Los Angeles, CA – (News4usOnline) – Something happened Friday night at BMO Stadium during the NWSL match between Angel City FC and the Utah Royals that shook me to the core. In the 74th minute, right in front of me, Angel City defender Savy King suddenly collapsed on the field.
At first, it looked like she had simply tripped or fainted—she fell backward, flat onto the turf. She got up momentarily, received a pass, kicked the ball, and then collapsed again. This time, she didn’t move. What followed was terrifying.
King’s teammate Alanna Kennedy rushed to her side, quickly waving over the medical team. Within seconds, coaches and Angel City’s medical staff were on the field. What began as urgent attention quickly escalated to life-saving efforts.
CPR was administered, and a defibrillator was used—relentlessly—for what felt like an eternity, at least five minutes. I believe I saw Coach Hollie Walusz performing chest compressions, over and over, never giving up. I never saw Savy open her eyes.
After roughly 10 tense minutes, Savy was stabilized enough to be placed on a stretcher and transferred onto the injury cart, then quickly moved into an ambulance and rushed to the hospital.
The game resumed shortly afterward, but no one on that field—or in the stands—was the same. The atmosphere that evening had shifted dramatically. The game’s energy was gone. Spectators around me were visibly shaken. I received multiple messages asking the same thing: Why did the match continue?
One powerful moment, however, stood out amid the chaos: players from both teams gathered in a large circle for a heartfelt prayer for Savy. It was a moment of unity, love, and shared fear. But the question lingered—should the game have continued?
According to the NWSL Operations Manual, “every effort” should be made to finish a match once the injured player is safely removed. That decision was made by league medical personnel and officials, but watching CPR being administered for over five minutes, I personally believe the match should have been stopped. The game should not have continued out of respect and for the sake of humanity.
This incident has left me with more questions than answers.
Savy King is only 20 years old. Strong. Fit. A professional athlete who trains and undergoes extensive medical evaluations. So why did this happen? Are these athletes being pushed too hard, beyond what’s healthy, even for the strongest among us? Professional athletes train like machines, often for hours a day. Their nutrition, rest, and conditioning are tightly controlled. But is it too much?
How many more athletes have to suffer life-threatening medical emergencies in the name of competition? We’ve seen Damar Hamlin, Bronny James, and a growing list of soccer players—Christian Eriksen, Antonio Puerta, Miklós Fehér, Luis Tejada, and Jack Marshall—suffer cardiac events on the field. Some survived. Some didn’t.
We cheer for these athletes. We celebrate their dedication. But at what cost? Who truly benefits when a 20-year-old, highly-trained athlete collapses on the field and receives CPR in front of thousands of people?
Is this genetic? Is there something deeper happening in sports medicine that we don’t fully understand? And yes, some are asking whether COVID-19 or the vaccine might play a role in these cardiac episodes—questions that deserve careful, evidence-based inquiry, not speculation.
In the end, these are real people. With real hearts. With families watching in the stands or through TV screens—hearts dropping the moment they see their daughter or teammate collapse. Last night was a reminder: this game, this sport, this career—it’s not just about glory. It’s about lives.
I’m praying for Savy King. I hope we all are.
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