This was written by Laura Schifter, Senior Fellow at the Aspen Institute’s Energy and Environment Program. She helped launch the Play It Cool campaign earlier this month.
Some of my favorite moments as a parent happen on the sidelines: hours spent watching my daughters on fields with their teammates playing soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse. I know the confidence that comes from learning a new skill, the friendships that grow through practices, and the resilience that sports can build in young people. These are lessons I try to instill in my own players as a coach, and ones I still carry from growing up as an athlete myself.
But over the past few years, as extreme heat days have ballooned, I’ve noticed my children and my players experiencing something new in sports. These have not been my favorite moments: a player who got sick on the sidelines, my middle daughter’s friends rushed to the hospital, and my eight-year-old witnessing an ambulance come to their field after a teammate fainted.
With heat rising off the turf, I’ve started asking a question that I suspect has crossed the minds of many parents: Is it too hot to play?
Tell Congress: Protect Youth Athletes From Extreme Heat and Dirty Air
It was only in the mid-80s when my player became sick. But it was very humid, and we were right at the start of the season, before players had time to acclimate to the heat. In that moment, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t fully understand the risk of heat illness on a day like that or recognize the early signs. I didn’t know how quickly a child could go from feeling uncomfortable to experiencing a medical emergency. And despite completing required training on everything from concussions to sexual abuse prevention, I had no training on what to do in the heat.
I realized I wasn’t alone.
Most parents and coaches aren’t medical professionals, and we don’t need to become experts. But extreme heat days are increasing, not going away. They’re becoming more frequent and intense, arriving earlier in the season and lasting longer. I realized that there is a need for practical guidance that helps coaches and parents alike recognize the risks of heat-related illness for young athletes and respond before a situation becomes dangerous. Extreme heat is changing childhood in ways that feel immediate and personal.
That’s why I’ve worked with the Aspen Institute to launch Play It Cool, a public awareness campaign that brings together leaders across sports, health, children’s media, climate advocacy, business, and entertainment. Play It Cool is being developed with initial partners including Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Moms Clean Air Force, love.fútbol, 160over90, Known, and Home of Football. It focuses on spreading information about heat risks, the early signs of heat illness, and the simple actions that can help keep young athletes safer. These are:
- Speak up. If you start experiencing early signs, such as cramping, headache, nausea, dizziness, or shortness of breath, tell a coach, parent, or another trusted adult.
- Sit out. Those early symptoms are your body’s way of telling you to stop. Taking a break is not weakness; it is a smart decision that can prevent a more serious emergency.
- Cool down. Staying safe in the heat is about more than drinking water. Move to a cooler place, remove pads or extra layers, get into the shade, and use cold towels or ice packs to cool your body.
Many heat illnesses can be prevented when adults and young athletes recognize the warning signs early and know what actions to take. Policies and objective standards are critical for determining when conditions are unsafe, but policies cannot account for every situation and not every coach will have access to a wet-bulb globe meter.
Play It Cool’s first series of public service announcements are social media videos created in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, featuring the Lorax alongside Peloton instructor Robin Arzón, as well as Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier. Through humor, movement, and these trusted voices, the videos introduce three simple actions to help children and families remember: when it gets hot, play it cool.
We hope these can help build a new culture around youth sports where speaking up is encouraged, taking a break is seen as smart, and pushing through is not always treated as a mark of a strong athlete.
As a mom, I hope this campaign helps parents feel more confident about what to look for and empowers them to trust their instincts when something doesn’t seem right. As a coach, I hope it starts conversations to make heat safety a routine part of every practice and game. And as an athlete, I hope young people learn that listening to your body isn’t giving up. It is part of performing at your best.
My hope is that years from now “Speak Up, Sit Out, Cool Down” feels as familiar to this generation as “Stop, Drop, and Roll” does to ours. And that together, we create a culture where every child can continue to experience the confidence, friendships, and resilience that sports have to offer, safely in our changing world.
Tell Congress: Protect Youth Athletes From Extreme Heat and Dirty Air