The Dangers of Extreme Sports
I recently watched a news clip on Olympic hopeful snow boarder Kevin Pearce and the injury that has him in a coma at this very moment. Pearce was attempting a Double Cork (Twisted Double Backflip) when he landed face first suffering severe injuries. First and foremost Kevin our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
The one thing that stuck in my mind was the way the news clip was portrayed. The interview between ABCs Robin Roberts and USA Today Columnist Christine Brennan was quite disturbing to me. Discussions of TV Ratings, Athletes being pushed to perform such dangerous tricks, and how the IOC (International Olympic Committee) should step in and do something about this to prevent such injuries.
If any of you compete, or just partake in any type of Extreme Sports you know the dangers involved. Whether it’s Snowboarding, Motocross, ATV Racing, Skateboarding or Freestyle Motocross you know the dangers involved in the sport. You also know the dangers involved in any contact sport such as Football and Hockey.
To say these sports were created for TV Ratings is absurd. I think these sports were created by athletes who go above and beyond to perform tricks like no other athletes before. They know they are not superhuman or invincible and they know their limitations.
I for one do not think there is pressure on the athletes to perform such dangerous tricks. That is left to the athlete and his or her athletic ability to perform these tricks along with the hard work and dedication they put into their sport to be the very best they can be.
I am sure Travis Pastrana knew the implications of attempting a double backflip on a dirt bike, but I also don’t think he was pressured into doing it. He practiced and put his time in to give him the confidence that he knew he could pull it off safely.
In my opinion Extreme Sports grew into what the individual wanted them to grow into. Tony Hawk, Travis Pastrana, James Stewart and Shaun White just to name a few, are innovators and some of the greatest athletes on the face of the earth in their respective sports.
ABC should be ashamed for twisting a sensitive story of this tragic accident into an agenda on dangerous sports and on how someone should step in and not allow athletes to perform them.
Get Dirty MX would like to know your opinion on this topic. Watch the video here!Feel free to leave a reply below. We will also be posting this in our forum for anyone who wishes to discuss it with others.
Thank you and long live Extreme Sports!
January 6th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
I think that you are correct in your opinions of extreme sports…I like them, and enjoy watching them, and of course if people get hurt it’s a tragedy and it’s sad, but they know the risks that they are putting into their sport everyday….I don’t think that it has anything to do with ratings, because as far as I am concerned I think that these athletes would still be doing these crazy stunts if NO ONE was watching….they love their sport and they are trying to be the next best thing, and learn the next best trick….has nothing to do with ratings or someone telling them that they HAVE to do this….
January 6th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
I agree in the fact that people do these stunts because they enjoy testing the limits of thier choosen sport. This has been the case in every sport regardless of whether it is a dangerous sport or something like Basketball and baseball.
The athletes today have so much more to work with and the risk/reward factor also plays into the equation. These athletes stand to make huge sums of money through endorsements, contracts and prize money.
The fact that TV plays into the pressure is absurd. The role TV plays in destroying the lives of athletes would be in the way they infiltrate thier lives and expose even the most senstive and personal matters like we the people have the right to invade thier inner most personal lives.
The broadcasters and reporters should be more ashamed in the way they treat people that make mistakes or slip up. Tiger Woods was heralded for his clean living and put under the microscope with ads like ” Hi, I’m Tiger Woods”. Then he slips up and he is crucified by these same people.
You see it every day with the likes of Micheal Jackson, Ricky Williams, TO, Lindsay Lohan along with every President and dignitary in the world.
The reporters and TV ruin people by exposing even the smallest failure in the lives of famous people.
Sports gives us all an outlet to express ourselves. These athletes do this as thrill seekers and pioneers. This is why you have people like Micheal Jordan, Shaun White, Lawrence Taylor, Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and Travis Pastrana to name a few.
It is athletes like these that push the limits of the sport and redefine it. To think TV forces or puts too much pressure on these athletes is the farthest thing from the truth. People today are less sensitive to the pressures of TV and crowds because they are brought up this way from the time they start.
As an athlete I know my limits and I do not push beyond them. People who do not have the skills to achieve these lofty goals and set new standards of excellance will never understand what drives people to do these things.
I have competed in Freestyle Jetskiing, Snowmobile racing and countless sports and I enjoy the thrill of completing a new trick as well as being able to demostrate and showcase my talents. The pressure of TV is not even a consideration.