SSA Blog: Wear Sunscreen
The Real Madrid commercial operation continues to go from strength to strength. The European Champions this week announced a new global skincare partner, Cantabria Labs. This three-year deal covers both the men’s and women’s teams and will focus on promoting a range of products to protect the skin.
Luka Modric following Real Madrid’s success in the 2002 UEFA Champions League final
The timing of the announcement could not be better. The men’s team is currently in the USA as part of their pre-season preparations. A quick look on any of the Real social platforms shows the players working hard against the backdrop of beautiful sunshine. With an adjusted season this year, the players will return to Spain and kick-off La Liga in mid-August, again, against a likely backdrop of blue skies and glorious sunshine.
Despite the physiological and psychological benefits of exposure to sunlight, pre-season training and early season games mean athletes need to take particular care as they are spending large amounts of time outdoors. This can increase the risk of illness associated with too much direct sun exposure, and of course over the long-term the increased risk of skin cancer.
Sunburn is an obvious cause for concern. Not only is it uncomfortable, and potentially a risk for health, but it can also impact performance. Specifically, sunburn can inhibit the body's temperature regulation and also causes increased fluid loss which in turn can lead to dehydration. Other performance impacts linked to exposure to direct sunlight have received relatively limited scientific investigation. Much of the current research surrounding the impact of environmental conditions has focused on temperature and humidity rather than sunlight. However, there is evidence to suggest that Real’s new partnership with Cantabria Labs could be just what is needed to maintain peak performance during early season sun-drenched games.
A research group based in Japan has shown that increased solar radiation can have a negative impact on football performance when environmental temperature, exercise and other climatic conditions remain equal. They showed that players covered less total distance in terms of walking, jogging and running and had higher heart rates despite lower physical output. During pre-season, when the objective is to maximise fitness adaptations anything that can inhibit this should be avoided. During a game, if a player's ability to cover the ground is impacted, the outcome of the match could also be affected.
The consequences of this research could be that to limit the negative effects of the sun, players should attempt to reduce the amount of radiation they are exposed to. However, adaptation to training in the heat does offer other benefits. Additionally, on a beautiful sunny day, very few players would want to avoid the sun and train inside or cover up too much. Additionally, avoiding the sun during games just isn't an option. So how could players potentially decrease the direct effect of the sun’s radiation? In terms of UVA and UVB rays, the obvious answer is, wear sunscreen.
In sponsorship, the real win comes when the product has relevance and credibility in the situation it has been presented. During the sunnier months, Cantabria Labs can use the performance of Real Madrid to showcase the importance of sun care products. Whether you play for Real Madrid or your local park team, wearing sunscreen is a good idea. It will help to protect you against the harmful effects of UV radiation from sunlight, and as has been shown from the research, support performance.
As Real Madrid players continue to prepare for the new season, we know that if they want to be at their best, in the words of Baz Luhrmann and to the delight of Cantbria Labs…wear sunscreen!
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