Brock International has become an Official Education Partner of The Sports Legacy Institute, a Boston-based non-profit organization founded to advance the study, treatment, and prevention of brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk groups.

Brock International partners with The Sports Legacy Institute to fight concussions

Brock International has become an Official Education Partner of The Sports Legacy Institute, a Boston-based non-profit organization founded to advance the study, treatment, and prevention of brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk groups. Brock PowerBase, the industry’s leading shock pad and drainage layer used underneath synthetic turf fields, has been proven to reduce G-max, which may reduce the risk and severity of concussion.


“Athletes tend to experience brain injuries in one of four impact areas – head-to-head, head-to-body, head-to-ball and head-to-surface. Brock has taken a leadership stance in trying to prevent concussions by focusing on the playing field itself,” noted Chris Nowinski, co-founder and executive director of the Sports Legacy Institute. “We are excited to partner with an innovative company that shares our mission to protect athletes through education programs and raising awareness.”


Sports Legacy Institute (SLI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in June 2007 by concussion expert Dr. Robert Cantu, MD, and former Harvard football player and WWE professional wrestler Chris Nowinski in reaction to new medical research revealing that concussions and brain trauma in sports had become a public health crisis. SLI provides cutting-edge concussion education and develops policy innovations like the Hit Count Initiative. As an Official Educational Partner, Brock International has provided funding that helped SLI deliver their two-hour Advanced  Concussion Training (ACT) program to over 1,000 football coaches in the Los Angeles Unified School District, 2,500 coaches in The Chicagoland Youth Football League, and  over 3,000 Chicago Public Schools coaches and athletic directors, as well as programs for parents and athletes.


Research firm BioMechanica, LLC studied the estimated risk of head injury on synthetic turf surfaces with Brock underlayment and found the product reduces G-max, the peak force of impact, which the lab tests indicated should reduce the risk and severity of concussion; provides the same G-Max and playability as a pristine natural grass field and mitigates field hardening over time. In evaluating Head Injury Criteria (HIC), also known as critical fall height, Sports Labs LLC found that Brock PowerBase offered significant improvement in HIC when compared to a turf field that featured a stone base.


Brock International is the leader in performance base systems for synthetic turf.  With over 25 million square feet of Brock Performance Base in play underneath athletic fields worldwide, the company engineers the best, safest and most sustainable playing surfaces in the world for athletes at all levels. Brock has handled hundreds of successful installations for clients ranging from NFL teams and major universities to high schools and community parks.  In October 2011, Brock became the first company in the industry to have a Cradle to Cradle Certification CM for its combined drainage and shock pad product. Offering the only product in the market that can be closed loop recycled, Brock PowerBase is certified to the world’s most stringent environmental standards. Visit www.brock-international.com to learn more.