Why does this happen so much more so now, then when I was playing?

 

Good question. I know that today's coaches are much more kind with water breaks. I know so many kids gulp down those energy drinks and that's not good with all the heat.

 

Air conditioning and Playstation, Xbox. Kids don't get out and play in it enough these days. AC definitely makes a hot, humid outside a shock to the body.

 

I am not 100% but I'd be willing to bet that it actually happens much less in todays society than 20-30 years ago. While we have a much larger polpulation, we also have alot more football players out there. However I still think it's happening less frequently than a few decades ago, it just seems more prevelant because of how much the media is reporting on it and you hear about it much easier than 30 years ago. If this happened in the 60's or 70's I highly doubt most of us would have heard about it. There wasn't an interenet site to hop on for someone to post about it every time it happened, you didn't have 100's of different news outlets willing to pick up the story that you could access with just a few key strokes from your laptop or cell phone. In addition to all of those things I think it's clear that society has really showed it's concerned with this type of tragedy and so the media always makes sure if something such as this happens they get it in the headlines.

I am not 100% but I'd be willing to bet that it actually happens much less in todays society than 20-30 years ago. While we have a much larger polpulation, we also have alot more football players out there. However I still think it's happening less frequently than a few decades ago, it just seems more prevelant because of how much the media is reporting on it and you hear about it much easier than 30 years ago. If this happened in the 60's or 70's I highly doubt most of us would have heard about it. There wasn't an interenet site to hop on for someone to post about it every time it happened, you didn't have 100's of different news outlets willing to pick up the story that you could access with just a few key strokes from your laptop or cell phone. In addition to all of those things I think it's clear that society has really showed it's concerned with this type of tragedy and so the media always makes sure if something such as this happens they get it in the headlines.

 

You also have to figure that years ago they weren't taking the same precautions that coaches are today.

You also have to figure that years ago they weren't taking the same precautions that coaches are today.

 

No doubt, a coach is persecuted if something like this happens to one of their players, therefore no intelligent coach will risk their players safety or their reputation. It's just not worth it.

Air conditioning and Playstation, Xbox. Kids don't get out and play in it enough these days. AC definitely makes a hot, humid outside a shock to the body.

 

I'm going to go with this. I used to throw nine innings of strike-out (fast-pitch baseball, only with taped-up wiffle-ball bats and a tennis ball) about 4-5 days a week, on the hot asphalt, with no breeze. Didn't matter if it was 80 or 100, and that's with oppressive humidity that only comes from living on top of the Ohio River.

 

Kids are soft today, mostly because their parents aren't forcing them to go outside and play. Soda pops don't help, either.

Why does this happen so much more so now, then when I was playing?

 

In addition to the other answers suggested, does the size of players playing today have an impact? When I played, I was one of the biggest kids on my team and I weighed 210. The bigger kids in school just didn't play football. Now, you see much larger kids playing ball. Some are immense. Does the larger body size cause the body core to retain more heat, thus causing heat injuries to occur more frequently? Seems like it is usually the bigger kids succumbing to heat injuries. Should we require much more thorough medical physicals? Particularly for those kids who are large or have a high body fat index (or whatever it's called)? I hear of some schools having medical physicals that are like cattle calls: kids lined up in a gym with a doctor taking a few minutes per player to do the exam. Those can't be very thorough. Perhaps a more thorough exam should be required for any kid with a certain body fat index.

And as we have discussed before, whether necessary precautions are made with adequate water breaks or not during a practice, if you are not hydrated properly prior to arriving, it really does not matter how many water breaks you take. I am not assigning any blame here, but often these tragedies are the result of poor (if no) body preparation.

In addition to the other answers suggested, does the size of players playing today have an impact? When I played, I was one of the biggest kids on my team and I weighed 210. The bigger kids in school just didn't play football. Now, you see much larger kids playing ball. Some are immense. Does the larger body size cause the body core to retain more heat, thus causing heat injuries to occur more frequently? Seems like it is usually the bigger kids succumbing to heat injuries. Should we require much more thorough medical physicals? Particularly for those kids who are large or have a high body fat index (or whatever it's called)? I hear of some schools having medical physicals that are like cattle calls: kids lined up in a gym with a doctor taking a few minutes per player to do the exam. Those can't be very thorough. Perhaps a more thorough exam should be required for any kid with a certain body fat index.

