Obesity and player health

[Quake]

I played high school and college football and I have watched a lot of high school football in four decades. This week, I made it a point to watch five different JV & HS football teams practice for varying periods of time to make some observations. And I came away thinking that perhaps it is time to consider an exclusionary BMI cap on morbidly obese players. During the years I played (before video games, fast food and obligatory rides) I cannot recall ever having kids on the team so fat they just could not move and keep up.

 

That was never an issue in college, either. But it sure is today. Each team that I watched practice had 4-5 really fat players who were walking by the second round of gassers. Maybe a BMI cap is not the way to go, perhaps it is a mandatory KHSAA physical fitness test and not just a physical exam. We have been rocked by the recent untimely deaths of players in seemingly good physical condition.

 

In my opinion, is just inviting tragedy to keep running morbidly obese kids up and down the field in sweltering heat. The question becomes how do you balance their desire to participate with an obligation to protect their health. I do not know the answer but I know there are people here who could offer a wealth of insight.

[MBWC41]

You can't deny a kid the opportunity to play a sport because of his weight.

 

I agree with you about the health concerns though.

[Ram]

The problem you run in to will such a rule is, every player is so much different. I understand the definition of obesity, and I understand BMI, but you can't make a rule that effects everyone across the board. In my opinion, there is obesity, then there is OBESITY.

 

There are several different ways to look at this: one if a kid is in terrible condition, playing a sport, no matter what it is, has got to be a good thing. Maybe the kid will develop a desire to get in better shape to earn playing time, or to get better. Two, it could be a dangerous situation, but this a very small percentage of the number of football players in the world. I am not diminishing the deaths of young men over recent years, it is terrible, and I wish it would never happen, but it is a very small percentage and many of the deaths are secondary to other situations then size and heat. Many of those players had medical conditions that they either knew about, or did not know about.

 

One point that I want to make is, football is different then other sports. I am not saying that being obese makes you a better player, but some weight can be a good thing in some situations. I don't know how many linemen are truly considered obese, but many of them are very large indivisuals. Some of these players in bad shape, but the good ones, the ones that are going to go to college to play football are in good shape, despite being what many would consider overweight.

 

You have to look at the whole picture, is a player too large and out of shape? If so, they need to get into better shape physically and cardiovascularly. Is the player large, on a large frame, overweight, and in good shape? If so, there should not be a problem.

 

The only way I see to come to this conclusion is to, allow physicals be done by doctors, as they are, and trust them. If a parent doesn't think that the doctor did a complete and proper physical, ask questions, demand a complete physical, or have a second physical done by another doctor. If a parent suspects a problem with their child's health, have it checked. That is the best answer I can come up with.

[DADDY CAT]

We want our linemen big in HS ball, but many of the kids I see can be candidates for some major health issues. Heart Disease, Diabetes, etc.

 

BUT, on the flip side, they are getting exercise. Two edge sword, I guess....

[oldonetechnique]

This is the same problem I have with drug testing, kids needs sports to fight such problems.

[ColonelMike]

Those athletic physicals are supposed to be points in the process where the doctors approve or disapprove of little Johnny's participation. That's when a licensed professional has the opportunity to say that participating in ______ sport would be hazardous to Johnny's health...

[IndiansMom]

I was not aware that the player we lost last year was obese. What was his weight & height? Were most of these players lost tragically considered obese?

[Quake]

The players who passed were from all outward appearances fit and capable of playing. I was just looking at the very obese players, the ones who cannot keep up, not the stocky or naturally big boned kids. I agree it is good for most any teen to get exercise. And true, some develop into hawgs. But a lot don't and then the extra heft becomes a serious health issue. As history has shown, even fit kids can have undiagnosed conditions. And these kids are not fit and have visible health conditions.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Those athletic physicals are supposed to be points in the process where the doctors approve or disapprove of little Johnny's participation. That's when a licensed professional has the opportunity to say that participating in ______ sport would be hazardous to Johnny's health...

 

I agree that doctors need to be held responsible for the approval they are are or aren't giving for players in their physicals. I still think there is also a lot of that responsibility that also falls on the coaches and the staff, though.

 

I know that most teams in the Northern Kentucky area have a "training staff" that includes full-time student athletic trainers, as well as a licensed athletic trainer(s) and/or doctor(s) who show up at practice 2 and 3 times a week and check on everyone. I think the KHSAA should certainly be requiring at least the coaching staff and professional training staff to be very well versed in recognizing when their practice regimens are potentially endangering individual players' health. Heck, set up a training seminar and require them to attend. Makes sense to me.

 

Still, by and large, the coaches seem to know when enough is enough as far as pushing their players, and they also know when they've got a player who's just out of shape and lagging. There are times when you've got a player who's just tired, and he may be dragging behind on all of the wind sprints, but that doesn't mean you need to let him sit and rest - that's conditioning for the 4th quarter. At the same time, they should be able to (and usually are able to) recognize when a player is in distress or is having actual problems. Even then, there are going to be accidents, but they need to be doing anything and everything in their power to prevent anything bad from happening.

[Homerun]

Those athletic physicals are supposed to be points in the process where the doctors approve or disapprove of little Johnny's participation. That's when a licensed professional has the opportunity to say that participating in ______ sport would be hazardous to Johnny's health...

 

The physician physicals that are "required" are basic, not in depth.

[DADDY CAT]

A lot of things that kill players are things like heart problems that only extensive/expensive tests would reveal. Usually the "risk" kids would get these.

I have to agree about the physicals not being very "in depth".