Today, the most popular sport is soccer. It has at least a staggering 3.5 billion fans all over the world. It’s so popular that it reels at least $4.6 billion in profits. The highest-paid athlete who plays this sport, Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of the Portugal national football team. Other famous athletes and personalities areDak Prescott, LeBron James, and Neymar.
Sports isn’t only entertaining, and it’s also very healthy for the mind and body. Various mental health conditions can be treated with sports and exercise. It helps increase the production of happy chemicals in the brain called serotonin dopamine. These make us feel energized, reasonable and inspired.
These feelings fight back depression and anxiety by decreasing the levels of cortisol in the body. That way, we feel less stressed or depressed. It’s also an excellent way to entertain ourselves and socialize. Through sports, friends and family can enjoy their time together and cultivate their relationships.
Sports is also a great form of exercise that is great for the body. It helps maintain our weight and shape and is a great way to tone our muscles. It makes us stronger and less prone to various diseases of the heart, muscles, and bones.
Sports also help us cultivate our agility, flexibility, and decision-making skills. Various activities help us focus and solve problems. And the best part about it is that we get to have fun with our family and friends.
Dangers of Sports
Unfortunately, sports are double-edged swords. They’re good as much as they can be dangerous. For example, in 2019, a dangerous sport is bicycling, with around 417,000 injuries. Basketball has approximately 404,000 injuries. At least 3.5 million injuries occur because of organized sports every year.
At least 775,000 children are sent to emergency rooms all over the world because of sports-related injuries. The risk of injury is not constant, but it exists. And the best way to decrease the number is to practice appropriate preventive and protective tools and strategies.
How to Stay Safe While Playing Sports
An essential thing to know about playing sports is to wear protective gear and equipment. And the most common form of protective gear is a helmet. This is important to protect the head from a fall, a strike, or a flying object.
Helmets are a must in various sports such as biking, football, and skateboarding. Wearing a helmet is one of the primary safety guidelines of many jokes. Along with helmets, you might notice that many sports also use protective gear for the eyes.
Eye protection is essential and one of our priorities because injuries to the eyes can cause blindness and an extreme decline in quality of life. That’s why you’ll frequently find many sports that require their players to wear goggles.
Quality mouthguards are often a piece of essential equipment because these protect your tongue, teeth, and mouth. They are required in most contact sports. For example, boxers, volleyball players, and wrestlers all wear mouthguards during matches.
Mouthguards help prevent bruising and cuts in the mouth. They also protect your teeth and jaw from fractures and dislocations. And, of course, mouth guards protect the brain by reducing, if not eliminating, any extent of the injury.
Worst Sports-related Accidents
Every athlete has had to deal with injuries at some point, and that happens even when they’re already wearing protective gear. So imagine if you went out there without wearing any! To emphasize the importance of protective equipment, let’s talk about some of the worst accidents and injuries in sports history.
Kevin Ware is a professional basketball player. In 2013, he played a game against Duke when he failed to land after attempting a shot. The next thing Kevin knew, he was lying on the court writhing in pain.
What unfolded around his chin was a grizzly sight—his bone tore through his skin. His open fracture would send his career to a screeching halt, as he stayed in the hospital, underwent surgery, and struggled in physical therapy. Thankfully, he managed to return to playing competitive basketball after months of recovery.
An even more terrifying story has Clint Malarchuk in a gruesome blood bath. Clint was a goalie playing hockey in 1989. This incident can easily be a scene in a horror movie where a hockey player’s jugular vein is severed by another player’s skate. Clint could only fall to the ground why holding his neck, thinking he’s going to die.
This was a highly publicized accident because the game was televised. It left Clint scarred, and he dealt with PTSD for a very long time. Fortunately, he survived through the ordeal and was even back on the ice in less than two weeks.
Accidents and injuries happen in sports all the time, but that doesn’t mean that we ought to give it. Many of them are preventable by wearing protective gear and religiously following safety protocols. You can still have fun as long as you make safe and good decisions.
Meta title: Why You Should Ensure Safety When Playing Sports
meta desc: Sports can be fun, but it can get dangerous quickly. There are risks involved every time. So how do athletes, professional or otherwise, protect themselves?
