Why are Soccer Players Collapsing on the Field and Dying of Heart Attacks every Year?

[Coupé It]

If you guys have seen SportsCenter today you may have heard the news that Bolton's Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch today vs Tottenham in an FA Cup match. Currently he is in Critical Condition at a London Hospital. Prayers go out to him and his family.
This however has become a reoccurring theme in Soccer. I feel like it happens every year. I remember watching a Portuguese soccer match in 2003 with my father and Benfica's Miklos Feher dying of a heart attack on the pitch. Their have also been many incidents since.

These are some of the most well-conditioned athletes in the world. An average Soccer player runs 11-13 miles a game. I'm sure their eating habits aren't bad but it seems to me 1-2 players collapse during games every season. Maybe the body can only take so much? Just seems so odd to me because it never happens in American Sports but then again, no one runs as much in games here.

This was today, crowd in shock.

 

[703 hwy]

I thought this was in reference to how they're the biggest floppers of all time.

 

[cafinest23]

I hope he makes a speedy recovery. Heart conditions are no joke.

 

[babam11218719]

What are the other examples? I don't remember this happening that often.

 

[noskey]

Originally Posted by babam11218719

What are the other examples? I don't remember this happening that often.

In an ESPN article they mentioned that it happened once in each of the past 2 years also, but no one died. edit: Damn that's a long list. My sisters teammate (a high school senior) died of a heart attack last season though. So it does happen, unfortunately.

 

[Coupé It]

Originally Posted by babam11218719

What are the other examples? I don't remember this happening that often.

This is just in the Past 5 years
[table][tr][td]27 March 2007[/td][td]http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ivan_Karačić&action=edit&redlink=1[/td][/tr][/table]

 

[Coupé It]

Originally Posted by Noskey

Originally Posted by babam11218719

What are the other examples? I don't remember this happening that often.

In an ESPN article they mentioned that it happened once in each of the past 2 years also, but no one died. edit: Damn that's a long list. My sisters teammate (a high school senior) died of a heart attack last season though. So it does happen, unfortunately.

Yea the list is long. Granted some of those players weren't playing for top leagues so that's why you don't hear about it as much. Today it happened in an English Premier League game so it got more press.

 

[RustyShackleford]

-The use of EPO is common in pro soccer (cyclist use to too). Makes your blood the thickness of pancake syrup and causes sudden heart attack. 
- Some players had diagnosed heart conditions

 

[everysingletime]

That list is pretty crazy. lol

 

[trasoul82]

Some part of me feels like at least half of those deaths were preventable, if not for everyone crying wolf in that sport.

 

[jthagreat]

Originally Posted by TraSoul82

Some part of me feels like at least half of those deaths were preventable, if not for everyone crying wolf in that sport.

the hell are you talking about?

 

[Coupé It]

Originally Posted by TraSoul82

Some part of me feels like at least half of those deaths were preventable, if not for everyone crying wolf in that sport.

Come on man
The Soccer Community worldwide is aware of how often these tragedies happen. If a player collapses on the field and doesn't start moving, the trainers and players know the seriousness of the situation, they are escorted to an ambulance immediately.

EPO is common, but drug testing has become much more enhanced, I don't know if I can believe that. How often do the Cyclists collapse and die? I haven't heard about many.

 

[アミーゴ]

Heard he is in stable condition at the hospital.

 

[you go boy]

i think because soccer is just a physical game... they run non stop for over an hour with little to no break...

 

[trasoul82]

Originally Posted by jthagreat

Originally Posted by TraSoul82

Some part of me feels like at least half of those deaths were preventable, if not for everyone crying wolf in that sport.

the hell are you talking about?

When 94% of the field flops, it's hard to tell who really needs help.
It was a tongue-in-cheek comment, no need to overanalyze.  

 

[noskey]

Originally Posted by TraSoul82

Originally Posted by jthagreat

Originally Posted by TraSoul82

Some part of me feels like at least half of those deaths were preventable, if not for everyone crying wolf in that sport.

the hell are you talking about?

When 94% of the field flops, it's hard to tell who really needs help.

Actually, it's not. When a player falls while no one else is around, it's easy to see they need help.

