Obama to spotlight risks of head injuries in sports

President Barack Obama will host a conference highlighting the risks of head injuries to young athletes on Thursday, seeking to use the power of his office to promote awareness of ways to avoid and treat concussions, White House officials said. The event will assemble representatives of professional and collegiate sports, athletes, coaches, researchers and children, the officials added. "The president is a big sports fan," said White House communications director Jennifer Palmieri. "There's not enough that we know about concussions and how they relate to young athletes." The four major professional U.S. sports leagues, governing football, baseball, hockey and basketball, bring in about $23 billion in revenue each year and sales of sports equipment in the United States are valued at $42 billion annually.