- Jul 21, 2005
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The thing that makes me a touch more suspicious though is that whilst I agree that the level of fitness and condition required to play the game at the top level now is very physically demanding, the level of care and health support available is suitably the best around as well.Could be, but personally think it could be to do with how much players are pushed physically these days. Expected to go full pelt in training and games, and playing almost non stop.
There is too much football being played.
The odd thing in some of these cases is that you'd presume any heart-based issues, no matter how small, would be spotted before things came to a head like they've done in some instances. We obviously don't have the benefit of their personal medical data, nor should we but either we have a serious flaw in the level of screening at the top level of the sport or there's another issue creating this impact.
Where I'm not well informed enough to really pick it apart is whether the screening for heart issues does need improving (seems odd that this wouldn't be exceptionally strong given the nature of the game and the value of the 'assets'), whether the instances of naturally occurring or genetic issues are higher in these players than the general public as a whole (that would seem unlikely), or whether those conditions are potentially a convenient way to hide the development of an issue caused by something else - either natural strain due to the level of fitness required or catalysts for that strain such as PEDs.