Sports Science

Rugby: Gloves Or Not, What Is The Best Way To Hold Onto The Ball?

Engineers at the University of Sheffield have been doing some science of rugby- measuring the dynamic friction between the material of the ball and the skin on the fingertips and palm, and the mitts that some players choose to wear under different weather ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 18 2013 - 10:36am

Are Athletes The Biggest Victims Of Stereotype Threat On College Campuses?

Blanket stereotypes are bad but they often come into existence for a reason; the problem becomes when everyone is labeled with the same brush. There is a common belief that some schools, high school and college, are giving athletes an easier time because ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 22 2013 - 12:33pm

Reducing Peak Torque: Proper Cleats Mean Less Injuries On Artificial Turf

Synthetic surfaces, popularly called Astroturf since the Houston Astrodome made it famous, were introduced in the 1960s to reduce strain on the playing surface and thus reduce field maintenance. But it was linked to an increase in injuries, one example in ...

Article - News Staff - May 1 2013 - 2:03pm

Team Sports May Deter Both Bullying And Violence

Bullying and violence are the latest cultural magnet for administrators in schools around the country, but the solution may not be paid commercials, more books or talks in the gym- it may be as simple as embracing team sports again. At the Pediatric Acade ...

Article - News Staff - May 6 2013 - 6:17am

10 Essential Items Hikers Often Forget

Hikers in New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest often hit the trail less prepared than they should be, according to a survey that gaged readiness by how many of 10 essential items the hikers brought along. Which means hikers everywhere proba ...

Article - News Staff - May 28 2013 - 10:00am

Elite Athletes Often Succeed When They Are Younger Or Older- But Not Both

Some elite track and field athletes peak young, under the age of 20, while others peak later- but only a small fraction of star junior athletes had similar success as senior athletes. An Indiana University analysis compared the performance of elite track ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 7 2013 - 7:46pm

MLB Performance And Career Longevity Linked To Fatigue And Sleep

It's not easy traveling to play 81 games a year across multiple time zones and the major league baseball schedule, 162 games, is the most grueling in professional sports. Two papers outline how sleep and fatigue are key issues in performance, which m ...

Article - News Staff - May 31 2013 - 11:30am

MRI Analysis Suggests Soccer Ball 'Heading' May Lead To Brain Injury

Researchers using magnetic imaging to assess memory  have shown that soccer players who frequently head the ball have brain abnormalities resembling those found in patients with concussion (mild traumatic brain injury).   ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 11 2013 - 9:38am

Have Baseball Throwing Injuries In Young Players Gone Up?

The big question in many aspects of medicine is whether there is more of something or if it is simply better diagnosis than in the past. In youth baseball programs, throwing injuries seem to have gone up despite pitching limits that weren't evident i ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 16 2013 - 10:55am

Sports Data Relief: Disney Research Automates Analysis Of Field Hockey Team Behaviors

Hockey moves fast. As efforts to track the puck visually showed, it can be dizzying to keep track of things in a small field of view like a television. Analyzing games and plays means manual work, for that reason. But  Disney Research, located in Pittsbur ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 29 2013 - 11:42am