Is sport worth the risk?
As Australia struggles to deal with the news that Phillip Hughes has tragically passed away, questions are once again being asked about whether the risks attached to sport are justified. And whether we should continue to let our kids play weekend sport.
Phillip Hughes was taken from the world too soon, he passed away on Thursday afternoon in the intensive care unit of St. Vincent’s Hospital after being hit in the head by a ball during South Australia’s Sheffield Match on Tuesday.
Like the rest of the country, I prayed for good news and I desperately wished that the relief and comfort his family needed would come. Sadly it didn’t. The severity of the brain injury was such that Phillip could not survive without medical equipment and he never regained consciousness.
For me, any activity that increases the risk of a head or neck injury occurring, such as high contact sports, is simply out of the question.
I can’t ban my kids from participating in sport altogether, and I wouldn’t want to. I appreciate that involvement in sporting activities provides a great platform for friendships, socialisation, learning and working as a team. I want my kids to be part of the triumphant side occasionally, celebrating the achievements of teammates. And I want them to learn the important lesson of losing gracefully when it’s someones else’s turn for the limelight.
I can’t wrap them up in cotton wool and hope nothing bad will ever happen, but I can prevent them from becoming involved in something with such dangerous consequences.