Matthew Mayich, a 21-year-old hockey player who transferred to Arizona State University, remains in critical condition after collapsing during a preseason workout in August. Temperatures were already in the mid-80s at the 7 a.m. practice and approached 90°F when he stumbled and fell during a medicine ball run. His family's lawyer described it as exertional heat stroke, though the diagnosis could not be independently confirmed. University officials have declined to discuss the case, and the guest trainer's attorney downplayed the workout's intensity. Seven teammates, in an anonymous letter, disputed the school's timeline and said the session lasted 75 minutes, not 45, with no ice chests, no immersion tub, no on-field heat measurement, and no scheduled shade breaks. ASU placed head coach Greg Powers on paid leave more than a month later.
The case echoes a long history of heat-related athletic tragedies, including NFL player Korey Stringer, who died of heat stroke 25 years earlier. Doug Casa, an exercise physiologist and CEO of the Korey Stringer Institute, said progress since then has been substantial but inconsistent. "A lot of times they know the right thing to do, but then they don't do it in the time of crisis," he told Grist. The risk is rising as climate change makes extreme heat more frequent and intense; synthetic turf also absorbs enormous heat, with surface temperatures at a recent NFL game hitting 157°F.
Some organizations have responded effectively — Georgia high schools, once the deadliest state for football players, became among the safest after instituting policies. But many others rely on vague recommendations and limited mandates. The article's reporting, based on interviews and documents, shows that the gap between established best practices and real-world implementation remains wide, leaving athletes and others exposed to conditions that can turn deadly within minutes.