Sports Then and Now

It may be summer, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be relaxing 100 percent of the time. Instead, you — or someone you care about — will be playing sports this sunny season.

Because of the warm temperatures and bright skies, it may seem the perfect time to get out onto the field or court. However, it can be dangerous to exercise outside during the summer: athletes often fall victim to dehydration, heat exhaustion and even heat stroke if they’re not properly prepared to get sweaty when the mercury’s at the tip-top of the thermometer.

Want to know how to safeguard your summer sports outings? Here are six ways to keep yourself hydrated, healthy and ready to play all season long.

1. Wear the Right Clothing

It likely goes without saying, but you shouldn’t be wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants for a summer workout. Instead, choose your most breathable, airy T-shirt and shorts. It’s important, too, to choose pieces in lighter colors: black and other dark colors absorb light wavelengths, transforming them into heat. On the other hand, white and lighter colors reflect wavelengths so heat doesn’t get absorbed into the fabric. Read the rest of this entry →

Former F1 pilot Hans Stuck is credited with one of the most memorable quotes in autodom.

“When I raced a car last,” Stuck proclaims, “it was a time when sex was safe and racing was dangerous, now it’s the other way around.”

Social commentary aside, Stuck is right. The advances made in safety for racing drivers over the last half-century have reduced the sports mortality rate by orders of magnitude, and even allowed drivers to walk away from crashes that at one time would most certainly have been fatal.

Even now, engineers and medical experts work tirelessly to continue to improve the safety record of a sport that is inherently dangerous. Let’s take a look back at how things came so far.

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Sports tailgating can be a thrilling way to experience a sports team’s culture. The act of tailgating — where fans celebrate in the vicinity of a sports stadium before and after a game with drinks and food — often involves a variety of dedicated fans. In many cases, it can be a fun way to immerse yourself in the excitement of sports, though there are also a number of unexpected dangers associated with sports tailgating.

Tailgating can be fun and accident-free, and, being aware of potential mishaps, you can better avoid the potential of them occurring:

Rowdy Tailgaters

Even if you’re of sound mind, there’s always the potential of being confronted by intoxicated tailgaters in your vicinity. In fact, a study found one in 12 are people drunk at sporting events — that doesn’t include those sitting with a buzz. The research from the University of Minnesota found those who tailgate, specifically, were 14 times more likely to depart the game intoxicated.

Considering that drunkenness can lead to poor judgment and irrationality, fights and unnecessary confrontation may arise.

Expect some people tailgating near you to be intoxicated, and stick to a group of people you know can handle their alcohol. If confronted by another group who are intoxicated, do your best to avoid them or tailgate elsewhere. Even though it can be a nuisance, moving your tailgating elsewhere can be a better alternative than serious injury. Read the rest of this entry →

One of the most common ways that many people are injured is by participating in sports or athletic activities on a regular basis. With all the tackles and jumps that are performed, it can be easy to strain muscles and break legs. To continue participating in sports and avoid athletic injuries, there are a few important tips to follow.

Use Protective Equipment

Wearing protective equipment is an effective way to reduce the risk of injuries in sports that involve physical contact between different players. If possible, wear protective headgear and padding to protect the most vulnerable parts of the body from too much force or pressure. Contact footwear can also be worn to reduce the risk of twisting your ankle or breaking it by having proper support with physical activity.

Warm Up Before Playing Sports

Although it can be easy to want to jump into practice or a game once arriving on the court or field, warming up is essential to preparing your body for extra strain. Spend 10 to 15 minutes stretching, exercising your muscles, and increasing your blood flow for increased flexibility. Start the warm up process slowly and stretch out each muscle to prepare it for different movements that you’ll perform.

Follow the Rules

Each sport has different rules to follow, which help create order with the game and can also reduce the risk of injuries that are prone to develop. Following the rules can allow you to protect yourself and will also prevent harm that can be inflicted on other players in the game. If you’re injured by another player, it’s important to seek personal injury help and obtain legal assistance to seek compensation to cover the costs of medical bills or lost wages. Read the rest of this entry →

Lucky Seven: Peyton Manning had a night for the ages to open the season.

After seven long months of OTA’s and talking about Tim Tebow, football returned this Thursday under the lights in Denver, Colorado. And this time the lights stayed on for the whole game. The season got started with one of the best players of this generation reminding us all that he can still get it done, included a first for a veteran wide receiver, the extension of a couple of Opening Day streaks, one milestone coaching victory and a first for a Lions‘ player since the days of Barry Sanders. Here are all the important notes, interesting accomplishments and head-scratching statistics from Week 1 of the brand new season.

Peyton Manning tied the all-time single-game record with seven touchdown passes in the Broncos‘ 49-27 win over the defending champion Ravens Thursday night. He became the first quarterback to throw seven TD passes in a game since Joe Kapp in 1969. It was the 74th time in his career he has thrown three or more touchdown passes in a game – the most all-time. Denver’s 22-point win was the largest ever opening-week win by a team against a defending Super Bowl champ.

The Falcons lost their first ever season opener against the Saints as they fell, 23-17, after blowing a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Atlanta had been 6-0 all-time against New Orleans to open the season. In the loss, however, Tony Gonzalez became just the third player to record a touchdown catch in 17 different seasons, joining Jerry Rice (19) and Irving Fryar, who also did it 17 times.

The Bucs fell to 0-7 all-time in road games against the Jets as New York pulled out the 18-17 win on a last-second field goal. Tampa committed 13 penalties in the game, leading to five New York first downs and helped put them in position to kick the game-winning field goal. Rookie Geno Smith helped lead the Jets with a 76.0 QBR in the fourth quarter.

Marc Trestman joined Chip Kelly and Andy Reid in winning their debuts with new teams.