Introduction
It is important to note that professional sports, while offering significant opportunities for fame, glory, and financial reward, carry an equally significant potential for harm. The given analysis will focus on the three significant dangers that professional sports pose. The key takeaway is that professional sports present considerable risks, often leading to long-term detrimental effects on athletes’ health. Thus, professional sports are too dangerous due to head injuries, bone and muscle injuries, and the use of doping.
Head Injuries
The danger of professional sports presents itself most starkly in the incidence of head injuries. According to Prien et al. (2018), professional rugby players, football players, and boxing fighters were the most at risk of concussions and long-term head and brain trauma. Spectators often overlook the perils of the playing field, focusing on the thrill of the game rather than the potential for injury.
That helmeted players suffer from concussions frequently belies the effectiveness of such protective measures. The long-term effects of repeated concussions can disrupt a player’s life significantly, leading to conditions such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Concussions may appear minor at first, but repeated head injuries can cause severe, lifelong damage to an athlete’s brain.
The sustained impact on the brain from routine collisions in games often results in an alarming increase in cognitive disorders among retired athletes. Head injuries are not a risk limited to the duration of an athlete’s career; they carry a lasting, damaging legacy that can extend well into retirement (Prien et al., 2018). The physical cost of participating in professional sports extends beyond immediate and obvious injuries. Acknowledging the prevalence of such injuries calls for greater awareness and preventative measures within professional sports. Indeed, the dangers extend further, incorporating not only physical harm but also harmful practices such as the use and abuse of performance-enhancing drugs.
Doping
Another critical aspect of danger in professional sports centers on the prevalent use and abuse of doping substances. Dimeo & Moller (2018) assert that professional sports today have become a race of genetics, training, and massive doses of doping to enhance performance, with the latter resulting in adverse health effects like hypertension, health issues, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases. Athletes, in the pursuit of excellence, often resort to such practices, prioritizing victory over personal health.
The use of performance-enhancing drugs has seen a sharp increase, disregarding the severe repercussions. Hypertension, diabetes, and even cancer serve as grim reminders of the consequences of doping. The sports world must take more responsibility for the health of its athletes, putting systems in place to discourage doping.
Performance enhancements can tempt athletes under pressure to succeed, but they fail to consider the long-term effects on their health. Irreversible damage from doping has become a sad norm in many athletes’ lives (Dimeo & Moller, 2018). Some athletes neglect their well-being in the quest for glory, willingly partaking in harmful practices. It is important to remember, however, that professional sports’ dangers are not limited to head injuries and doping; the physical toll on muscles and bones remains another concerning issue. The physical risk athletes take involves their brain and entire bodily structure, with injuries ranging from muscle strains to bone fractures.
Physical Injuries
A third factor that contributes to the danger of professional sports lies in the risk of trauma, tears, breaks, and dislocations to an athlete’s muscles and bones. Prieto-González et al. (2021) found that “the most common injuries were: lumbar muscle strains (12.24%), ankle sprains (11.98%), and bone fractures (9.31%). Ankles (36.12%), knees (19.32%), and shoulders (6.47%) concentrated the highest number of injuries” (p. 4857).
Injuries are not random occurrences but rather appear concentrated in specific parts of the body, indicating the high physical demand of these sports. Lumbar muscle strains, ankle sprains, and bone fractures rank among the top injuries, with their prevalence underscoring the physical toll of such activities. Ankle sprains and knee injuries, for example, are commonplace in sports that require intense running and jumping.
Muscle strains speak to the intense physical stress that these athletes place on their bodies day in and day out. Bone fractures reflect the hazardous nature of the sport, where high-impact collisions or falls can lead to serious injury. The risk of dislocations, particularly in the shoulders, again highlights the physical danger inherent in professional sports (Prieto-González et al., 2021).
Measures for injury prevention and proper recovery must become an integrated part of professional sports, given the high risk of muscle and bone injuries. Despite rigorous training and conditioning, athletes remain susceptible to these debilitating injuries. Careful consideration of the risks involved, including head injuries, doping, and musculoskeletal harm, paints a grim picture of the potential dangers in professional sports.
Conclusion
In conclusion, professional sports pose significant dangers due to the high risks of head injuries, the prevalent use of doping substances with detrimental health effects, and a high incidence of bone and muscle injuries. In essence, the latter means that the stakes in professional sports extend beyond the game’s boundaries, affecting the athletes’ overall well-being and lifespan. Head injuries are concussions during sports, whereas doping has long-term consequences, and professional sports ruin joints, bones, and muscles as well.
References
Dimeo, P., & Moller, V. (2018). The anti-doping crisis in sport: Causes, consequences, solutions. Routledge.
Prien, A., Grafe, A., Rössler, R., Junge, A., Verhagen, E., Delattre, B. M.,… & Dvorak, J. (2018). Epidemiology of head injuries focusing on concussions in team contact sports: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 48(4), 953-969. Web.
Prieto-González, P., Martínez-Castillo, J.L., Fernández-Galván, L.M., Casado, A., Soporki, S., & Sánchez-Infante, J. (2021). Epidemiology of sports-related injuries and associated risk factors in adolescent athletes: An injury surveillance. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(9), 4857. Web.