The Courier Journal's "Safer Sidelines" project, initiated in April 2023, sheds light on the prevalent issue of sudden death in high school sports, particularly due to sudden cardiac arrest, occurring approximately once every three days during the school year. The project aims to track athlete deaths, resulting in the creation of the "Deadly Games Database" which has documented nearly 1,900 athlete fatalities since the 20th century, with over 1,300 involving high school athletes. The database encompasses various sports and age groups nationwide, with common causes of death being head trauma, sudden cardiac arrest, blood-related issues, and heat-related conditions.
The initiative not only highlights the national scope of the problem but also serves as a resource for understanding and preventing such tragedies. The database includes narratives and newspaper reports for each death and allows for searches based on athlete names, causes of death, years, states, and more. In addition to tracking athlete deaths, efforts have been made to document instances where athletes have been saved from similar life-threatening situations, leading to the establishment of a save database. The project, led by sports reporter Stephanie Kuzydym, focuses on promoting the health and safety of athletes, encouraging contributions to the databases for a comprehensive understanding of sudden death in sports.