A highly ranked high school football player moved from his town in New York State to Pennsylvania to play football in a better high school program. The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association said that this is a violation of state rules that forbid a player to move for “athletic reasons” and declared this nationally ranked player, ineligible to play football.

This situation is a prime example of the professionalization of youth sports. Yes, high school football is very important in our society. The lure of the "Friday night lights" brings out the excitement and expectation in all of us. But, should high school football be about entertainment or education? It should first, be about education. The needs of those kids on the field should be first, not the needs of the parents in the stands.

That being said, I don't think education is the issue in this case. I understand that the WPIAL wants to eliminate out of town recruiting of high school players, but when a family chooses to move, that should be their decision. In the bigger picture, no one would object if a family wants to move to another school district so their children can get a better education. Nor, would anyone object if the parents of a clarinet player moved so as to be in a better band program. But, football is too important. It has more value in our society than music or education, therefore, it follows that society feels it needs to be regulated. As is often the case, politics is the motivation. Last year, the WPIAL ruled that Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh could recruit a quarterback from North Carolina, now they have sullied their reputation by voting the opposite way for Woodland Hills High School. Because football is so important to the adults, the needs of the kids are ignored.

Last week two boys, 11 and 12, playing in the Tampa Bay Youth Football League, collapsed and died from heat stroke. Two days ago heat stroke took the life of a fifteen-year-old football player from an Atlanta high school. According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, “There is no excuse for any number of heat stroke deaths since they are all preventable with proper precautions.”

The American College of Sports Medicine made an announcement last week in which they reasserted their recommendation that parents and coaches understand the impact of HEAT:

1. Hydration - “Young athletes are coming to practice dehydrated,” according to Michael F. Bergeron, Ph.D., FACSM, “they become more dehydrated as practice continues, and progressively more dehydrated on each succeeding day of practice.”

2. Environmental Conditions – The length of each practice should not exceed three hours (including warm-up, conditioning, instruction, breaks, and cool-down). Players should not use stimulants, including high-dose caffeine or “energy” drinks.

3. Acclimatization – the body needs up to 14 days of progressive activity in the heat to undergo the physiological changes that allow for sufficient acclimatization (the first three to five are the most critical).

4. Treatment – players should be closely monitored by coaches and staff for signs and symptoms of developing heat-related injury, such as, thirst, irritability, headache and dizziness, cramping and unusual fatigue, vomiting, hyperventilation, confusion and changes in personality.

Prevention starts at home. Make sure kids are drinking plenty of water throughout the day before practice. Once they start practicing the rate of dehydration accelerates.

Heat stroke kicks in when the body temperature goes above 104 degrees. As the temperature continues to rise, the body goes into multiple organ failure and blood starts to clot in the veins.

Here is a list of recommendations from the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research:

· Acclimatize athletes to heat by gradually lengthening practices for the first seven to ten days and on other abnormally hot or humid days.

· Know the temperature and the humidity since it is more difficult for the body to cool itself in high humidity.

· Adjust activity level and provide frequent rest periods of 15 to 30 minutes during workouts of one hour.

· Give water regularly.

· Replace salt daily with liberal salting of food rather than by salt tablets.

· Weigh athletes before and after practice daily. Generally, a 3% body-weight loss is safe, and a 5% loss is potentially dangerous.

Following these guidelines could payoff significantly by keeping our kids healthy and alive.