It is no secret that many sports are dangerous, especially combat sports which may lead to death. While sports as an organized event was initially established to improve physical fitness, develop human talents, and entertain the royal family and aristocrats, it claimed countless lives. This top ten list will look into dangerous sports that will lead you directly to hell (or paradise) if you dare to partake.
10. Motorcycle Racing
Riding a 200 miles per hour projectile can be dangerous
In a hundred years of Isle of Man TT motorcycle races alone, over 220 people have died. Racing entails traveling at incredible speeds, quickly leading to accidents with the smallest of errors. To get their adrenaline going, motorcycle racers ride over various terrains ranging from deserts to hills and even muddy forested areas. Unfortunately, a collision is very likely to injure the spectators severely.
A high-speed motorcycle holds a massive quantity of energy, far more than a human body can absorb and survive, especially in case of head injuries. Motorcycles, like stiletto heels, have a sharp and pointy design that concentrates energy into a small surface area on impact. Behind the flimsy fairing is a slew of small hard metallic items that, once again, concentrate force on impact. Therefore, it lowers the chances of survival for a rider hit by another bike.
9. Heli Skiing
Sometimes, it's important to be first to ride
This is incredible: People spend a lot of money to be helicoptered to an untouched landscape, merely to ski down the white hill. These enthusiasts pay hundreds of dollars to go down a natural terrain rather than the contrived tracks of a ski resort.
The uncultivated environment certainly presents more dangers and discomfort. In the past, even traveling into the interior of a mountainous terrain may have been dangerous. Frank Wells, the former president of Disney, died in a helicopter crash during a heliskiing trip in 1994.
8. Street Lunging
Gravity is usually your ally, but not here
Street Lunging originated from skateboarding. In this sport, a man or woman must lie flat on a sled (also known as a luge board) and roll down an asphalt highway using gravitational power. It will gradually build momentum, and if something goes wrong and you decide to stop, know that it has NO brakes.
Street lugers are recommended to utilize mandatory safety equipment such as front and rear sled cushioning, leather and Kevlar shoes and gloves, helmets, and so on. Even so, the breaking speed required to pull off "street luging" may eventually result in a broken limb, as seen in the video above.
7. Big Wave Surfing
The bigger the wave, the bigger is rush
The name is self-explanatory. Big Wave Surfing entails paddling into giant waves up to 50 feet high. These are powerful waves armed with nature's ferocious energy, capable of burying you deep in the dark water (as it did to the legendary Mark Foo) or damaging your eardrums.
Furthermore, it can even kill surfers by crushing their skulls into submerged rocks (Australian research indicated that only 2% of surfers wear helmets regularly), and the surfboards themselves can be dangerous. It serves to prove that sports fans are insane.
6. Cheerleading
The most dangerous activity for young women
Forget about the beautiful motions and dancing legs. This lethal sport (yes, it is a sport, and the dispute about this reference is still ongoing) is extremely dangerous. Cheerleaders have been claimed to sustain over 20,000 sports injuries every year, making it the most dangerous sport for women. The most common injuries are painful vertebral fractures and shattered legs.
If the cheerleader falls on their head, they will likely suffer from a concussion and bruised lungs. Cheerleading can now be pursued as a professional career in the USA, the United Kingdom, and other countries. Yet, there are just a few professional cheerleading leagues around the globe.
5. Bull Riding
Who would tell you that riding giant beasts could be harmful?
A Professional Bull Riding Organization oversees the sport, popular in the United States, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Nicaragua, Brazil, New Zealand, and Australia. The risk aspect is well-known because the rider has only eight seconds on the back of the bull.
Most people do not survive and are flung ten feet into the air, landing face-down or on their skulls. Not only that, but the enraged bull is likely to charge head-first at the rider, killing him. It's not even safe for the viewers watching from behind the stands, as you can see.
4. Bull Running
The only thing involving bulls more dangerous than bull riding
Another bizarre adventure sport is the running of the bulls (or encierro in Spanish). Basically, some bulls are turned loose on the town streets, and participants must sprint in front of them. Pamplona, Spain (featured in Hemingway's books) is the most well-known encierro. The Bollywood film 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' contained views of Pamplona that received both praise and condemnation.
'Bull running' has long been the subject of heated discussions between animal rights activists, most notably PETA. They even organize a mock demonstration dubbed "running of the nudes" every year to oppose the game and sports fans. Aside from that, hundreds are hurt, and many are killed in 'bull running' each year.
3. High Altitude Climbing
Landscape is mesmerizing during rock climbing, but it might be a little cold
One climber is believed to die for every six successful Everest ascents. Worse, climbers are frequently greeted with frozen remains on their way up. Hypoxia, hypothermia, frostbite, and pneumonia are all possibilities. Because helicopter rescues are not always possible, even minor injuries might be fatal.
If you lose your goggles, your corneas will most likely be damaged due to excessive UV radiation exposure. Though fatality rates have decreased since 1990 (because of better safety equipment), approximately 179 Everest climbers have died.
2. Base Jumping
Hurling from high-altitude positions can shorten your lifespan
Base jumping is regarded as an 'extreme sport,' and is frequently disparaged as committing suicide! "BASE" is an abbreviation that stands for four different types of fixed objects from which to jump: buildings, antennas (radio masts), spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs). The participants (who are absolutely normal) purposefully hurl themselves over a high position.
They halt their fall with a parachute and land safely on the ground. Yet, when nature breaks wind, the base jumper is frequently sent slamming into a nearby rock or other structure. Every year, 5 to 15 people are killed while partaking in this dangerous activity. Since 1981, the 'BASE Fatality List,' published in 2014, has recorded 230 deaths. It's no surprise that this sport is often prohibited. No protective gear can really protect you here.
1. Cave Diving
Deep diving simultaneously took and saved many lives
Cave diving is another sport taking place deep within the caves' water. This is done primarily to explore uncharted territory. Consider the dangers: low visibility, freezing temperatures, and crowded conditions. One has to wonder why somebody would take such a risk with their life. What if the oxygen supply apparatus fails, and we become lost in the unknown, dark wilderness?
Since the 1960s, a San Marcos-based recovery team has reported over 500 deaths from 'cave diving.' Most victims are alleged to have been teachers and technical divers. As a result, the National Speleological Society defined "successful" cave diving as "one you return from." Despite being so dangerous, cave diving saved many lives, the most famous recent example being the Thai football team in 2018.
Although sport is very healthy and beneficial in moderation, some activities can seriously affect your physical health. Testing against a severe environment and challenges is quite fulfilling for anyone, but overcoming obstacles sometimes means that obstacles are overcoming you. Therefore, hundreds of people die every year while challenging impossible odds in most dangerous sports in the world.
Which sport do you consider the most dangerous? Which sports would you add to the list?
Cover photo: sasint/Pixabay