Have Pro Sports Pushed The Human Body Too Far?

This is something a little different for you guys today, but no doubt this could affect every single reader in some way, shape, or form, if you've ever watched sports, played in them, or have kids that want to play sports.

Read this story. It's a story of an Italian soccer player who died on after suffering cardiac arrest on the pitch today. If you follow sports in general, you may remember the soccer player Fabrice Muamba who also suffered cardiac arrest on the pitch a few weeks ago. Muamba is still in intensive care today. I do recall reading somewhere where a coach said that Muamba was in the best shape of anyone on the team (or at least close to it).

So in the past month or so, two players in prominent sporting leagues around the world have suffered cardiac arrest on the field. There have been similar stories at nearly every level in recent memory, though usually that comes by way of a unseen heart defect or concussion-like symptoms that cause heart failure.

But, as players continue to get stronger and faster, it stands to reason that there is the possibility someone's body will simply shut down on the field due to the body, or perhaps the heart, not being able to take the strain. All of professional sports push athletes to be bigger, better, stronger, etc. than their competitors, but at some point there might be a line that we cannot predict; a line that could cause people to shut down entirely while playing.

The ripple effect from that would affect every level of play from professionals to peewee leagues, and it's certainly not a ripple I would want to feel.

So, to generate discussion, do you think players are pushing themselves too hard to be stronger and faster than the opponent? Do you feel like sports may be headed in a negative direction because of that mindset?