The College Fix

Although the NCAA will soon require Division I athletes to be tested for sickle cell anemia to better prevent sudden deaths, this university has been doing just that for years without any backlash, officials said.

This NCAA prerequisite, which took effect Aug. 1, requires universities to identify athletes predisposed for sickle cell anemia – a chronic genetic disorder in which crescent-shaped red blood cells can cause blockages in veins and arteries – who are also likely to be at high risk for life-threatening complications brought on by extreme physical activity. Those who test positive would be monitored more closely and allowed to request modified training schedules that allot more time for resting and staying hydrated, NCAA officials have said.

But many, including the Sickle Cell Anemia Association of America, have responded to the mandate with visceral opposition, citing concerns that those who test positive may be setting themselves up for discrimination that harkens back to the 1970s, when sickle cell anemia screening programs were used by companies and state governments to identify carriers, who were then denied employment and insurance coverage. Because 8 percent of blacks carry the trait, compared to 0.5 percent of Latinos and 0.2 percent of whites, according to the National Institutes of Health, the systematic testing was highly racialized.

Read the full story at the Maryland Diamondback.

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