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Female Athletes Suffer Pain For Glory

College-level female soccer players suffer concussions at the same rate as male football players. Brazilian national player Daniela Alves Lima was among a number of athletes injured in the 2007 Women's World Cup soccer tournament.
Peter Parks
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College-level female soccer players suffer concussions at the same rate as male football players. Brazilian national player Daniela Alves Lima was among a number of athletes injured in the 2007 Women's World Cup soccer tournament.

According to Michael Sokolove's book Warrior Girls, female athletes are more vulnerable to injury than their male counterparts. The statistics are alarming: women are eight times more likely to damage their ACLs, or anterior cruciate ligaments, than men. But with proper attention and training, women can reduce their risk, says the sportswriter.

In addition to writing about women's athletics, Sokolove has written about politics and sociological problems as a contributor to The New York Times Magazine and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Sokolove has written two books on baseball culture: The Ticket Out focuses on the promises made and opportunities denied to the boys of the Los Angeles inner-city neighborhood Crenshaw; Hustle chronicles the controversial career of Pete Rose.

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