IHSA playoffs plan a threat to safety

A recent Sports section article noted that the IHSA has increased the football playoffs to allow more teams to participate in the post season. What were they thinking?

The high school football season will now go from the week after July 4th and continue to the end of November with only one day a week off — Sunday.

Do they realize the harm that could come from this schedule? First of all, this would eliminate the time used to teach proper tackling techniques. This is done to help prevent serious spinal injuries among other injuries. Secondly, this schedule does not allow for the athletes to acclimate themselves to the extreme temperatures that occur during late July and August.

The IHSA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee opposed this change in schedule for these reasons. Instead of listening to the experts, the IHSA went ahead and made the changes.

They also moved up the softball season to start games the last week of February instead of moving back to allow for warmer weather and the ability to get games scheduled played. With the early start, how many games do they think will play?

As a retired athletic trainer of 52 years, I think the IHSA should be ashamed of themselves for putting young athletes at risk just so they can play one more game during the season and possibly go to the playoffs. I have worked at every level of sports from professional baseball to high school athletics, and I consider this one of the worst decisions that could have been made.

On a side note, what happens to family time and family vacations?

Let's just hope that this rule change does not come back to haunt them with an athlete suffering a traumatic injury for their short sightedness.

Tony Garofalo

West Dundee