The Effects of Officiating Football on Heart Rates

Physical demands and physiological strain of American football referees while officiating

OBJECTIVES

Certain occupations are associated with greater risk of triggering a sudden cardiac event because of high levels of physical exertion and extreme thermal environments in which they occur. The extent to which sports officials--particularly high school (HS) American football referees--experience these conditions is unknown. Forty-six male HS officials (72% White/Caucasian; age = 48 ± 12 years, body mass index = 31.7 ± 6.6 kg·m^-2) were studied to quantify the physiological strain and physical demands of officiating.

METHODS

Referee demographics (e.g., experience, habitual exercise), pre-game urine specific gravity (U_SG), thermal (peak core temperature [T_core]) and cardiovascular (average heart rate [HR]) strain, kinematic activity (e.g., total distance, speed, mechanical intensity), and environmental conditions were measured during 10 regular season varsity HS football games (≈2.5 h each) in the Southeastern United States (average wet bulb globe temperature and relative humidity: 18.9 ± 6.0 °C and 78.2% ± 12.1%). Analyses included descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and linear regression.

RESULTS

Referees covered 5.2 ± 1.2 km per game, eliciting average HR and peak T_core of 71.5% ± 8.0% HR_max and 38.3 ± 0.5 °C, respectively; 38% began games dehydrated (U_SG = 1.026 ± 0.004). Multiple regression analyses revealed that obesity (β = 0.34), not participating in regular exercise (β = -0.36), and officiating at lower mechanical intensity (β = -0.33) predicted greater cardiovascular strain (all p ≤ 0.03). White/Caucasian race/ethnicity (β = 0.59), younger age (β = -0.46), and obesity (β = 0.28) predicted greater thermal strain (all p ≤ 0.01).

CONCLUSION

HS football referees experienced elevated levels of physiological strain while officiating, with individual factors modulating the magnitude of strain. Strategies aimed at reducing obesity, increasing exercise participation, and improving cardiovascular health should be emphasized to mitigate strain and prevent cardiac events.

Injury Profile of Northeastern Ohio High School Basketball Officials

In brief: Little is known about the nature, location, and mechanism of injuries among basketball officials. The purpose of the present study was to develop an injury profile for this group. A total of 145 high school basketball officials were surveyed by means of a questionnaire. Sixty-one officials (42.1%) reported 71 injuries, 59 of which (83.1%) occurred in the lower extremity. Most injuries were related to change of direction or speed while running, a contrast to football, in which more injuries to officials are from collisions with players. Overall, basketball officials seem to have a lower injury rate than football officials.

Heart Rate Responses of a Head Referee During a Football Game

In brief: To determine the heart rate responses of a football official to both physical and psychological stress during actual game conditions, a head referee was telemetered continuously from one- half hour before until the end of a college football game. The referee's cardiac system was stressed throughout the monitoring period: The highest average heart rate was 161 beats min(-1) (85% of maximum), and the lowest average heart rate was 140 beats min(-1) (74% of maximum). Because officiating is largely anaerobic, the sustained sinus tachycardia was probably caused by psychological stress. Football officials should have a maximal ECG stress test every year and participate in an aerobic conditioning program on a regular basis.

Heart Rate Response of High School Basketball Officials

The men who officiate high school basketball games are true weekend athletes. They work at sedentary jobs during the week and get their exercise Friday and Saturday on the court.