Uploaded December 2020 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago
International best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell joins CLF board member Tom Gardner for an exclusive conversation on football and CTE! Gladwell has covered CTE with his trademark insight for over a decade in his writing and on his Revisionist History podcast.
Here’s the complete list of topics covered to help you navigate the conversation:
0:50 – Which Malcolm Gladwell book best parallels the trajectory of CLF?
1:30 – Why did Gladwell first engage with the concussion and CTE issue?
3:45 – How do big cultural changes happen?
6:21 – Gladwell explaining “Burden of Proof”, the 2018 episode of his Revisionist History podcast about CTE.
9:05 – How would Gladwell design a campaign to change the culture about concussion and CTE?
11:50 – What is Gladwell’s faith that sports will reform to be safer?
14:03 – What examples does Gladwell see of data being used to create safety policies?
16:45 – What would Gladwell’s message be to different constituents in high school football about concussion and CTE?
20:05 – What inhibits these constituents from being receptive to information about concussion and CTE?
22:00 – Should tackle football be banned for kids under age 14?
23:30 – What is the connection between concussions, CTE, and COVID-19?
International best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell joins CLF board member Tom Gardner for an exclusive conversation on football and CTE! Gladwell has covered CTE with his trademark insight for over a decade in his writing and on his Revisionist History podcast.
Here’s the complete list of topics covered to help you navigate the conversation:
0:50 – Which Malcolm Gladwell book best parallels the trajectory of CLF?
1:30 – Why did Gladwell first engage with the concussion and CTE issue?
3:45 – How do big cultural changes happen?
6:21 – Gladwell explaining “Burden of Proof”, the 2018 episode of his Revisionist History podcast about CTE.
9:05 – How would Gladwell design a campaign to change the culture about concussion and CTE?
11:50 – What is Gladwell’s faith that sports will reform to be safer?
14:03 – What examples does Gladwell see of data being used to create safety policies?
16:45 – What would Gladwell’s message be to different constituents in high school football about concussion and CTE?
20:05 – What inhibits these constituents from being receptive to information about concussion and CTE?
22:00 – Should tackle football be banned for kids under age 14?
23:30 – What is the connection between concussions, CTE, and COVID-19?
