Heavy tackles and 300-pound nose guards are common in pro and college football. Now a study shows the trend toward beefier, overweight linemen is
emerging at the high school level.
Researchers at Iowa State University found nearly half of the offensive and defensive linemen playing on Iowa high school teams qualify as overweight,
and one in 10 meet medical standards for severe obesity.
For years at the pro and college level, teams have sought bigger, stronger linemen who are harder to budge.
Players have responded by adding weight and muscle mass, making the 300-pound lineman fairly common, sports medical experts said.
Recently, however, the National Football League and players have taken greater note of health risks for heavy athletes because of two high-profile NFL
player deaths and a 2005 study, which concluded that 56 percent of NFL players fit medical standards for obesity.
The study's researchers began by gathering height and weight data of 3,686 varsity linemen available from rosters from all classes of Iowa high
school football teams.
They used that data to calculate a body-mass index, the same tool used for the NFL study.
Of the players analyzed, 28 percent were deemed at risk of being overweight and 45 percent fit the standards for being overweight, including 9 percent
who met adult severe obesity standards.
SOURCE:
Physorg.com
This is news that is'nt surprising to me, as I see it at my own High
School (in Washington state).
Not all of the Football players are overwieght, but a disturbingly
large minority of them are, and of that, around half, I'm sure would
calssify as clinically obese.
In todays society of fast food and little exercise, generally one would
think of people who play sports ad being physically fit, yet this is not
so, as I, and the study have noted.
The main problem I think, is that sports culture is far to obsessed
with larger and larger players.
And, that is something we need to change, so as not to further de-
stroy ourselves, not onnly as people, but as a nation.
Comments, Opinions?
does he know WHY they serve this crap to the masses
yet?? not yet, but he is smart enough that in a few years i wont even have to explain it to him, he'll figure it out.