Wet bulb globe temperature, or WBGT, is one number that combines air temperature, humidity, wind, and sunlight, and published heat policies use that number to tell a coach when to add breaks, remove equipment, shorten practice, or stop. The thresholds differ by region, so a coach needs the table for the right part of the country. Four news stories from July and August 2026 show why the reading...
Heat acclimatization is the two-week ramp that lowers a young athlete’s risk of exertional heat stroke, and the first practice of the season is where it matters most. Two football players died in August 2026 after collapsing at or after that first practice. A 17-year-old senior lineman at Lake Travis High School in Texas collapsed at about 8 a.m. during the team’s first practice on...
Why this topic matters Hotter summers and longer preseason sessions have raised emergency-room visits and lawsuits tied to exertional heat illness (EHI) in athletes under 18. CDC surveillance shows that football alone accounts for more than 70 percent of high-school heat-related illnesses. (See the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on heat illness in youth athletes for additional...