{see my little disclaimer about this post in the comments}
The body of NHL player David Booth lay motionless, face pressed against the ice. Moments before the Florida Panthers star forward had skated the puck into the offensive zone and dished a drop pass to his teammate when the shoulder of Mike Richards, of the Philadelphia Flyers, came from the blindside and struck Booth square in the jaw, knocking him unconscious before he even hit the ice. Now he was leaving the rink on a stretcher.
Richards received a 5 minute major penalty for interference and a game misconduct for the hit, Booth missed the remaining 45 games in the season with a concussion. This incident was a major topic of discussion between NHL rule makers last summer, resulting in the NHL Player's Union approving a temporary rule change concerning hits to the head. Rule 48 states, “Illegal Check to the Head – A lateral or blindside hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principle point of contact is not permitted.” Basically, it means a player can't come from behind or the side where the target cannot see (blindside) and check them in the head. Players can still make hard, blindside hits, but they must target the body of their opponent. Players are also still technically allowed to check an opponent in the head, but the hit must come from the front.
That rule change was the first of what will likely be a lot of action taken to circumvent a dangerous new trend in contact sports – devastating, concussion inducing hits. The NHL isn't the only sport losing players; concussions have spread through the NFL like an epidemic this season, sidelining over fifty players so far. The NFL has taken some action against the increasing violence by imposing hefty fines, and releasing a video for the players showing examples of what will be considered illegal hits. The league, however, has taken criticism as some claim the fines have not deterred the hits while others state that the sport is built on violence, and hard, violent hits are part of the game. In a Sports Illustrated Special Report on concussions, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking, speaking on these devastating hits said, “It's what makes the game so popular, people love the battle! People love the violence!”
As barbaric as that sounds, Brooking does have a point. On YouTube, there are dozens of hard hit videos that have well over one-hundred thousand views. The footage of David Booth getting his concussion has over 250,000 views. The numbers don't lie; people like to watch the violence, and the argument that the sports could lose viewership if the violence is reduced is a valid one. It's a familiar argument but fans, players and sport legislators all seem to be at a stalemate on the issue.
This is a condensed/edited/updated version of a story I wrote for a journalism class. When publishers ask me for writing samples I'd like to be able to direct them to this blog, so I want my best stuff up here. Much easier/efficient than sending a bunch of attachments I think.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of violence in hockey is similar to that of the NFL. Everyone knows it is bad for your health to get hit like that, but that's what the public wants to see. But then you get cases like Dave Duerson, a former player for the Chicago Bears. Over the years he developed several concussions and it negatively affected his brain. Late in his life he had such extreme brain issues that he committed suicide. He wrote a letter saying he was going to shoot himself in the heart so doctors could examine his brain. This is such a tragic story that it makes you want to significantly cut down on violence in sports. No one should have to live like that. So when we watch sports and cheer after a big hit, remember Dave Duerson and think twice about what you are rooting for.
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