In a recent article from The Athletic and New York Times entitled “Prominent MLB physician sounds alarm on pitching injuries,” an orthopedic surgeon who works for a Major League Baseball club called out certain pitches – specific kinetic movements – that are driving up injury numbers among MLB hurlers. More broadly, to paraphrase the physician, professional sports franchises are in the midst of a philosophical battle between athlete performance and longevity – and it is players who are paying the price.
Rather than enter into a hazy discussion about winning, profits and the priorities of multibillion-dollar sports franchises, let’s focus on a single important thread: It is the central tension in the professional life of every practitioner working in competitive athletics, which prompts them to constantly ask of themselves: How can I optimize athletic performance while also ensuring the availability and long-term health of the athlete?
The Performance-Longevity Stakes for Players and Teams
In the article detailing the rise in MLB pitching injuries, that tension is on full display, front and center. Long-term data has shown that the physical strain to pitch at higher velocities and with greater spin puts the athlete at greater risk for injury – which in some cases involves major surgery, long-term rehabilitation and career-threatening complications. One anonymous pitching coach cited in the article describes how that tension manifests for players:
“Analytics says [velocity] is super important. Pitchers and analysts pursue velo. The pitchers that don’t do this retire. The ones that stay take on some injury risk to avoid working at Costco.”
On a broader scale, this matter is at the crux of all competitive sports: Athletes who can’t compete don’t play. At the same time, athletes whose bodies don’t allow them to perform also don’t play. Thus, it’s in the best interests of all parties – players, practitioners and teams – to push athletic bodies to the edges of their limits in the name of performance while also ensuring not to cross over those limits, risking player health and availability.
Prioritizing Load Management With Tracking Technology
The recent and rapid adoption of sports technology aimed at optimizing performance, though not exactly the cause of this tension, has opened the eyes of many to the deeper science of bringing out the best in athletes in the arena of play. What sometimes gets lost by the layman is the importance of striking a balance – the recognition that any push for peak athletic performance must be accompanied by a constant and concerted effort to prioritize the health and career longevity of the athlete. At Sportlight, we understand the importance of both, and are working across soccer and other sports to do just that.
Finding an equilibrium should be the collective goal in sports – not only in the trainer’s room but also in coaches’ offices and executive suites. The challenge directly ties into the conversation around load management, which is more than a binary play-or-don’t-play decision. It’s a more nuanced concept that forces us to ask how teams might push for optimal performance without overburdening their athletes to the point of injury – and how best to use advanced technology to assist in that goal.
Here’s a start: Rather than viewing performance and longevity as competing and opposing forces, perhaps practitioners – and those who employ them to get the most out of their athletes – need to rethink the equation altogether. There can be no performance without availability, which arguably means that a player’s longevity (essentially, the short- and long-term ability to perform at a competitive level) should be viewed as part of their performance potential.
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