Bronny James' Cardiac Arrest: Safety Precautions to Implement to Avoid Similar Incidents

It’s a frightening reality, but player safety in sports — notably basketball — is more critical than ever. After Bronny James‘ recent health scare at USC, we’re forced to grapple with a tough question: what measures are we taking to protect our athletes?

Bronny James, son of NBA legend LeBron James, recently experienced his second heart-related health scare. The event harkens back to an incident in 2012 at Red Bank Regional High School involving a player named Albert Martin. Martin suffered a similar medical episode, underlining a particularly prominent trend among young black men in sports.

This increasing occurrence has led to a proposal surrounding three essential safety measures that must be implemented across all basketball campuses. Even high schools, where resources allow, should follow suit.

1. Heart rate monitors — Every player should wear a heart rate monitor during practices, games, lifts, and runs. Not only could this technology alert coaching staff to abnormal heart rhythms, it could potentially save lives. Had Bronny been wearing one, he might have been pulled out of the workout before his health took a downturn.

2. On-site athletic trainers — Trainers should always be present during practices to monitor players’ heart rates. This was a common practice at Monmouth University, where SportsGrid’s “The Coach,” James Young, worked. Athletic trainers would watch players’ heart rates, and if they spiked, the player would be immediately removed from practice until their heart rate stabilized.

3. Access to defibrillators — Courts should have defibrillators nearby, accessible to everyone. Quick access to a defibrillator could be the difference between life and death in a cardiac emergency.

To those unfamiliar with the technology, heart rate monitors are simple devices, often made by brands like Polar. The monitor is worn under the chest bone and linked to an app on an iPad. This allows the training staff to monitor each player’s heart rate in real-time during training, games, and even strength conditioning sessions.

It’s vital to remember that when young athletes transition into college sports, they’re not equipped to jump straight into intensive college workouts. We need to build their stamina, ensuring their health and safety gradually. This might be a difficult pill to swallow in a hyper-competitive sports culture, but it’s necessary if we want to protect our athletes. The health scare of Bronny James should serve as a wake-up call to prioritize safety measures in sports.

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