United States Sports Academy
America's Sports University®

The Sport Digest - ISSN: 1558-6448

volume 13 number 3

The World's Most Famous Arena

The image of a sports facility is very important to managing facility operations. After all, customers are spending their disposable income on an intangible product. When customers buy a ticket to a sports event, they are purchasing a good time, or a memory. They are not buying the team, but a nice night out that they can look back on. To make this a pleasurable memory, facility managers need to maintain a positive image of their facilities.

Can Prolonged Exercise Damage the Heart

Several scientific studies have demonstrated the appearance of cardiac muscle proteins after bouts of prolonged exercise. (1,2,3,6) The basic question is with regard to whether prolonged exercise can actually cause myocardial necrosis. Necrosis has been documented when rats swam for a period of 5 hours. (2) However, this same study found no evidence of ischemic injury in swims of 1 to 3 hours in duration.

Ironman Training

A survey-based research project that looked at annual training patterns and ironman-distance race results showed a few things that triathletes may want to consider when laying out their training plan for the year. The study only sampled a small number of athletes, and training results will vary from athlete to athlete, but it does appear that some elements of training are often similar among successful triathletes.

Children Need Physical Education & Play

Physical education and play are two areas that are alarmingly neglected in the public school system. Richard Louv reports that since 1995, 40% of schools have cutback or eliminated recess and that that many elementary schools are being constructed without playgrounds (Louv 2005), all this in spite of overwhelming evidence that supports superior performance in the classroom as a result of physical activity (Bossenmeyer). Many of these changes are a result of increasing pressures associated with standardized testing. Olga Jarred speculates many instructors are pressured to teach only what is covered by the test. (Jarred 2005). In many cases this means cut backs in physical education.

Sporting Equipment is Going High-Tech

Over the last few years, sporting equipment has become very high-tech. Almost everyone that uses today’s sporting equipment has seen a number of changes due to modern technology. In the last five years, we have seen at least three changes in football equipment. A new helmet was designed to cut down on the number of concussions. By design, the helmet is supposed to disperse the impact of the collision. The newer helmet is designed to fit the head better than the older helmet. The newer helmet has several inflatable parts that will adjust better to the individuals’ heads. Shoulder pads worn by football players have also been transformed by technology. According to the research, the newer shoulder pads are lighter and cooler for the players. The newer design is supposed to allow heat to leave the body and help the player stay cooler in the heat. The new protective mouth guards are also new for football players. They are designed to cut down on concussions in contact sports. The newer mouth guards are supposed to redirect the impact of collision or contact. There is even a special design for the female athlete.