to reduce their players risk to head injuries.

2.      This film follows many different stories other than Chris Nowinsky. Some of the other stories are about Keith Primeau, a former NHL star who was forced to retire due to too many concussions. His son Chase Primeau, who plays for the hockey team he coaches, is also victim of concussions. The film shows footage from all sports such as football, whether it be youth, high school, college, or even the NFL. Other sports it shows is hockey, basketball, soccer, and even Lacrosse. He gained more knowledge of head diseases from doctors, such as neuropathologists.

3.      Certain elements that he brought into the documentary, were highly credited news channels such as CNN, and C-Span. Chris also showed us articles done on former NFL players who had committed suicide, such as Andre Waters(former safety for Philadelphia Eagles).

4.      Chris not only looks into all these sports, but he also interviews legitimate players who’ve sustained career ending concussions, and league commissioners from the NFL and NHL. Chris tells us of concussions he himself had sustained while playing football and wrestling.

5.      Many people in the documentary were biased. Many of which were coaches for high school and youth teams. These coaches hated the idea of having to sit star players for the greater good; all they want is to win football games, and seem to care little about player safety.

6.      This documentary connects to my research firstly and mostly because it is about concussions in sports. It talks about the severity of head injuries, and what leagues today are doing to reduce them. These items are everything I am researching, and will prove very helpful in my research.


Head Games. Dir. Steve James. Perf. Chris Nowinski and Bob Costas. 2012. DVD.