Who We Play For

WWPF is a movement to protect the hearts of our youth by providing affordable heart screenings. #whoweplayfor

[Action Sports Jax @ActionSportsJax]

This week’s “Gamechanger of the Week” isn’t going to one person in particular. In fact, we’re giving it to two different groups. But as football season begins this week, it’s been amazing over the last month to see the pre-emptive work of the JACKSONVILLE SPORTS MEDICINE PROGRAM and WHO WE PLAY FOR to ensure our student-athletes are safe this fall and beyond.

“Who We Play For” was inspired by the 2007 tragedy in Cocoa Beach in which Rafe Maccarone, a talented soccer player, went into Sudden Cardiac Arrest at practice because of an unknown heart condition. As it turns out, Rafe’s condition would’ve had a 95% chance of being detected if an electrocardiogram heart screening had been conducted as part of his sports physical. Since 2013, “Who We Play For” has sponsored over 250,000 heart screenings – almost all of them entirely free – and that includes heart screenings done this last month at Atlantic Coast and Andrew Jackson High Schools.

Over the weekend, the Jaguars hosted athletic trainers from across Duval Schools for emergency action plan training, led by the Jacksonville Sports Medicine Program – a leadership council which includes longtime director of JSMP, the great Bob Sefcik and our guy, Jacksonville Jaguars VP of Player Health and Performance Jeff “Fergy” Ferguson! On Friday, JSMP also hosted a sports medicine camp for 50 students from Duval Schools at the Baptist Center for Professional Excellence.

Thank you as always to one of our biggest cheerleaders here at Action Sports Jax, Duval Schools athletic director Tammie Talley, for not just keeping us up-to-date on the latest scores and stats: but celebrating these equally important wins off the field! Best of luck to all our fall athletes and thank you Who We Play For and the Jacksonville Sports Medicine Program for working to keep our athletes safe and healthy!

[The FLORIDA Channel @floridachannel]

A law that went into effect in 2025 requires public schools to screen student athletes for heart conditions before they can participate in sports. @WHOWEPLAYFOR is traveling across the state to provide low-cost heart screenings for students. #MustSeeTFC https://t.co/vWv7jkxzu4

[Lee Health @Lee_Health]

It was a great collective effort between #LeeHealth, @LeeSchools, Next Level Church, @WHOWEPLAYFOR, United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades, Project Access, and Helping Hands Ministry of St. Hilary’s Church.
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[Lee Health @Lee_Health]

@LeeSchools @WHOWEPLAYFOR We were able to prepare families for the 2026-27 school year by providing school physicals, enrollment assistance and 115 EKG screenings. Under Florida’s #SecondChanceAct, an #EKGscreening is required for first-time student athletes participating in an FHSAA-sanctioned sport.
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[Tammie K Talley @talleymama]

Free Heart ♥️screenings for Student-Athletes at Atlantic Coast HS @DuvalSchools this morning ☀️ We appreciate our partners @WHOWEPLAYFOR

[FSU CARD @FSUCARD]

Posting on behalf of @WHOWEPLAYFOR 💙❤️

Hearts Like Mine is a sensory-friendly heart screening event with ECG/EKG screenings provided by Who We Play For. Children are screened in a quiet, private, dimly lit space designed for comfort and calm. Register: https://t.co/lRh3JEDOIL

[Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute @JewettOrtho]

Welcoming student athletes from across Florida's east coast to our Melbourne clinic as they checked an important item off the back-to-school list: sports physicals ✅.

We also teamed up with @WHOWEPLAYFOR, who joined us to help athletes undergo ECGs, now required by the state.

[Tammie K Talley @talleymama]

A successful day at @A4JaxTigers doing heart ♥️screenings for our @DuvalSchools Student-Athletes thanks 🙏🏻 to @WHOWEPLAYFOR

[Mandarin High Sports @MHSsportszone]

Huge thanks to our partners at @WHOWEPLAYFOR for coming out today to screen our student-athletes! Go, Mustangs!

[Jason Shoaf @JasonShoafFL]

The #SecondChanceAct has, and will continue to, save lives. I'm encouraged by Jeremiah's story, and the commitment of partners like @WHOWEPLAYFOR . Read more >> https://t.co/1XYGAyl0lq

[UF Orthopaedics - Athletic Training @UFOrtho_AT]

🚨TOMORROW NIGHT🚨

Register here & let’s get your athlete’s EKG taken care of: https://t.co/j0PMc1ziMO

Incoming 9th graders and 10-12th grader who have never played a high school sport before will require an EKG to be eligible to play this year!

@UFortho
@WHOWEPLAYFOR

[Tammie K Talley @talleymama]

We were able to screen 74 @WolfsonAthletic Student-Athletes with the help from our partners at @WHOWEPLAYFOR as well as our Pack 🐺athletic trainer and director @DuvalSchools

[Tammie K Talley @talleymama]

Another successful day of ECG ♥️screenings at @PaxonSASEagles for many of our @DuvalSchools student-athletes thanks 🙏🏻 to our partners with @WHOWEPLAYFOR

[BTM Group @blacktiemg]

FREE Sports Physicals & ECG
Screenings

Get Cleared. Get Confident. Get In The Game.

Saturday, June 20th
9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Jones High School, 801 Rio Grande Ave, Orlando, FL

#BlackTieManagementGroup
#BlackTieManagement
#TheBTMgroup
#BlackTieMG

[Lee Health @Lee_Health]

@LeeSchools @WHOWEPLAYFOR @fgcu @NSUFlorida @PPCSWFL @osswf This event is a great example of the impact we can make when healthcare providers, educators, community organizations, and volunteers unite around a common goal: helping our youth stay healthy, active, and ready to succeed!

[Lee Health @Lee_Health]

Through the collective efforts of Lee Health, @LeeSchools, @WHOWEPLAYFOR, @FGCU Nursing/PA students/faculty, @NSUFlorida, @‌Zivkovic Family Medicine, @PPCSWFL and @osswf, 908 students completed their sports physicals and 589 EKGs were performed recently at Riverdale High School.

[Lee Health @Lee_Health]

@LeeSchools @WHOWEPLAYFOR @fgcu @NSUFlorida @PPCSWFL @osswf As a reminder, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, an EKG will be required for all incoming 9th grade student athletes and any student in grades 10-12 who has never participated in a FHSAA-sanctioned sport.

#LeeHealth #EKG #WhoWePlayFor #LeeCountySchoolDistrict

[PCPS Athletics @pcps_athletics]

Another opportunity for your ECG @H2_Recruiting @polk_way @WHOWEPLAYFOR @PolkSchoolsNews

[Tammie K Talley @talleymama]

Heart♥️ Screenings this morning hosted by @Fletcher_Sports in partnership with @WHOWEPLAYFOR with over 100 @DuvalSchools Student-Athletes registered in preparation for the upcoming sports 🏈 ⛳️��🎳🎽season

[PCPS Athletics @pcps_athletics]

Make sure you register!!!!! @AdventHealthCFL @WHOWEPLAYFOR