The X-Games, as we all should suspect, are full of grown men risking their lives for the joy of competing in extreme sports. The X-Games have been coming under heavy fire recently due to a tragic event. Granted, these games have never been accident free, but they hadn't caused death until now. The 18 year track record for the X- Games was finally broken by Caleb Moore's death this past Thursday.
Caleb Moore, 25 years old, was competing in a snowmobile event in the Winter X-Games. Tragedy came when Caleb attempted a back flip using his vehicle. He crash landed and was knocked out by his snowmobile as he tumbled down the hill. A medical team began treating him, but he was taken to Aspen Valley Hospital shortly afterwards due to the severity of his injury. Ironically, his brother Colten Moore was taken to the hospital only thirty minutes after his brother due to injuries being sustained in his run. However, Colten got the "easy end" by just receiving a separated pelvis. He was able to leave the hospital the next day. Caleb’s injury was much worse. He was bleeding near his heart; therefore, he had to have surgery done to repair it. This surgery led to a complication in his brain that proved to be fatal. ESPN, official organizer of the X-Games, said they would review their protocols to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.
This is a useless waste of a life. The only benefit I can pull out of this situation is that at least Caleb died doing something he loved, but even that isn't good enough. Why do these people willingly risk their lives? Organizations like ESPN and Red Bull, sponsor of the X- Games, have poured millions of dollars so we can watch grown men risk their lives. Is there a need for any of this? Obviously, this isn't the first injury at the Games. Jake Brown, for example, fell five stories while performing at the Mega Ramp in the 2007 Summer X-Games, one of six X-Games each year. Jake returned the following year to the Mega Ramp. In my opinion, this is a huge risk of life just to provide entertainment. I don't think the games can be stopped now due to the huge fan base; therefore, I agree that the safety should be reviewed to prevent any more deaths in the future. What do you think should be done to the X-Games? Do you believe that they should continue?
Here's the link to the original article
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/01/sports/snowmobile-rider-caleb-moore-dies-from-x-games-injuries.html?hp&_r=0
Here is a video of Caleb's fall as it was seen live by millions.
In case you have nothing better to do here is Jake Brown's
fall off the Mega Ramp at the 2007 Summer X-Games.
This whole situation is really sad, but I respect the people doing these stunts. It is insane to see how many flips and inversions a human can do in the air without hurting themselves(usually). With any sport, there are risks. The risk are much greater in these types of action sports, but it's all part of the constantly evolving world of sports. Whose going to go higher? Whose going to do the next huge trick? It's all part of the fun. And hey, it makes a great piece of film.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKWoPlL2B8I
I have admittedly never watched the X-games, and the death does seem tragic. However the idea of people risking their lives for the entertainment of the masses. For example, in ancient roman times the gladitorial matches would almost always invilve the death of one of the combatatants. Admittedly these contestants usually fought against their will, but the concept of willing risk is the same. It could be argued that these ancient peoples are less advanced then us, but many philosophers would argue that this inheirant need for violence is part of human nature. there should be greater precautions taken to prevent these accidents, but people have been dying in sporting events for millenia.
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