Ep. 334: Football: Are We Cheering for Brain Trauma?

Ep. 334: Football: Are We Cheering for Brain Trauma?

From The Curious Introvert by Meredith Hackwith Edwards

March 9, 2026 · 45 min · Season 1 · Episode 334

About this episode

Mark Fainaru-Wada discusses the implications of football on brain health and the NFL's response to CTE.

Did the NFL cover up what they knew? Is football causing early dementia? Mark Fainaru-Wada is an award-winning investigative reporter & journalist with ESPN. He’s also the co- author of League of Denial, the book co-written with his brother, that inspired the Frontline documentary by the same name. In this episode, you’ll hear how the discovery of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy – CTE – sparked investigations & research & denial. Mark unpacks our culture comfort with viole...

People in this episode

Host: Meredith Hackwith Edwards

Guest: Mark Fainaru-Wada

Topics covered

  • football
  • brain trauma
  • investigative journalism
  • CTE
  • NFL
  • dementia
  • culture

Keywords

  • football
  • brain trauma
  • CTE
  • NFL
  • dementia
  • investigative journalism
  • Mark Fainaru-Wada

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ESPN

Books & works: League of Denial, Frontline

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