''Headstrong'' is an American play by Patrick Link, commissioned by the EST/Sloan Project. It premiered at The Ensemble Studio Theatre in April, 2012. The play explores the research behind

concussions A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

professional sports In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought l ...

and depicts a fictional former

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

who must come to terms with the long-term consequences he may suffer from playing the game he loves. ''Headstrong'' was noted in an article on ''

Grantland ''Grantland'' was a sports and pop-culture blog owned and operated by ESPN. The blog was started in 2011 by veteran writer and sports journalist Bill Simmons, who remained as editor-in-chief until May 2015. ''Grantland'' was named after famed e ...

'', in addition to other sites, to illustrate the growing public awareness of CTE. In 2013, the play was recorded by LA Theatre Works as part of its Relativity Series, featuring

Ernie Hudson Earnest Lee Hudson (born December 17, 1945) is an American actor. His roles include Winston Zeddemore in the '' Ghostbusters'' film series, Sergeant Darryl Albrecht in '' The Crow'' (1994), and Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's '' Oz'' (1997–2003) ...

and

Scott Wolf Scott Richard Wolf (born June 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the television series '' Party of Five'' as Bailey Salinger, as Jake Hartman in '' Everwood'', as Chad Decker in '' V'' and as Carson Drew in ''Nancy Drew'' ...

References

2012 plays Off-Broadway plays Plays set in the United States American football mass media {{2010s-play-stub