Preparticipation screening in athletes, the role of sports cardiology and the impact of the camera

Sports medicine has been receiving increased exposure in communication media for a number of reasons. First, the mass introduction of social media and smartphones has dramatically increased the impact of health-related incidents, in particular cardiac arrests, occurring during sporting events [1]. Such catastrophes are exceedingly rare, but there are countless cameras present at sporting events. Current mass media enable eyewitnesses to distribute the footage instantly. Images of these dramatic events can go ‘viral’ within hours [2]