A History Of Violence

In light of this past weekend's tragedy at Churchill Downs, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss the rare calamities in sports. If you're not aware by now of the story, last Saturday during the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby, the filly known as Eight Belles was euthanized on the track immediately following the race. As the horse crossed the finish line at full speed, her jockey, Gabriel Saez, used his whip in order to slow down the filly as he feared her momentum would carry her into the outside barrier of the track. However, Saez' action forced Eight Belles to immediately pull up by using her front legs as a break, and in that instant, the filly broke both of her ankles. The horse never made it off the track alive, as she had to be put to sleep by trainers after finishing second in the annual Run for the Roses.

Since then, animal rights activists from organizations such as PETA and the U.S. Humane Society have been protesting for change in the sport, including banning the use of a whip as well as instituting a minimum age requirement for race horses to four years old.

While I agree that it was a tragic event, we must move on. This is nothing new in the horse racing industry. In fact, this past year here in Great Falls I watched a horse be euthanized on the ExpoPark's racetrack right before my very eyes after it broke one of its legs. While it's a sad reality, it is part of the sport. Sure, there are rules and regulations that have been institutionalized within the sport to provide race horses with protection. However, there are freak accidents.

Take football for example. Over the past decade, there have been numerous accounts of high school and collegiate athletes who have died due to dehydration as well as an excessive amount of exposure to heat. Since then, the NCAA as well as state high school athletic governing bodies have imposed additional rules allowing for players to receive more water breaks during practices. They've also regulated the number of practices and hours each team is allowed per week. However, these accidental fatalities still occur.

These accidents happen in every sport. This past year, a hockey player almost died after his throat was sliced open by one of his teammate's skate during an NHL game. The gash was measured up to an inch and a half deep calling for immediate medical attention. By the time Richard Zednik had arrived at the hospital, he had already lost five pints of blood. Luckily, Zednik is alive today.

The list goes on. Buffalo Bills tight end, Kevin Everett, was nearly paralyzed after sustaining a fracture and dislocation of his cervical spine during the NFL's opening weekend this past season when Everett lowered his head to make a tackle on a kickoff. Everett spent the next several days on a respirator before he was able to regain voluntary movement in his arms and legs. Today, he is able to walk on his own again.

In 2001, former NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt died after crashing into wall while rounding turn 3 of the final lap of the Daytona 500. Earnhardt had become the fourth fatality amongst NASCAR drivers during a nine month span. Since then, the sport has instituted new rules in order to protect drivers.

Sports aren't always safe. Tragedies and even fatalities of animals and even humans may occur. It's the risk one takes when driving a race car over 200 miles per hour around a two mile track amongst fourty other cars. It's realistic to assume that injuries will occur when two human bodies amassing 250 pounds collide at full speed, even with padding. And if you push horses to their maximum performance enough times, sooner or later, one will take a bad step and break its limb. While there are rules that are applied to protect athletes and animals within each sport, they can't prevent all injuries from occuring. And while this past weekend's accident was a tragedy, it also serves as a reminder. Sports are a source of entertainment, but they can also be very dangerous.