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Some Questions NFL Players Should be Asking
Michael Vick replacing Kevin Kolb as the starter is more interesting to the common fan than news about concussions. But the same week Kolb went out with a head injury, medical observers criticized the Eagles for putting linebacker Stewart Bradley back into a game four minutes after he “got his bell rung.” NFL players play through pain even if, later in life, they could be prone to short-term memory loss, depression, Lou Gehrig’s disease or serious cardiovascular problems. That is why today’s players need to ask questions of league and National Football League Players’ Association (NFLPA) officials.
Youth Sports: A Strategy to Satisfy Physical Activity Guidelines for Children
Numerous research investigations have indicated physical activity can enhance an individual’s mental and physical health as well as prevent several chronic diseases. Based on these investigations’ findings, in 2008, the United States Government issued Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. The United States Department of Health and Human Services’ specific guidelines for children and adolescents are:
Sport Agents on the College Scene
Like them or not, sport agents are a fact of life for high profile athletes in the contemporary sport scene. Most of us were not really aware of their influence or, perhaps, even of their existence before the 1996 movie Jerry McGuire. The main character in that movie, a struggling sport agent with an aging football client, dealt with the professional environment. Yet recently, through two very high profile events, the roles and the integrity of sport agents have been brought into focus in the realm of college athletics – and that has given us all pause to wonder and surmise.
New “Hands Only” CPR: It Works!
In an October 2010 article, the Harvard Health Letter outlined the steps in the simplified version of CPR. Known as “Hands Only CPR,” this is a new method of performing lifesaving CPR that involves using only chest compressions, as opposed to the traditional compressions-plus-breaths method.
Step 1: Call 911. This should be easier than ever since most people now carry a mobile phone.
Step 2: Start pushing hard and fast on the person’s breastbone (100 times per min), and keep it up until emergency medical technicians arrive.
Step 3: If an automated external defibrillator (AED) is available, use it.
The letter cautions that, while this method works, it should not be reported that it saves “more” lives than the traditional method. Recent studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine report that people who received the chest-only compressions were just as likely to survive as those given traditional CPR.
Where Did Our Love Go? The Demise (or Rise) of American Tennis
If you have watched any of the major tennis tournaments on TV the few past years, you may be wondering, “Where are all the Americans?” Sadly, the majority of them have either packed their bags and gone home, or moved on to the next tour stop before even reaching the second round. There has been much talk this year about the sorry state of American tennis, particularly men’s tennis. For example, no American male has won Wimbledon since 2000 (Sampras) or the US Open since 2003 (Roddick), and only one American male reached as high as the quarterfinals of a major tournament this year (Roddick in the Australian Open).
Divorce and Team Ownership
What does a high profile divorce case have to do with sport law? Plenty, if the combatants are the owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The long running divorce case involving Frank and Jamie McCourt is now waiting on the decision of the judge.
Cost Cuts Lead to Elimination of Selected Team Sports
The University of California at Berkeley has announced that it will eliminate five varsity sports, including baseball, after this school year as part of an effort to substantially reduce the university’s subsidization of its athletics program.
Sleep Loss Limits Fat Loss
Dieters getting a full night’s sleep lose more fat than those who sleep less. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers found that dieters who got a full night’s sleep lost the same amount of weight as dieters who slept less, but the full-nighters lost more fat. For more information, click here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101004211637.htm
What Coaches Must Know About Conditioning
Need for Education
Coaches of all sports want their athletes to be bigger, stronger, faster, more flexible, more coordinated, and leaner than their competition. Coaches should also be concerned about the health of their athletes and help to safe-guard against injury as much as possible. Safety and injury prevention should be a primary concern while striving to increase sport performance.
Dangers of Maple Baseball Bats in Major League Baseball
The popularity of maple baseball bats among Major League Baseball players has increased significantly in the past ten years. The hardness of maple wood in comparison to ash has led to the bat’s increase in popularity, overcoming the slight weight increase of the newly- used material. Along with the rise in popularity of the maple bat is the number of instances in which bats have broken and flown in various directions, resembling hurled spears. This situation culminated on September 19th when Chicago Cub outfielder, Tyson Colvin was pierced by the spear shaped projectile as he was running toward home plate while attempting to score from third base. Fortunately, Colvin will make a full recovery and continue to compete with no ill effects. However, for Major League Baseball, this event could lead to a serious investigation of types of wood, and the effects of their collisions with baseballs traveling at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour.