Former soccer star Brandi Chastain pledges her brain for concussion study

Brandi Chastain, whose penalty kick gave the United States the 1999 Women’s World Cup title, has pledged her brain for concussion research. Chastain, 47, announced her pledge to the Concussion Legacy Foundation on Thursday, and her brain will ultimately go to researchers at Boston University, pioneers in the study of CTE, a degenerative condition linked to head trauma.

It is really about: How I can help impact soccer beyond scoring a goal in 1999 in the World Cup final. Can I do something more to leave soccer in a better place than it was when I began this wonderful journey with this game?

Brandi Chastain

Chastain has been an advocate of Safer Soccer, the campaign that aims to halt the introduction of headers in youth soccer until high school. In December, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced a ban on headers for children aged 10 and under as part of a new safety drive aimed at eliminating concussions and other injuries. A study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine in 2012 showed that high school athletes who play football had the greatest number of concussions. Girls who play soccer were second.

It’s scary to think about all the heading and potential concussions that were never diagnosed in my life, but it’s better to know.

Chastain

soccer concussion