Just when you thought it was safe to sit in your folding chair behind the foul ball fence, on gym bleachers or in box seats at a stadium, then it happens - another one of those off-the-field, parent sports injuries.

Here’s a list of injuries and health risks you take when you commit to watching your kids play sports.

*Clapping fatigue - often found during tournament time. Symptoms include sore hands and shoulders. One remedy is hand lotion. Can be prevented by wearing gloves, if outside. Although, the muffled clap may decrease the effectiveness of the clap.

*Sore eardrums - These are also associated with tournament games when the rowdies come out of the woodwork to cheer on their classmates. The closer you are to the student section, the sorer the eardrums. Prevention is the only remedy, by staying clear of the loud voices.

*Short finger nails - Caused by nervousness, or severe hunger. Usually found on parents of athletes, and athletes themselves. Remedies include: wearing gloves and bringing items to hold during games to keep the hands busy.

*Hair loss - Mostly found in fathers with “challenging” children (at least it sounds good blaming it on them). No remedy here - it’s an inherited condition. Just wear a hat to protect from sunburn.

*Frostbite - That’s the feeling (or no feeling in your case) you get when the wind’s blowing 20 mph, it’s 10 degrees outside, and you forgot to pack the blanket for that November soccer game. The only remedy I can think of is to make a Dunkins run for hot chocolate, and park near the field so you can watch from your front seat!

*High blood pressure - Brought on by watching an intense game. Difficult to prevent, but eating healthy and keeping the weight down helps.

*Chronic squinting condition - Usually occurs with fans who are either too lazy to sit close to the field, or too cheap to buy the close seats. This can also occur when athletic director buy uniforms with tiny numbers. No remedy, but a pair of binoculars may help.

*Laryngitis - Occurs when a parent gets too caught up in a game. Can be prevented by “zipping it” during the game, letting the coaches and referees do their jobs. Positive cheering is encouraged however.

*Broken glass, bruises and other impact injuries - Caused by not paying attention to the game. It’s when you’re not looking that a player or ball comes soaring off the court or field, into the stands.

*Sunburn and heatstroke - Easy to fall victim to these conditions. Can be avoided by wearing a hat, sun screen and finding some shade.

*Bad teeth and weight gain - These last two conditions are brought on by watching too many games, and eating too many unhealthy snacks. Difficult to avoid, especially the trail mix, hot chocolate and licorice. May be able to avoid the latter by walking around the field during breaks in the game.

Watching youth sports can come with an unhealthy price to pay. Prevention is the best medicine on most of the above. I wouldn’t give up all the snacks though, especially the chocolate chip cookies!

-Bob Hammerstrom

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