If you think some football coaches are the same as you and me, we suggest
you talk to a few. The sad truth is that many coaches, from high school to
mainly the big football colleges and the pros, will try to win at all
costs. They’re allowed – and in some cases expected – to do so. Why?
Because it’s all about winning, and winning is about money. And if somebody
gets crippled or killed? Well stuff happens.
Let us say up front that we are not for discontinuing football or other
sports because of injuries. However, as physicians, we are strongly in
favor of minimizing these happenings, especially when they are preventable.
Heat-related deaths, as in the case of Minnesota lineman Korey Stringer,
are totally unacceptable, since they can be virtually eliminated with
simple common sense precautions. Unfortunately, this latest incident is
only the tip of the thermometer. We hear about it in the mainstream media
only because death from a 108-degree core body temperature is so
sensational and final.
Every day during training, too many coaches push young athletes too hard,
both physically and mentally. Most injuries are not reported in the daily
press because they do not result in fatalities. Some coaches treat players
like expendable commodities; too many players expect to be treated that
way. Some players may not complain of pain, fatigue or shortness of breath
because of fear of being called a “wimp,” “wussy” or worse. It’s pathetic
that so many young men buy into a false “macho man” facade. Real warriors
don’t kill themselves on the training fields; they train so they can go to
battle, win and survive.
Gen. Patton said, “The more we sweat in peace,
the less we bleed in war.” He didn’t say, “let’s go kill each other on
maneuvers.”
A relative of one of these writers was a high-school quarterback 15 years
ago. During a team weight-lifting session, the players were strongly
exhorted to top their personal best. Afterward, the QB suffered severe
lower back pain. Conventional x-rays and other studies were negative.
Unable to run or play, he heard insults and was called every imaginable
name by the coaches, which was then imitated by the players. Three weeks
later, nuclear bone and CT scans revealed multiple stress fractures of the
lumbar spine. The players had the grace to apologize and wish him well. The
coach never did.
Now, we hate lawsuits – no need for one here. But perhaps the next time a
player dies from heat stroke, the local DA might consider and publicly talk
about filing a manslaughter charge. After all, these government prosecutors
have no qualms about – even seem to enjoy – charging professionals such
as psychiatrists and other medical specialists with malpractice or murder
when they have done nothing wrong. One charge of manslaughter and this T
and A – testosterone and androgen – laden situation would find a
reasonable solution faster than Randy Moss catching a pass and running for
a touchdown!
Lance Scott, a 300-pound lineman, who played two years for Arizona, three
for the New York Giants, and one for New England, is sitting out this year
to recover from a knee injury. Says Scott, “Sometimes the players won’t
tell their coaches if they are hurt or sick. However, in this case Stringer
was obviously in trouble for several days and vomited the previous day. You
think someone would have picked this up and had him sit out a day. After
all, Stringer was an All-Pro and there was no chance of him being cut.” In
Stringer’s case he did not suffer from the “few days to fight for a job”
motif.
Brian E. Clark, reporter for the San Diego Union Tribune, told us,
“Training kills and harms far more players than getting their heads busted
– immediately and in the long run.” There are some fascinating stats about
football players as a group dying early – often in their 50s.
The “Annual Survey of Football Injury Research,” 1931-2000, last updated
March 23, 2001, is authored by Frederick O. Mueller, Ph.D., chairman,
American Football Coaches Committee on Football Injuries and Jerry L.
Diehl, assistant director of the National Federation of State High School
Associations. In this comprehensive survey, football fatalities are
classified as direct and indirect:
Direct: Those fatalities which result directly from participation
in the fundamental activities of football.
Indirect: Those fatalities which are caused by systemic failure as a
result of exertion while participating in football activity or by a
complication which was secondary to a non-fatal injury.
Here are some main points abstracted from Mueller’s and Diehl
superlative study:
States during the 2000 football season.
2000 football season. All were associated with high school football. Most
direct fatalities occur during regularly scheduled games. All three took
place in September.
injuries, such as deaths from heat stroke or heart related. In 2000
there were twelve indirect fatalities. Ten were associated with high school
football, and two were associated with college football. Both of the
college indirect fatalities were heat-related.
13 young football players have died from heat stroke.
Mueller and Diehl recommend the following measures for training staff to
reduce these needless deaths:
examine each athlete, and evaluate the significance of the medical history
for previous heat illness and other training illness or injury.
sessions for the first seven to 10 days.
humidity, know both the temperature and the humidity. On hot or humid days,
such as when the wet-bulb temperature is over 78 degrees, moderate the
training drills to reduce exertion appropriately.
movement and remove helmets and loosen or remove jerseys. Rest periods of
15-30 minutes should be provided during workouts of one hour.
will do this. Coaches should not provide salt tablets to athletes and
should warn athletes about using them on their own.
Participants and trainers should check weight charts in order to identify
and treat athletes who lose excessive weight. Generally, a three percent
body weight loss from sweating is safe, but a five percent loss is in the
danger zone.
excess clothing. Never use rubberized clothing or sweat suits because they
prevent the normal cooling effect of sweat evaporation.
incoherence, fatigue, weakness, vomiting, cramps, weak rapid pulse, flushed
appearance, visual disturbances and unsteadiness. Contrary to popular
belief, victims may sweat profusely.
In addition there are some things that coaches say that really scare us.
Be forewarned:
no gain.” Wrong. Pain means injury has occurred or is being incurred.
Continue too long with the pain and you may miss the next game or season!
Don’t forget our “no brain – no pain” heads up alert.
complete the job of totally destroying your knee, ankle, shoulder or elbow
and never play again.
those dimwitted coaches use this phrase pick him up and take him to the nearest hospital for his brain check or a CT/MRI head scan.
Our last point is that some of this “endurance training” may be overdone. A
few years ago the first author did a study at the insistence of his wife,
Mimi, who complained that most of the time there is no action in football.
As a disbeliever and armed with a stopwatch he precisely measured the time
the football was in play during a 60 minute game that lasted four hours one
long Super Bowl Sunday.
He was embarrassed when he found the time to be 13.5 minutes. That left 3
hours and 46.5 minutes for players to recover between plays. Also consider
that each team has units for offense, defense, kick offs, kick off return,
punts, punt return, field goals, field goal defense, extra points and extra
point defense. So in actuality each gladiator only plays a portion of the
13.5 minutes. This is partially because of television timeouts for endless
commercials, which you don’t have in high school and most college games.
As a small aside, the team owners and mainstream sports writers don’t want
us to know this because then we will realize what fools we are. A decent
seat to see the replacement Cleveland Browns at home costs $252.00. That’s
for one game – not season tickets! Do the math to see how many dollars per
minute of play you pay.
In fairness, we must say that there are many excellent and concerned
coaches who look out for all aspects of their athletes’ welfare. However,
to some coaches, players and avid fans, sports has become more important
than life. We disagree. We think life is more important than death.
Those who prefer permanent injury and death can always take up the
Pankration, an ancient “no rules to speak of” Greek Olympic combat event
which used boxing gloves with metal studs, among other things!
