Boston University

Football

Brain Health

BU CTE Center Study Ties Contact Sports Head Hits to Brain Damage

September 17, 2025

Photo: A memorial in NYC after a shooting on July 28

CTE

NYC Gunman’s Note Referencing NFL Pleads for His Brain to Be Studied for CTE Link

July 29, 2025

Photo: A football player in a blue uniform gearing up to throw the ball during a game

CTE

NIH Awards $15M to BU-Led Effort to Diagnose CTE During Life

May 8, 2025

Bobby Hull, 18-year-old player on the Chicago Blackhawks, is photographed in Chicago, Ill., on Oct. 24, 1957. Hull, who is from Point Ann, Ont., Canada, is the youngest member of the team and the National Hockey League as he plays his first season as a pro. (AP Photo/Edward Kitch)

CTE

BU Researchers Confirm Former NHL Legend Bobby Hull Had CTE

February 20, 2025

Photo: Shrimp cocktail

Food

Five Easy Snacks to Make for Your 2025 Super Bowl Party

February 6, 2025

Photo: Dr Ann McKee at the CTE Brian Bank at the VA Hospital, holding a brain specimen in her hand as she stares into the camera.

CTE Series: Part 1

Searching for Answers—One Brain at a Time

October 11, 2024

Photo: Michael Alosco, CTE Center codirector and associate professor of neurology, and Thor Stein, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine. Alosco wears a blue blazer and tan pants while Stein wears a purple shirt and gray pants.

CTE Series: Part 2

Can CTE Be Diagnosed in Life?

October 11, 2024

Photo: A stock image of a football player holding their football helmet.

CTE Series: Part 3

Research on CTE and Concussions Changed the NFL. Experts Say That’s Not Enough

October 11, 2024

Photo: A collage of images featuring sports scenes and elements, including football, soccer, and hockey. Top-left shows a football field with yard markers. Top-center-left displays two female soccer players competing for the ball mid-air. The following three images show intense football tackles and helmets on a field. The bottom-left image depicts a football player catching a pass, while the middle-bottom image shows a microscopic view of brain tissue. The bottom-center-right features two football players in a hard tackle, and the far-right includes a memorial, possibly for an athlete, with flowers and pictures. The bottom-right shows hockey gear, specifically skates and helmets.

CTE Series: Part 4

10 Things BU CTE Center Research Has Taught Us about the Brain Dangers of Contact Sports and Military Service

October 11, 2024

Photo: Dr Ann McKee at the CTE Brian Bank at the VA Hospital holding a brain specimen and pointing to a specific area of the brain.

CTE Series: Part 5

What Is CTE?

October 11, 2024

Photo: Allegiant stadium in Las Vegas, where the Superbowl will be held in 2024

Marketing & Communications

Ryan Reynolds, Tom Brady, and Peppa Pig: Brands Go Big for This Year’s Super Bowl Ads

February 8, 2024

Photo: A group tackle of football players. One is wearing a white jersey and uniform and the others are in all black.

CTE

Researchers Are One Step Closer to Diagnosing CTE During Life, Rather Than After Death

February 5, 2024

Photo: A stock photo of a kid playing American football. He is wearing a black helmet and jersey as he looks onto the field.

Voices & Opinion

POV: There Are Many Benefits to Youth Sports. My Son’s Tragic Story Highlights the Risks

February 2, 2024

Collage: (From left to right, top down) Photo: Philadelphia Eagles' C.J. Gardner-Johnson catches a pass during practice at the NFL football team's training facility, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Philadelphia. A Black man wearing a dark green and white Eagles' football uniform and helmet catches a football in his hands, Photo: A flatlay of the iLet Bionic Pancreas, a bionic pancreas approved at the FDA. The device is a black box with a wire attached with two additional attachments, Photo: An unidentified person standing in a generic store pharmacy holds over the counter medicine in the aisle as they try to make a decision, and Photo: A white hands holds up a petri dish holding the yeast candida auris in a laboratory. a Petri dish with speckles of white dots/fungi is shown.

2023 IN REVIEW

What Were BU’s Most-Read Science and Research Stories in 2023?

December 11, 2023

Photo: Two female soccer player, one in a red uniform and the other in blue, jump to head butt a ball flying through the air.

CTE and Sports

Young Amateur Athletes at Risk of CTE, BU Study Finds

August 28, 2023

Photo: A person wearing a burgundy and yellow tackle football uniform and helmet is shown tackling a player in a white and red uniform and helmet tot he ground. The burgundy athlete has their head impacted to the ground as the white player falls on top of them.

Parkinson’s

Playing Football May Increase the Risk for Developing Parkinson’s Disease

August 11, 2023

Photo: Group of American football players mid-game. Team member wearing black football uniforms and helmets are shown as they tackle a player holding the football and waring a white football uniform and helmet.

CTE

The Force of Head Hits Raises Likelihood of CTE

June 21, 2023

Photo: Young American football player in the running back position and wearing a black and white uniform is shown breaking away from an attempted tackle from another young player wearing a blue and white uniform. A third young player is shown in the same blue and white uniform to the right running alongside them.

Football

New BU Study Finds Tackle Football at Young Age Raises Risk for Brain Decline Later

March 6, 2023

Photo: Philadelphia Eagles' C.J. Gardner-Johnson catches a pass during practice at the NFL football team's training facility, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Philadelphia. A Black man wearing a dark green and white Eagles' football uniform and helmet catches a football in his hands.

CTE

BU Finds CTE in Nearly 92 Percent of Ex-NFL Players Studied

February 7, 2023

Photo: General wide-shot view of Al Thumama stadium ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on November 14, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. A large football stadium is shown. The top of the dome is open to a sunny day as the field and stands are seen below that.

World Cup

Should You Watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup despite Host Qatar’s “Serious Human Rights Problems”?

November 15, 2022

Should You Watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup despite Host Qatar’s “Serious Human Rights Problems”?