Extreme Sports - Are They Too Dangerous - Essay Example

Extreme Sports: Are they Too Dangerous? There are many sports considered to be extreme including severe weather, high altitude and high speed sports. Despite their increased popularity, these sports pose great risk to participants and other people and properties. They are too dangerous because of their barbaric and deadly nature, damage to property and negative behavioral impact. Proponents of the sport argue the sport to be safer than many traditional sports as they follow strict safety regulations, involve conscious and thoughtful decisions and propagate human health as a whole. Thus, this paper considers supporting and opposing arguments, arguing against the perception painted by the media that the sports are too dangerous. Introduction The phrase, ‘extreme sport,’ refers to a collection of activities traditionally associated with risk taking. They mostly involves dangerous elements like severe weather, high speeds and high altitudes, therefore making them highly risky sports, particularly when judgment or equipment fail (Burke and Orlick 42; Clemmit 304). The mental and physical demands in these sports are high. Jay (6) categorizes these sports into three based on the place of action. Speed is the major goal in extreme land sports. Extreme air sports have its participants fly, leaping off a high building or bridge. Extreme water sports involve speed, balance or nature exploration. These are all risky sports and should be tried only with proper equipments and training and under supervision. Examples of these sports include high altitude climbing, skating, motor-cross and martial arts among others. Extreme sports have become popular all over the world because of entertainment industries, corporate sponsors and mass communication. According to Mickle, over the past two decades, the sport has grown exponentially, outdoing other sporting activity. Many organizations use these sports to sell their products because the sports attract mass audience. Another reason is because they want customers to associate their products with the power exhibited in extreme sports. For example, snowboarders are about 18.5 million in the world, with 75% of America’s population of these snowboarders being made up of young people below the age of 24 (Clemmit 300). This popularity could be interpreted to show that the sport is not as dangerous as the public has been made to perceive it or that many people are at risk of the involved dangers. It is therefore important to consider arguments on either side to make an informed conclusion. Arguments for Extreme Sports being too dangerous Referring to these sports as extreme indicates their potential; any small mistake could highly lead to death, hence considered as too dangerous. First, they are barbaric and deadly. Clemmit (299) gives the example of mixed martial arts, MMA, where combatants use deadly moves which are kickboxing, sumo and jujitsu among others. It is out of such techniques that the author gives the example of Dean Lewis, a Canadian teenager who was injured badly in the ring because of an upkick to the nose, an illegal technique in MMA. In fact, the American and British medical associations does not approve of ultimate fighting because they risk physically and permanently harming participants. Their advocacy for states to ban such sports has seen states such as New York consider illegalizing such extreme sports (Profato 313). The risk of death extends from competitors in such sports to third parties, including the referees and audience. Even if participants prepare themselves well, unforeseen risks such as slippery surfaces could easily lead to fatal accidents. Therefore, even the most competent sportspersons face the risk of death from extreme sports. Damage to property has been another reason for argument against extreme sports by its opponents. Property stand to be destroyed in case of an accident in these sports because most of them happen in public, multi-use spaces (Clemmit 310). Motor-cross sports have been cited as an example of potential cause of property damage. When the cars veer off the track or collide with other cars, they could damage property in the vicinity. The impact from such accidents could cause fires which could burn down the neighboring property. Most of the extreme land sports pose the greatest risk of property damage (Jay 95). This is because they occur on land where many property are found. Extreme sports have also been said to impact negative behaviors on its audience and the participants. Seeing violence causes acceptance of violence which could stimulate the audience to commit violent crimes. Spectators get attracted to the violence and the potential for deadly injury which they adopt and slowly become part of their behavior. Clemmit (299) gives an example of snowboarding which propagates reckless and thuggish behavior. Cage fighting encourages violence and drunkenness in cities. Because of the thrill involved and the need to perform extraordinarily, participants often find themselves abusing drugs. This makes them reckless and non-productive in the society. Additionally, there have been cases of extreme sportspeople being involved in violent acts, making use of skills learnt for their respective sports such as MMA to harm others (Jay 29). Therefore, these sports impart in participants behavior that make them behave inappropriately in the society. Arguments against Extreme Sports being too dangerous Proponents of extreme sports on the other hand argue against these claims of extreme sports being too dangerous. To them, referring to the sports as extreme marginalizes the sports as the only cause of adrenaline rush and violence, whereas these sports are known to require high skill degrees. The media has been largely blamed for propagating such misplaced perceptions. They inaccurately portray the sports and entice inexperienced people to try out these sports without the necessary skills. These inexperienced people are the one greatly exposed to the risk of associated dangers. They create the bad-boy image which teenagers seeking identity adopt fast. On the contrary, the sportsmanship in these sports aims at bringing the best out of people. After all, there are people who have been in the sports for a long time without being exposed to any such dangers. Clemmit (300) gives the example of Calif who has been the world champion in freestyle skydiving, involving gymnastics during free fall, seven times. Stuart, another freestyle skydiver, has had 6,000 jumps without any serious problem. If the sport was dangerous, it would be difficult to have a participant survive and become champion this much. Thus, extreme sports are not too dangerous as the public has been made to believe. In fact, while opponents of extreme sports argue against their safety, the sports are considered to be much safer than the traditional sports that they advocate for. Other than snowboarding, none of the non-motorized extreme sports fall under the category of sports with high injury