Sam Peters
Sam Peters is a sports journalist and author whose work centres on concussion in rugby and player welfare. He built his reputation at The Mail on Sunday, where he drove a sustained concussion in rugby campaign that changed how the sport thinks about head injuries. He now works across journalism, books and events to push for safer contact sports and informed choice for players. Alongside his sports reporting, his portfolio also includes straightforward service pieces such as practical packing guidance for trips to Greece.
Concussion in rugby and player welfare
Peters’ defining work is his long-running investigation into the risks of concussion and brain injury in professional rugby. Between 2013 and 2017 he led The Mail on Sunday’s concussion in rugby campaign, documenting how repeated head impacts were affecting players and challenging governing bodies to respond. That campaign was recognised across the industry, including shortlisting for major journalism awards and being described as one of the most influential sports campaigns in newspaper history. His reporting has highlighted failures such as the lack of promised research into the link between heading footballs and dementia after the death of former England player Jeff Astle. In recent years he has continued to tell harrowing real-life stories from former professionals and to argue that education and informed choice are central to rebuilding trust between players and rugby’s leadership.
Investigative rugby coverage and governance
Beyond concussion, Peters’ sports coverage focuses on how rugby is run, financed and regulated. His long-read pieces examine issues such as Premiership Rugby’s governance problems, commercial deals that reshape the game’s economics, and the pressures created by professionalisation and size-focused training.
He has written extensively about legal cases brought by former players against the sport’s authorities, framing them as part of a wider reckoning over duty of care and accountability. His work also follows figures and groups trying to reform rugby from within, including campaigns for better leadership and more transparent decision-making.
Over nearly two decades he has reported across national newspapers and specialist outlets, becoming one of rugby’s most influential media voices.
Books and advocacy beyond newspapers
Peters has extended his journalism into books that chart the cultural and medical story of concussion in sport.
His 2023 book on concussion in rugby recounts his efforts to raise awareness, the resistance he encountered, and the changes now underway in how contact sports manage head injuries. The book has won awards for sports writing and been shortlisted for major sports book prizes, underlining the impact of his work beyond daily reporting.
He has also written other sports-related books, including collaborations with elite athletes, which draw on his experience covering high-performance environments.
Through his own media platform he curates talks, panels and broadcast content that bring together players, clinicians and administrators to discuss how sport can become safer while preserving its appeal. He is a regular speaker and podcast guest on brain health and performance, using these formats to reach audiences beyond traditional sports pages.
Style, format and range
Peters’ reporting is built on long-form investigations, with detailed sourcing, player testimony and clear explanations of complex medical and governance issues.
He often uses case studies and legal disputes to anchor broader questions about responsibility, ethics and the future of contact sports. His tone is direct and campaigning, but grounded in evidence and in the lived experience of current and former professionals.
While rugby is his primary subject, he has written across sport and contributed to outlets covering wider performance and health themes. His range also includes accessible consumer and service pieces, such as practical travel packing lists, showing he can move between deep investigative work and straightforward, reader-focused guides.
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