HDNet's 'Dan Rather Reports' Investigates the New Epidemic of Head Injuries Among Today's Student Athletes

HDNet's 'Dan Rather Reports' Investigates the New Epidemic of Head Injuries Among Today's Student Athletes

"Dan Rather Reports: Knocking Heads" shows the depth of this problem and how simple changes can save lives - Tuesday, March 3 at 8:00 p.m. ET

DALLAS, March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- This Tuesday, "Dan Rather Reports" will present a special investigation into what The Centers for Disease Control is calling an epidemic among children in sports - head injuries.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/HDNETLOGO )

It is believed that an alarming 41% of high school athletes who suffered an initial concussion are returned to active play too soon.

Last year, five high school football players died during games, or at practices, from getting a concussion on top of another concussion -- a condition known as "second impact syndrome." Countless children also suffer the very serious side effects of second impact syndrome.

One of those children is Zack Lystedt of Seattle. With his parents watching in the stands, Zack suffered two concussions in the same football game. As a result of these injuries, he was airlifted from the football field to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center where he spent a week in the ICU, three months in a coma and had surgeries on both sides of his brain.

"Most of what we know about concussions we've learned in the last five years," said Dr. Mark Lovell the Founding Director of the Concussion Program at the University of Pittsburgh and one of the leading sports concussion experts in the country. "You know, the CDC has called it an epidemic, and has put forth major effort over the last five or six years into getting the word out to coaches, parents, athletes. That definitely needed to be done. Because there's still people out there, even in the medical community, who don't see this as being a serious issue."

While football has the highest rate of concussions by far, athletes in baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, hockey, wrestling, gymnastics, lacrosse, volleyball and cheerleading all have more concussions than are generally realized.

"Dan Rather Reports - Knocking Heads" premieres on HDNet on Tuesday, March 3 at 8:00 p.m. ET with an encore presentation at 11:00 p.m. PT to accommodate West Coast prime time.

About HDNet

HDNet (www.hd.net) is a network that is original, thinks independently and delivers unique content and provocative, authentic programming that appeals to men of all ages, delivered in true high definition.

HDNet is the exclusive, high definition home for popular, original programming, including television's only HD news feature programs "HDNet World Report," and the Emmy Award winning "Dan Rather Reports," featuring legendary journalist Dan Rather. Only HDNet goes beyond the headlines to deliver real news that is redefining the way we look at our world. HDNet News is provocative, sometimes controversial and always relevant - telling the important stories of our time in-depth, with attitude and with independence.

HDNet presents championship sports coverage featuring the best of Mixed Martial Arts through HDNet Fights. HDNet Fights partners with leading MMA promoters including Affliction, DREAM, Sengoku, XFC, M1, K-1, K-1 Max, MFC, Adrenaline and more. HDNet produces more live mixed martial arts events than any other network and HDNet's "Inside MMA" is the hottest mixed martial arts program on television, giving MMA fans their weekly fix for everything MMA.

HDNet also delivers the world's largest and most diverse concert line-up through the HDNet Concert Series. The HDNet Concert Series features leading artists and bands including Coldplay, Gwen Stefani, John Mayer and more. HDNet also features revealing lifestyle programming featuring "Art Mann Presents," "Vegas Confessions," "Deadline" and "Get Out!" HDNet is also the exclusive high definition home to critically acclaimed and award winning documentaries as part of the InFocus series. "NASA on HDNet" presents all live shuttle launches through 2010.

Only HDNet Movies delivers exclusive Sneak Previews of new movies before they hit theaters. The HDNet Movies Sneak Preview series features top Hollywood stars in critically acclaimed performances including Gwyneth Paltrow, Joaquin Phoenix, Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Tom Hanks, Vera Farmiga, Parker Posey, Brian Cox, Matthew Broderick, Brittany Snow and Eric Bana.

Upcoming Sneak Previews include "The Great Buck Howard," starring Colin Hanks, John Malkovich and Tom Hanks, and "Harlem Aria," starring Damon Wayans.

In addition to being the exclusive home of Sneak Previews, HDNet Movies presents viewers with over one hundred films and an average of twenty-five "HD Premieres" each month. HDNet Movies viewers enjoy the best films from the classics of the 1950s-1970s, to favorite films from the 1980s and 1990s, to recently released theatrical films.

HDNet Movies offers subscribers a premium movie viewing experience in true HD, and more original movies shot entirely in HD than any other network.

Launched in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin, the HDNet networks are available on AT&T, Bright House Networks, Charter Communications, Comcast, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon and more than 40 NCTC cable affiliate companies. For more information visit www.hd.net.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/HDNETLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
photodesk@prnewswire.com

Source: HDNet

CONTACT: Colette Carey of HDNet, +1-303-542-5576, ccarey@hd.net

Web Site: http://www.hd.net/

---

Profile: International Entertainment