Let’s be honest, when we talk about football, the conversation usually swirls around breathtaking goals, tactical genius, or the immense pressure of competition. We rarely start with the grueling travel, the cramped economy seats, or the cumulative fatigue that grinds players down. But I remember reading a quote from coach Tim Cone about his team’s travel schedule that stuck with me. He described a brutal itinerary, saying, “And then another 10 hours back (home). Plus, these guys are all flying economy. They’re 6-10, June Mar (Fajardo) is flying in economy. I didn’t foresee it being that hard. I wanted it hard but it was much harder than I thought it was going to be.” That right there is the untold story, the foundational crack where so many injuries, particularly knee injuries, begin. It’s not just the tackle on Saturday; it’s the thousand small stressors leading up to it—the fatigue from travel, the suboptimal recovery, the body pushed to its limit before the whistle even blows. That’s the lens through which I’ve come to view knee injury prevention and recovery. It’s a holistic battle.

In my years working with athletes, I’ve seen the ACL tear become almost a cliché, a dreaded rite of passage. The non-contact pivot, the pop, the collapse. We know the stats are frightening—some studies suggest female footballers are at a 2 to 8 times higher risk than their male counterparts, though the exact mechanism is still debated. But focusing solely on the moment of injury is a mistake. Prevention starts weeks, months, even years earlier. For me, it’s about building a resilient athlete, not just a skilled player. That means prioritizing neuromuscular training—those sometimes-boring exercises like single-leg balances, plyometrics with perfect landing mechanics, and strengthening the often-neglected hamstrings and glutes. The goal is to teach the knee to be stable, to have the surrounding muscles fire correctly under fatigue. Because when you’re in the 85th minute after a long-haul flight in economy class, as Cone’s players were, your form degrades. Your muscles are tired, your proprioception is off, and that’s when the ligament takes the load it was never meant to handle. I’m a firm believer that every training session should dedicate at least 15 to 20 minutes to this kind of prehab work. It’s non-negotiable.

Now, let’s say the worst happens. The diagnosis is in: an ACL rupture, a meniscal tear, perhaps an MCL sprain. The treatment pathway is critical. Personally, I’ve seen the pendulum swing in surgical opinions. For a long time, it was surgery for everyone, especially the young, active player. Today, there’s a more nuanced conversation, particularly for partial tears or certain meniscus injuries. But for a complete ACL tear in a footballer wanting to return to cutting and pivoting sports, surgery—often using a graft from the patient’s own patellar tendon or hamstring—is still the gold standard. The success rate for returning to sport is high, around 80-85% at the elite level, but that number is deceptive. Returning to play is one thing; returning to previous performance is another beast entirely. The surgery itself is almost the easy part; it’s the next phase that defines careers.

Recovery is a marathon disguised as a sprint. The old model of just resting and then rehabbing the knee is obsolete. We now talk about “athlete-centered rehabilitation,” which sounds like jargon, but it’s vital. It means treating the whole person. The psychological toll is immense—the identity crisis, the fear of re-injury, the isolation from the team. I always encourage my athletes to stay connected, to be in the locker room, to travel with the team when possible, even if it’s in that cramped economy seat. There’s a mental fortitude built in that environment that the gym alone can’t provide. Physically, modern rehab is aggressive but smart. We’re loading the knee early within safe ranges to maintain bone density and muscle signaling. We’re working on contralateral limb strength and core stability from week one. The timeline is typically 9 to 12 months, and I’m notoriously cautious about rushing it. I’ve seen too many athletes come back at 7 months because the team needs them, only to suffer a secondary injury. The final stages are all about sport-specific re-conditioning—simulating the chaotic movements, the unexpected cuts, the jumping and landing under pressure, all while fatigued. That’s where Cone’s observation rings so true; if we don’t condition for the hardship of the sport’s ecosystem, including the travel and the grind, we’re setting players up for failure.

So, what’s the takeaway? Knee health in football isn’t just about a good surgeon or a strong quadriceps. It’s an ecosystem. It’s about intelligent periodization of training loads, it’s about managing travel fatigue with better recovery protocols (and maybe, just maybe, advocating for better travel conditions), and it’s about a cultural shift that values long-term athletic health over short-term gains. From my perspective, the most successful clubs and players are those who integrate sports science, medicine, nutrition, and psychology into a seamless support system. The knee is the victim of everything that happens above and below it, and far away from the pitch. Protecting it requires us to look at the entire picture, from the glamour of match day right back to the cramped, exhausting reality of an economy cabin at 30,000 feet. That’s the real game being played.

LIGHTING, LIGHTING, AND MORE LIGHTING
People are typically drawn to bars solely based on their atmosphere. The best way to knock your next commercial bar design out of the park is using the perfect amount and type of lighting. Use standout light fixtures as their very own statement piece, track lighting for adjustable ambiance, hanging pendant lights over tables, and ambient backlighting to display the alcohol. Bartenders need to serve and customers need to order, so make sure it’s just functional as it is attractive. 

CHOOSING YOUR BARTOP
What may seem so obvious, is often so overlooked in commercial bar design- the material of your actual bartop itself. While we realize stone and marble are as classy and elegant-looking as can be, the reality is that they just aren’t your best option for a durable and long lasting bartop. They crack, have no grip, and break way too many glasses. Opt for a high-quality wood bar instead. Oaks, maples, mahoganies, and ashes are sturdy and provide your customers with a firm grip for their glasses. 

THEME 
In a sea of millions upon millions of bars, how can you make your commercial bar design stand apart from the rest? The answer is to pick a unique, centralized theme and run with it. Whether it’s your next sit-down restaurant bar design, or remodeling the small, locally-favorite gem, you have to find out what your clientele wants. Survey the neighborhood of your establishment and find out what the demographics are there. Maybe a gritty, western bar would be a hit. Or maybe a more modern, sleek design is what’s missing in the area. Whatever theme you decide upon, hit it out of the park with the perfect lighting, wall art, music, and furniture. It’s all in the details. 

THE GUIDE TO YOUR NEXT RESTOBAR 
You’ve got the food, you’ve got the restaurant, you’ve got the customers, now all you need is a beautifully designed bar to top it all off.  Small bar designs for restaurants have a tendency to be a little thrown together and incohesive with the rest of the establishment. Stay on brand- create consistency with tying in the same color scheme, furniture, art, and overall ambiance of the pre-existing restaurant. Make sure the placement of your bar makes sense as well, have it in a place where it’s visible and easy to navigate but not in the way of servers and other guests. If the bar is going to serve food, be sure to consider the location of the kitchen to not obstruct traffic flow. Consider all of these small tips as you work through your next restaurant bar design. 

SPACE CONSTRAINT 
It’s no secret that bars have the reputation of being a little cramped, and in some cases- way too cramped. Consider all of the space constraints while designing your next commercial bar design and we can change that bad rap that bars have been holding for far too long. First and foremost, be sure to measure your bar, barstool, cabinet, and equipment height. Generally, a bar is 42” in height while a stool is 30” in height. Also be sure to allow at least 3’ of space between the bar and the alcohol for the bartender’s functionality and efficiency. Consider multiple register and drink-making stations for bartenders as well. Allowing 2’ between patrons is going to give them enough space to eat and drink, and most importantly, simply be comfortable. All of these considerations are especially helpful if it is a restaurant bar design, where the space is even more valuable.