rates. Furthermore, Clemmit (304) gives statistics showing that snowboarding comes a distant third in terms of the involved injury risk after baseball and football, traditional sports considered to be safe. Various precautionary measures are involved to ensure safety of participants and spectators. Tactics considered to pose danger has been banned in most of these sports while those considered to promote the good of the participants encouraged. Clemmit (301) gives the example of teamwork as a tactic encouraged in rock climbing so that, despite the commonness of people falling off from rocks, such people would not hit the ground. Additionally, doctors are involved and stay on stand-by during extreme sports competitions to offer any medical assistance required. Safety gears are also worn during sporting to protect participants from injuries. The reason why people perceive extreme sports as too dangerous could be attributed to lack of knowledge. For example, people perceive MMA to be more dangerous than boxing because boxers put on padded gloves fully covering their fists unlike their counterparts in MMA. What such people fail to understand is that “the purpose of boxing gloves is not to cushion the head but shield the knuckles” without which “a boxer would break his hands after a couple of punches to the skull,” a reason why ultimate fighters do not throw multiple punches to the skull (Clemmit 303). This example leads to the argument of need for skills in extreme sports. Extreme sports do not involve brute force, but rather conscious and thoughtful decisions earned through a series of trainings. The involved action entails more of skills than thrills. As such, mastery of street fights does not guarantee a mastery of a sport such as MMA. Success in extreme sports entails long term effective coaching to enable the participant know what to do during the sporting event. Burke and Orlick (50) give an example of training that prospective Mount Everest climbers need to undertake so as to successfully get to the peak. The training involves both physical and mental aspects. Training in extreme sports makes one more skillful in safely carrying out the involved gymnastics. In the 1960s and 1970s, freestyle skiing as a competitive sport had been banned because of the risks involved. Nonetheless, athletes continued to train and compete unofficially. Today, because of years of experience with the required skills, it is an Olympic event with standardized equipment and venue provided (Rosa 312). Therefore, training reduces the risks involved in these sports. The persons attracted by these action athletics have a personality that embrace training, referred to as type T (Clemmit 300). Such persons are known to be creators and innovators in the society, not only in science and arts, but also in sports. These people skillfully apply their knowledge when sporting with the aim of conquering the challenges and applying their creativity, but not to die. There are numerous psychological and physiological health benefits that come from extreme sports. This makes participants have sound health. For instance, MMA training teaches discipline and instills mental exercise which does not allow drunken punching. It thus makes this a healthier sport than boxing. It trains balancing the brain to make appropriate decisions, choosing which martial discipline works best, then switching fast between using fists to using the feet. Clemmit (303) gives the example of Vigil, a coach and trainer of MMA in Albuquerque, who wishes to have been involved in the sport when his brother was shot dead so as to assist him channel out the aggressions and further develop self esteem. Other than psychological health, extreme sports give physiological health through the rigorous physical activity involved according to Appleton. Sports such as the Ironman triathlon keep the body physically fit. People’s immense association with extreme sports indicates that the sports are more beneficial than they are dangerous to the society. Since they occur more in public places, particularly parks, participants and other interested parties fight for the preservation of such facilities (Clemmit 311). In the process, they fight for the preservation of the environment. Moreover, extreme sports generate a lot of business opportunities. Because of the popularity of the sports, marketers advertise their products during such sports to reach wider market coverage. Entrepreneurs also advertise their products alongside these extreme sports to appeal to the audience’s association of the power involved in the sports with the performance of such products. This takes advantage of the appeal of adrenaline rush to the audience to make sales. Clemmit (305) cites the business opportunities that arise out of the videos of extreme sports. People make a living from the sales of such videos, hence an important component of the economy. Conclusion Extreme sports involve high speeds, severe weather or high altitudes, which together with the additional gymnastics could be too dangerous to the participants and third parties. They risk causing injuries and deaths and damaging property. They could also negatively influence behavior, especially of young people seeking identity. Nonetheless, this essay has made it clear that the dangers that the public associates with these sports has been created by the media. They capture the most risky aspects because that is what sells. However, the media fails to inform the public of the strict safety regulations that govern these sports, the consciousness and tactful thought involved in the sports and the resultant psychological and physiological health benefits. In fact, a majority of extreme sports are much safer than the traditional sports considered to be safe. Therefore, extreme sports are not that dangerous should proper training be undertaken and safety guidelines strictly followed. Works Cited Appleton, Josie. “What’s So Extreme about Extreme Sports?” Spiked 30 Aug. 2005. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. http://www.spiked-online.com Burke, S., and Terry Orlick. “Mental Strategies of Elite Mount Everest Climbers.” Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environment 7.2 (2003). Web. 25 Oct. 2013. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu Clemmit, M. “Action Sports Versus the Environment: Clashes Have Changed Cistyscapes Worldwide.” CQ Researcher 19.3 (2009): 310 – 311. Clemmit, M. “Extreme Sports: Are They Too Dangerous?” CQ Researcher 19.3 (2009): 297. Clemmit, M. “Extreme Sports: The Issues.” CQ Researcher 19.3 (2009): 299 – 320. Jay, Kathryn. More than Just a Game: Sports in American Life since 1945. Chichester, West Sussex: Columbia UP, 2004. Print. Mickle, Tripp. “China Action’s Next Frontier.” Sports Business Journal 14. Apr. 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/58658 Profato, B. “Should States Legalize Mixed Marial Arts Bouts?” CQ Researcher 19.3 (2009): 313. Rosa, Darrell Dela. “Olympics Woo Youths With Extreme Sports.” CQ Researcher 19.3 (2009): 312. Read More