The Safety Debate: Contact Sports in the Modern Era

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. I always say that life in general is a risk. Going out about our daily activities each day is a risk because we never know what may happen during the day. But, that doesn’t stop us from going about our lives just as we should.

Being a sports person, I obviously love being active. Did I tell you P.E was my favourite subject in school? Well, now you know. I was always hyped up about getting to exercise and play other games with my mates at school. Unlike my other mates, I didn’t stop engaging in these sporting activities even when I proceeded to higher levels in my education. In senior high school and university I played basketball, handball and even football sometimes.

Sports is very good for every individual and , just like every other activity in life, sports comes with its own challenges. Even though it is fun, accidents happen sometimes and that doesn’t mean we have to give up on sports. I’ve watched football matches where players end up with a broken leg or arm. I’ve also watched wrestling and boxing matches where parties ended up dead, but I still find that hard to believe. It’s probably staged but it may also be true.

All these happenings do not mean that measures are not being put in place to ensure safety during these matches. Gone were the days when there were no rules in sports, if you’ve read about gladiators, you’d know what I’m talking about. In todays sports era, there’s a referee who is more like the facilitator and every game has its rules. I’m not a football fan but I know about penalties, free kicks , red cards, yellow cards and even fouls which ensure everyone plays by the rules. We also know that not everyone plays by the rules and these people are sometimes the cause of some accidents.

Personally, I think these sports are safe just as they are. Everyone getting involved knows the rules which means it’s a fair deal at the end of the day for both sides. Most fans also derive fun from some of these sports like boxing and wresting. These players are also trained to endure pain and no one forces them to engage in these sports. Also, contact sports pay big. I bet we all know how much footballers earn per hour or even monthly. Now, imagine how much wrestlers and boxers also receive per month. Right! If you’re in for the money, then you’re in for everything that comes with it. And if you know you cant cope with it you can always walk away.

Contact sports are already regulated to meet the standards that have been set. And as we all know, those involved in it are not complaining which means everyone is okay. This, I guess is enough reason to say that contact sports are safe just as they are now.

all images belong to me.