Alan Shearer’s 2017 Documentary on football, heading, and dementia should have been a Panorama documentary

An hour-long Panorama investigation into football, heading, and the onset of dementia would have delivered an authoritative broadcast.  This is in comparison to Alan Shearer’s 2017 documentary. While Shearer’s programme successfully raised awareness among the general public, it lacked the broad analysis and editorial independence required to provoke meaningful reform and policy intervention. A Panorama programme, supported by investigative journalism principles and framed within a public service remit, could have established a standard for scientific and policy debate.

The programme should have focused more on ‘brain health’ than sport.  It should have said that the U.S. is ahead of the U.K.

Editorial Independence: Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

To maintain credibility and impartiality, a Panorama investigation should have avoided interviewing representatives from the Football Association (FA) and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA). These organisations have commercial and reputational interests and should not influence the structure or content of any public health investigation. The exclusion of the organisations would have protected the programme from potential bias or dilution of findings through public relations messaging and would have demonstrated a commitment to editorial standards in the public interest.

Engagement with Pioneering Global Research on CTE

Bennet Omalu and Mike Webster’s Death in 2002

The documentary should have featured an interview with Dr Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist whose examination of deceased American football player, Mike Webster, led to the first diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a professional athlete. This discovery altered the scientific understanding of repeated head trauma and its long-term neurological consequences.  Jeff Astle’s death in 2002 may have been similar to Mike Webster’s death.

Dr Omalu also said that “it does not make sense to control an object travelling at a high velocity with your head,” highlighting the inherent dangers of heading in football.

The Concussion Film as Public Science Communication

Dr. Omalu’s portrayal in the film Concussion represented the public understanding of science at its broadest.  The film’s global audience, including Alan Shearer, became aware of CTE.  UK sports bodies had to confront an issue that the United States had already begun to address.  A Panorama programme could have drawn attention to the educational role of film and its ability to encourage a better understanding of the risks associated with heading footballs.

Ann McKee and Paul Pender’s Death in 2003

A further recommended interviewee is Dr Ann McKee, a neuropathologist renowned for her work on CTE in American athletes. Her research into boxer Paul Pender offers a valuable point of comparison with UK football, particularly concerning the late England striker Jeff Astle, whose death in 2002 was posthumously linked to the effects of heading.

Dr McKee also stated that “I think there are dangers to the adolescent brain being exposed to these injuries,” demonstrating the urgency of preventive measures at youth levels of the sport.

Brandi Chastain’s Advocacy for Research

An interview with former U.S. women’s footballer Brandi Chastain was also needed.  She pledged to donate her brain for scientific research, demonstrating athletes’ initiative-taking engagement with medical science. She stated, “I’m not going to be needing it at the end of my life,” about her decision to contribute to CTE research. Her advocacy serves as an example of personal responsibility and could have been a call to action for UK footballers.

The U.K. is Behind the U.S. in Brain Injury Research

Panorama could have argued that the United Kingdom is behind the United States in the scientific, regulatory, and ethical response to sport-related brain injuries. The programme would have highlighted the need for accelerated investment in UK regulatory adaptation informed by American best practices.

An examination of Broader Neurological Risks

The programme should have extended its scope beyond dementia and CTE to include:

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and links between repetitive head trauma and the onset of MND in former professional athletes.

Parkinson’s Disease: An exploration of emerging research that suggests an increased incidence of Parkinsonian syndromes among retired players.

The inclusion of these neurological conditions would have provided a wider coverage of the risks associated with professional contact sports.

The Programme needed to advocate for State-Funded Research Separate from the Football Industry

Panorama should have argued for research to be publicly funded. Agencies such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) or the Medical Research Council (MRC) could have funded the research.  State-funded research could have been completed earlier and would have been free from commercial public relations activities.

Policy Analysis and Sporting Inconsistencies

The programme could have made targeted policy critiques, including:

Age-Based Inconsistencies in Contact Sport Regulation

There is an inconsistency whereby children are allowed to play professional football in their mid-teens, while UK professional boxing has a minimum age limit of 18. This discrepancy highlights a lack of coherence in safeguarding practices across contact sports.

A Recognition of Occupational Health Hazards.

Football-related dementia needs to be considered within the context of occupational health risks.  Industrial risk standards need to be applied to football, so what is acceptable in a factory determines what is acceptable in sport.

A recognition of the long-term socio-economic costs of dementia

Dementia has a cost to the NHS, which is a side-effect of playing football. The police and social workers can also become involved in cases where people have dementia.

Legislative Accountability

The programme should have called on Parliament to approve new research and public health rules, through select committee oversight or statutory inquiries.

Integration of Effective Parts of the Alan Shearer (2017) Documentary

Panorama would demand greater investigative rigour and editorial independence.  However, it could have retained useful parts from Shearer’s programme.

Michael Grey (University of East Anglia): His scientific explanation of the biomechanical processes involved in heading was accessible and informative.

Will Stewart (University of Glasgow): His research findings into brain trauma in football provided empirical evidence.

May Tees (wife of Matt Tees), John Stiles (son of Nobby Stiles), and Dawn Astle (daughter of Jeff Astle): These interviews presented personal narratives that featured the real-life implications of neurodegenerative illness.

Chris Nicholl (former football manager): His frank discussion with Alan Shearer offered a rare and insightful firsthand perspective into the progressive impact of dementia on a former football professional.

Central defenders, Steve Howey and Gary Pallister, could have been asked to describe heading as part of their playing careers.

The Stirling University research, which examined heading and its effects on memory.

These sections, if placed in a more independent and analytical context, would have enhanced the argument conveyed in a Panorama broadcast.

Conclusion

Editorial independence, pioneering international research, analysis of broader neurological risks, advocating for public funding, and drawing upon parts of existing programming would have led to a useful Panorama investigation.  A broadcast that could have been a landmark television programme on sports-related brain injuries.

Such a documentary would have enhanced public understanding of science.  It could also have influenced policymakers and sporting authorities to tighten measures to protect ‘brain health’.  For example, a call could have been made that footballers are only able to turn professional at the age of 18.