One of my favorite reads from a few years ago (2017) was ‘The Athletes Dilemma’ by John Weston and I have just now re-read sections of it. Anyone who is working with athletes needs to read this book or at least be familiar with the issues that are addressed in the book. While the book is heavily weighted to the USA sporting context, the issues are applicable to any sport in any country and those issues are faced by all those working in sports medicine on a very regular basis.

The book does a deep dive into the length that professional athletes go to compete with little or no regard to the long term health consequences to themselves. Weston does an excellent analysis as to why they are so willing to do that. The institutions that facilitate this are also critiqued.

The risk of seeing the elite professional athletes do this is the example that they are setting for children for their sporting careers and the lengths that they may feel empowered to go to in order to succeed.

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