• Cardiology
• Cardiovascular epidemiology
• Concussion

Panhuyzen-Goedkoop and Smeets1 provide an important primer at the intersection of cardiac disorders, decision-making and legal risk in sports medicine. The authors accurately flag the relevant issues and offer concrete suggestions. The purpose of this reply is to elaborate on one of the authors’ key findings and qualify another point through a more textured discussion.

The twin concern of false positives and false negatives permeates the authors’ article. Such an emphasis is well placed. The concern is particularly vexing in the context of cardiac disorders. It was illustrated in the tragic death and legal aftermath involving National Basketball Association player Reggie Lewis, a widely covered event that was recently marked by its 20th anniversary. The past two decades have left a ‘sports law legacy’2—one that all physicians practising in this area should be aware of. …