Are high impact/combat sports worth it?
Football, Boxing, MMA, Ice Hockey are just some examples of sports that are high impact and extremely hard on the body. These sports have high probability of injury during play and can cause long-term harm on the body. The question is... why do people play them? Is it the intensity of the moment and adrenaline rushes that come with competition, is it for the die-hard fans in the stands who bleed their teams colors and would aggrandize the athletes image when they win, or is it the awards and accolades that come with winning? The answer is likely all the above.
As a former high school and college football player I used to live for the moments in games where the game was tied, and it all came down to one drive, one play or one stop. I can think of one specific drive in high school where we needed a touchdown to win the game and we converted on multiple fourth downs to win the game. Even ten years later these moments give me goosebumps. I also would live for the people wishing us luck during the week for the upcoming weekend game. As a linebacker on Lafayette College's varsity football team, I was not a starting player: I didn't even dress for games, but that did not stop students from wishing me luck in the upcoming weekend game when I would wear football gear around campus. My point is, even though Football is one of the most violent, dangerous sports out there, and I live with lifelong minor ailments from my days playing, I would not trade my experience playing for anything.
This goes back to my original point: are high impact sports worth it? The answer is yes, but only if you know what kind of risks the game comes with. All these sports, Football, Boxing, MMA, and Ice Hockey have major risks when playing: brain damage from concussion, broken bones, and torn ligaments. But ask any retired professional, college, even high school athlete who played one of these sports if it was worth it, I would bet most of them would say yes.
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