 

I think it makes a difference but not nearly as much as proper breaks, etc. I have my doubts that all coaches follow the guidelines as they should. I've heard stories of coaches seeking out the shadiest, coolest spot they can find to take the heat index reading. Last summer, at one of the senior day camps (Tennessee), my son and I felt they didn't take proper precautions. One of the coaches was pulling the "can you take it" macho stuff. We left half way through.

 

(I'm a Tennessee alumni, B.A. and M.S. from there. I wouldn't let my son play for Dooley for anything. If UK can't beat UT while Dooley's there, they never will.)

IKids are soft today, mostly because their parents aren't forcing them to go outside and play. Soda pops don't help, either.

 

Wrong. Today's kids are bigger, stronger, faster. Try putting on enough insulation to keep you warm on a winter day, and then go out in a 100+ heat index and do something a lot more strenuous than throwing a tennis ball. A couple of weeks ago, my son and I hiked through parts of Red River Gorge with 40-50 lb packs on our backs. Didn't bother him much at all. I'm 60 years old and made it till the end but he did it in style. From what I've seen most of his teammates could have done it too. Why does every generation want to think they're tougher than the next one?

Wrong. Today's kids are bigger, stronger, faster. Try putting on enough insulation to keep you warm on a winter day, and then go out in a 100+ heat index and do something a lot more strenuous than throwing a tennis ball. A couple of weeks ago, my son and I hiked through parts of Red River Gorge with 40-50 lb packs on our backs. Didn't bother him much at all. I'm 60 years old and made it till the end but he did it in style. From what I've seen most of his teammates could have done it too. Why does every generation want to think they're tougher than the next one?

 

Has nothing to do with tougher, other than in the context that kids — as a general rule — don't spend much time playing outdoors the way they did a generation ago. Because of that, kids are not adequately acclimated to the heat when they report for practice in July.

 

In the case of your son, it sounds to me like he spends plenty of time outdoors. Therefore, the heat's not going to bother him as much as someone who spends every hour of every day sitting in the air conditioning playing video games and drinking soda pops. I highly doubt, however, that "most of his teammates could have done it," because they are probably more like most kids today and spending all day indoors.

Has nothing to do with tougher, that kids — as a general rule — don't spend much time playing outdoors the way they did a generation ago. Because of that, kids are not adequately acclimated to the heat when they report for practice in July.

other than in the context

In the case of your son, it sounds to me like he spends plenty of time outdoors. Therefore, the heat's not going to bother him as much as someone who spends every hour of every day sitting in the air conditioning playing video games and drinking soda pops. I highly doubt, however, that "most of his teammates could have done it," because they are probably more like most kids today and spending all day indoors.

 

You nailed it with that, but the media and our culture will never outright accept that reasoning and many other harsh truths, either, unfortunately.

 

If the media and those who investigate these situations (and, I haven't even read this new story yet) looked into these young mens eating habits, how much they hydrate themselves throughout the summer (and, not just in practice), the medications (if any) that they are on, along with the amount of time (or lack of) that they probably spend outside in the summer; then football itself wouldn't be getting such a bad wrap.

 

With that said, my whole hearted thoughts and prayers go out to these families. I can't possibly begin to imagine the pain and suffering that they are going through right now.

And as we have discussed before, whether necessary precautions are made with adequate water breaks or not during a practice, if you are not hydrated properly prior to arriving, it really does not matter how many water breaks you take. I am not assigning any blame here, but often these tragedies are the result of poor (if no) body preparation.

 

This definitely plays a part, I'm not saying kids are drinking alcohol at all but compare it to ourselves as adults. When you've drank alcohol the night before you're body get's so dehydrated, it can take an entire day for your body to get rehydrated and that's if you're actually putting a focus on rehydrating. If a kid shows up having slept for 8-10 hours(most people don't take in fluids while they're sleeping) prior to their going to practice, or if they worked, or played another sport before hand; that player can be in excellent condition but still be at a severe risk of suffering from dehydration and once this happens vital organs will suffer the consequences.

