Spinal Injuries In Sports Essay, Research Paper

More recently than ever on the news we re hearing stories of players receiving serious blows to the head and spine which force them to be carried off on a stretcher. The crowd is silent and players stand on the sidelines with an empty look in their eyes. This is the situation that arises during the time of crisis and while medical attention deals with the victim. All the steps of precaution must be taken to ensure the athletes safety. The crowd rises to its feet and gives a loud cheer for the player s health as he is carried away from the game. Millions of thoughts race through a player s head, Am I going to walk again? Is this going to affect my mental ability? Nobody should have to be in that situation at all. Sports are supposed to be a friendly competition that is safe and gives a great deal of enjoyment. Head and Spinal injuries are the most dangerous injuries that can be produced in sports and that is also why we must make precautions.

Many people today don t understand what can be done to solve the problem. Some say that players should be suspended as long as the player is hurt and others say that they should put a stop sign on the back of a players helmet/jersey. What needs to be done is a better respect for ones opponent. Today with players wearing as much equipment as they, nobody has respect for their opponent. They swing their sticks, hit hard as possible without thinking of what damage you can do to a player. When there were no helmets and no padding, players had a mutual respect for each other and freak accidents were the only ones that happened. Today in the inflationary world of player salaries and winning is the only result; players take their aggressiveness to another level.

I believe that only once a player respect ones opponent, can a mutual respect be made to care for the other players health, because to an athlete, that could always be you lying on the ice next wondering if you ll ever be able to walk again.

To me, playing sports is one of the greatest gifts that anyone could give me. Not being able to walk would take that away from me as it would any other professional athlete. Though it may not be my job or I m making millions of dollars to do it, I still have the heart and desire to play sports whenever I can.

Maybe my body isn t worth a billion dollars like Jennifer Lopez, but to me my body is all I have and without, I wouldn t be able to function or enjoy life to its maximum potential. Though the sport I play, which is basketball is less likely to provide injuries, safety in sports where contact is made is very important. It s very important to put aside the egos of wearing helmets and do it for the safety of the athlete and everyone around you.

What you can do as an athlete is have a greater respect for the opponent you play against and maybe they ll return the favour. Sports isn t about business, the real sports are about fairplay and enjoyment. Going out there in a fun game and putting your body on the line is rather silly since you might play hockey once a week, but you walk everyday of your life. The STOP program, which was mentioned earlier in this report, is highly promoted by famous analyst Don Cherry. He claims that the sign should be moved to the next level, being the NHL. Hopefully the signs will act as a deterant to any type of hitting when a player comes rushing in.