Talking About Concussion and Getting It Right: Towards the Development and Psychometric Properties of a Checklist for Accurate and Responsible Sport-Concussion Commentary

Abstract

Sport-concussion is an established concern amongst athletes, sports bodies, and the wider society. Many sports now have concussion-specific protocols, such as the Head Injury Assessment for suspected concussion (SC) in the Australian National Rugby League (NRL). Further focus on sport-concussion comes via live broadcasting, which exposes large audiences to concussion, including commentary about it. Whilst previous studies have raised public health concerns about sport-concussion commentary, it is unclear if this problem persists, and a method for quantifying the issue has been lacking. This study followed established test-development processes to construct and psychometrically test a new Checklist for Accurate and Responsible Sport-concussion Commentary (CARSCC). Items were derived from relevant literature, refined through health professional expert review, and found to have excellent interrater reliability and convergent validity. Two independent scorers used the CARSCC to evaluate the commentary of 15 randomly selected SCs from the 2024 NRL season. Eight SCs had commentary that was found to have both strengths and weaknesses, with none receiving full marks. Six SCs had no or very brief commentary, and four commentaries scored zero. There is room to improve concussion commentary in live sports broadcasting of NRL games, particularly referencing player safety and concussion protocols. Future applications of the CARSCC include as a field guide for commentators, or in training for accurate and responsible SC messaging.