You nailed it with that, but the media and our culture will never outright accept that reasoning and many other harsh truths, either, unfortunately.

 

If the media and those who investigate these situations (and, I haven't even read this new story yet) looked into these young mens eating habits, how much they hydrate themselves throughout the summer (and, not just in practice), the medications (if any) that they are on, along with the amount of time (or lack of) that they probably spend outside in the summer; then football itself wouldn't be getting such a bad wrap.

 

With that said, my whole hearted thoughts and prayers go out to these families. I can't possibly begin to imagine the pain and suffering that they are going through right now.

 

You guys go the whole nine yards trying to blame the victim, and with no solid facts to back it up.

 

If the lives and habits of the kids are as you say they are, it seems that the adults in the situation would make adjustments accordingly. It certainly doesn't seem the case that the kids in Georgia were wimpy, couch potatoes. http://www.ajc.com/sports/high-school/dad-says-son-who-1068806.html

 

My take is the increased competitiveness and emphasis in winning at any cost.

 

Here's some reasons according to people who have actually researched the problem. http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/05/football-and-heat-whos-at-risk/?iref=allsearch

 

Players are getting bigger.

 

It’s getting hotter. Several studies have shown climate conditions are getting hotter and more humid.

 

Morning practices, which are often scheduled so players can work out before the heat of the day, didn’t keep players from dying. The study found more than half of the deaths between 1980 and 2009 were during the morning. Higher humidity, which is common in the morning, is the likely reason.

 

Researchers found “in 13 cases, news reports specifically noted that the death occurred within the first 3 days of practice” when players are less conditioned, and are more apt to be less accustomed to working out in the heat. An earlier study in Alabama found that “there were no environmental combinations at any time periods during the month of August for any locale in the state that would be considered safe for outdoors practice in full uniform”

 

Got that? For that year in Alabama not a single day was suitable football practice with full pads. My sister lives in northern Alabama. During the summer, when you open the car door to get out, a blast of hot air hits you like opening a hot oven. I worked at a summer camp in Alabama 3 summers, no AC anywhere. I know what it's like. Brutally hot.

 

When I was in high school, class of 1969, no football was played until September. There were fewer hot day practices. When I was in college, they didn't play until September. Now, KY high schools anyway, play two games in August which means more hot preseason practices. Dealing with the cold in November and December would be less deadly.

No doubt, a coach is persecuted if something like this happens to one of their players, therefore no intelligent coach will risk their players safety or their reputation. It's just not worth it.

When Tim went to heaven, there were people that asked us if we were going to sue Coach Berner. The first time the question was asked, I answered respectfully....but I grew tired of it quickly.

 

Later.

Has nothing to do with tougher, other than in the context that kids — as a general rule — don't spend much time playing outdoors the way they did a generation ago. Because of that, kids are not adequately acclimated to the heat when they report for practice in July.

 

In the case of your son, it sounds to me like he spends plenty of time outdoors. Therefore, the heat's not going to bother him as much as someone who spends every hour of every day sitting in the air conditioning playing video games and drinking soda pops. I highly doubt, however, that "most of his teammates could have done it," because they are probably more like most kids today and spending all day indoors.

 

You nailed it with that, but the media and our culture will never outright accept that reasoning and many other harsh truths, either, unfortunately.

 

If the media and those who investigate these situations (and, I haven't even read this new story yet) looked into these young mens eating habits, how much they hydrate themselves throughout the summer (and, not just in practice), the medications (if any) that they are on, along with the amount of time (or lack of) that they probably spend outside in the summer; then football itself wouldn't be getting such a bad wrap.

 

With that said, my whole hearted thoughts and prayers go out to these families. I can't possibly begin to imagine the pain and suffering that they are going through right now.

I can't speak for everyone, but Tim hydrated himself very well. He spent a lot of time in the sun during the summer prior to him going to heaven. There's really no place to point a finger and place blame anywhere.

 

Later.

I remember it being like 91-92 degrees one day during the second part of a double session, and our head coach saying it isn't hot enough. I think it has something to do with these youths and their general makeup. Everything from the baby formulas all the way to their genuinely indoor, sedentary culture lead up to their problems