 

[RustyShackleford]

Originally Posted by CoupeIt88

Originally Posted by TraSoul82

Some part of me feels like at least half of those deaths were preventable, if not for everyone crying wolf in that sport.

Come on man
The Soccer Community worldwide is aware of how often these tragedies happen. If a player collapses on the field and doesn't start moving, the trainers and players know the seriousness of the situation, they are escorted to an ambulance immediately.

EPO is common, but drug testing has become much more enhanced, I don't know if I can believe that. How often do the Cyclists collapse and die? I haven't heard about many.

The thing is that there are designer forms of EPO, masking agents and it is easy to beat a drug test (Drug testing has not become that "advanced" really, just more comprehensive). Plus pro Football in Europe don't do through the kind of testing cyclist go through now. A high level pro cyclist will probably get tested 10x-15x  more a year that an a pro footballer.

And the funny thing about cyclist they always through a doctor to dope, not a trainer, or coach. If you had to dope in cycling, especially now, your cycle has to be perfect. Cause they teams are soooo strick now and they test for not only the illegal substance, but masking agents, and other misc hormone a blood test that could indicate doping. 

EPO is a real problem. Not only that, these dudes could be doing blood transfusions too (which also increase the risk of heart attacks), and can't be tested for.  

 

[Coupé It]

Originally Posted by RustyShackleford

Originally Posted by CoupeIt88

Originally Posted by TraSoul82

Some part of me feels like at least half of those deaths were preventable, if not for everyone crying wolf in that sport.

Come on man
The Soccer Community worldwide is aware of how often these tragedies happen. If a player collapses on the field and doesn't start moving, the trainers and players know the seriousness of the situation, they are escorted to an ambulance immediately.

EPO is common, but drug testing has become much more enhanced, I don't know if I can believe that. How often do the Cyclists collapse and die? I haven't heard about many.

The thing is that there are designer forms of EPO, masking agents and it is easy to beat a drug test (Drug testing has not become that "advanced" really, just more comprehensive). Plus pro Football in Europe don't do through the kind of testing cyclist go through now. A high level pro cyclist will probably get tested 10x-15x  more a year that an a pro footballer.

And the funny thing about cyclist they always through a doctor to dope, not a trainer, or coach. If you had to dope in cycling, especially now, your cycle has to be perfect. Cause they teams are soooo strick now and they test for not only the illegal substance, but masking agents, and other misc hormone a blood test that could indicate doping. 

EPO is a real problem. Not only that, these dudes could be doing blood transfusions too (which also increase the risk of heart attacks), and can't be tested for.  

Understandable but this has been happening before the steroid era. Soccer players dying of heart attacks on the pitch goes as far back into the day these leagues were created. 

 

[sfc415]

Originally Posted by TraSoul82

Originally Posted by jthagreat

Originally Posted by TraSoul82

Some part of me feels like at least half of those deaths were preventable, if not for everyone crying wolf in that sport.

the hell are you talking about?

When 94% of the field flops, it's hard to tell who really needs help.
It was a tongue-in-cheek comment, no need to overanalyze.  

It's always the anti-soccer dudes (who ironically watch the NBA, a league FULL of flopping) who come into serious threads like this and make jokes

If Chris Paul, Kobe, Blake Griffin, etc ever collapse while walking down the court, I guess no one should help them either

Anyways, the only explanation that I can think of is that soccer players push their bodies to the limits for 90 minutes straight. It involves alot more running and stress on the heart than almost any other sport, which might explain the higher frequency of heart attacks.

 

[|A-Man|]

The field is too big.

 

[Coupé It]

Originally Posted by ATGD7154xBBxMZ

The field is too big.

Nice ATG 

 

[tommykairaa]

Jesus ..

 

[irie]

the amount of soccer games that are played a day is insane.


just saying

 

[adrian1221]

RIP marc vivien foe... i remember watching as he died on the pitch... he was a favorite of mine

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by irie

the amount of soccer games that are played a day is insane.


just saying

Was coming in to say the same thing. The simple fact is that there is more soccer being played than any other sport in the world (and by a large margin) and health screening may be more lax at a lot of those levels compared pro sports in America. Twenty years ago, NBA team doctors might not have detected anything with Jeff Green, and it could have been a Reggie Lewis situation. Nowadays, if you have a hair out of place, you don't pass a physical.