At the recent General Manager meetings in Boca Raton, Florida, all the National Hockey League GMs got together to discuss pressing issues pertaining to the NHL. One of the main topics discussed was that of dangerous hits to the head. One of the main reasons this was such a talked about topic was because of the recent hit on Boston Bruins Center Marc Savard, who has a grade 2 concussion and will likely be out the rest of the season. As fun as watching bone-crushing hits can be, is it worth the potential for injury? And its not like this is just an issue for hockey, either. In baseball, pitchers throw hard baseballs in excess of 90 mph. Although it provides excellent entertainment, watching someone get hit in the face and crumple to the ground is a truly horrifying thing to watch. In nascar, drivers drive at ridiculously high speeds in order to entertain the public. But when does the risk for gut-wrenching crashes outweigh the fun of the race? Although Nascar has recently taken precautions to help prevent crashes, just last week Brad Keselowski was flipped during the race, creating a serious safety hazard for the racers and the fans. Although it is obvious that sports need risk to be entertaining, just when does that risk cross the line? When does it become too dangerous to risk? And are leagues doing enough to prevent serious injury for their athletes and participants. As Sam noted in her blog, Melted Crayons, without danger, sports wouldn't be near as exciting. But at what point does that danger step over the line?
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