Dangerous summer heat changes how outdoor sports are played in East Texas

LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV) - In the blistering August temperatures, those organizing sporting events in East Texas are taking precautions to make sure players are not exposed to extreme heat.

Many have opted to play at hours that would be the least risky.

In Longview, baseball and soccer fields are empty during the hottest parts of the days.

Holly Lake pickle-ball players are playing early morning or late evening to avoid the hottest parts of the days.

The only ones braving the mid-day heat were the soccer league that plays in the fields off of south Estes parkway in Longview.

“Pretty tough. You get tired real quick. Need water. And everybody needs a break,” says soccer player Carlos Ballero.

But they have changed the period times to allow for the heat.

“Every 25 minutes we get a 5 minute break. Everybody watches out for each other. some get tired quicker than others,” Ballero says.

“An entire half would be 45 minutes. But we take a break at 25 minutes, drink water. If somebody looks tired we have to get him out,” says the manager for team ‘Santa Cruz’.

Sports medicine experts say with a heat index of 90°f-103°f: a person can experience heat stroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion.

In the body, internal temperatures can rise above 104 degrees, the widely-recognized threshold for heat.

If the temperature is 105° or higher , as we have reached earlier this week, games and practices are recommended to be postponed or cancelled.

“I think we stay home then,” Carlos says.

A regulation soccer half is 45-minutes, but the league made it mandatory that all players must break 25 minutes in to each half for a rest period.

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