Many individuals are calling for new regulations to be put in place to govern how sports coaches conduct their workout and conditioning training regimes. More than 20 student football players have died since the year 2000 during these conditioning workouts. At this time there are rules governing the actual games and practices, but now officials are seeking to make the conditioning sessions just as safe.
Between 2000 and 2011 no football players died during an actual game and it is thought that regulations concerning limits of the amount and weight of equipment worn by the players and the number of training sessions and practices are also limited.
The most common causes of death in the 21 players who have died over the last 12 years include, heat stroke and heart failure, but nearly 50 percent of the cases were diagnosed as sickle cell anemia, which can reduce the body’s ability to transport blood around the body during a strenuous workout and lead to sudden death.
A sports medicine expert, Dr. Jolie Holschen said; “generally occurred with excessive exercise under the direction of a coach, often in extreme conditions, and in some cases with staff inadequately prepared to deal with the emergency in a timely or appropriate fashion.”
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