A Renewed Focus on Safety in Youth Athletics

Doctors, parents and coaches often have a much better understanding of player safety than young athletes. It’s the job of adults to ensure that the youngsters have a good time without putting themselves at risk of something they may regret for years to come.

However, even after repeatedly stressing the importance of moderation and proper technique, some athletes have a harder time getting the gist of the message. This could explain why prominent high school and college football coaches and Major League Baseball have stepped up their efforts in teaching player safety.

MLB launches pitching safety site

When a young ballplayer watches their favorite pitcher toss more than 120 pitches in a stellar nine-inning performance, they often want to replicate what just took place on TV. MLB understands this and has taken action by unveiling pitchsmart.org, a website that provides guidance on pitch count and injury prevention strategies, The New York Times reported.

The website launch happens to follow a season that saw a high amount of elbow injuries that ended the season for pitchers like Jose Fernandez of the Florida Marlins and Matt Harvey of the New York Mets.

“The problems we see in professional baseball don’t start when they sign their contracts,” Dr. Gary Green, the league’s medical director, told The Times. “A lot of the problems start when they’re younger. We’ve decided that we can’t just focus on the major leaguers and minor leaguers. We have to get an earlier start on this.”

A pledge for safety in football

Just as MLB officials are recognizing the health threats of pitching, a number of college, high school and youth sports coaches have acknowledged the dangers of a wide range of other sports. As a result, Nick Saban, the coach of Alabama football, and Gus Malzahn, the coach of Auburn football, have taken a sports safety pledge, according to the Alabama Media Group.

Dr. Larry Lemak, founder of the National Center for Sports Safety, clarified his perspective with an analogy. He told the publication that no parent would drop their kid off at a pool without a lifeguard and the same standard should be held for football and other sports. Accountability is key.

While MLB and other athletics leaders across the country are making strong efforts to raise awareness on youth sports safety, coaches of young athletes can also do their part through sports team websites. This kind of sports software can be a good place to list useful measures for preventing injury, no matter the sport.