While sports may seem like all fun and games, there actually is a health risk involved. Playing sports means that you are at risk of hurting yourself now and possibly in the future. Just look at the past 20 years in competitive and noncompetitive sports around the world. In football alone, college and high school players like Eric Legrand and Devon Walker were paralyzed and may never walk again. Even Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall and Bulls point-guard Derrick Rose couldn’t escape the injury bug. Marshall suffered a collapsed lung and multiple cracked ribs on a hit by a Dallas Cowboys defender and Rose suffered a torn acl one season and a torn meniscus the next two. Injuries aren’t limited to football though. In sports like soccer, basketball, baseball, and hockey, numerous professional, high school, and ammature athletes get hurt every day.

While I may seem like a Debbie-downer, I’ve only stated a number of facts. Sure, people don’t suffer career ending injuries in every game, but it is a possibility. What’s worse is trying to come back from injuries, severe or minor. The thought of being out for a long time may actually run through athlete’s minds when returning to competitions.

Senior Alex Rose knows the risk of playing sports first hand, but that hasn’t stopped him. The four year basketball and football player has sustained a concussion and is currently battling a partially torn labrum, but that isn’t stopping him from playing. “Injuries are bound to happen when playing such a violent sport,” Rose said. “I just try not to think about (getting injured).” Rose believes that if you don’t think about injuries, you will play sports hard and lower your risk of getting injured.

Rose talked about his feelings coming back his injuries and rejoining his team. “Coming back, I didn’t have too much fear.” Rose said, “I mean I kept saying to myself ‘I hope my shoulder stays in place,’ but once you get that adrenaline going you totally forget about those thoughts.”

Senior and soccer player Dziedzic knows the feeling of coming back from injuries as well. Dziedzic tore his hamstring and was very cautious in his return back to the sport he loves. “The first day back from injury was exciting, but at the same time, I was very cautious about going too hard in training.” Dziedzic said that he took his time getting back into the swing of things as to not re-injure himself.  While Rose and Dziedzic play different sports, their philosophy, like many athletes, is the same regarding bouncing back from injuries.

Coming back from injury can be a daunting task in high school athletics, but it is on a different level of difficulty for professional athletes. Just look at Bull’s point guard Derrick Rose. As I mentioned earlier, Rose has been sidelined with a knee injury for much of the past two seasons. In his first season back after the injuries Rose was beginning to look like his old self again. He showed signs of his explosiveness and was helping the Bulls improve their playoff position and division lead. In a recent game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Rose thought he was having hamstring tightness, but an MRI revealed he tore his meniscus in his right knee for the second time. After being out for so long and hearing you will have to be out again, Rose must be experiencing some doubt that he can return from these injuries. Some people say he should hang it up and retire after being out so many times. Others say he should keep going and risk injury once again. While Rose’s future isn’t certain, he will have to deal with watching his teammates either succeed or fail without him, something any athlete dreads. While injuries like Rose’s don’t happen all the time, when they do, it becomes an internal battle of what the best option is for yourself.

Mankind has always been in competition with one another. Competitions have ranged from building empires, fighting wars, and building up arms. Somewhere in history, mankind created a way to quench our everlasting thirst to compete: sports. Sports have been played for as far back as history goes. Wrestling can be traced back to ancient Greece, Native Americans played a form of lacrosse, and even polo was played by natives of Persia during the 4th century A.D.

Our love for sports has spanned centuries and they are at an all time high in popularity with better connections to foreign countries and forms of transportation. While sports may seem like all fun and games, there actually is a health risk involved. Playing sports means that you are at risk of hurting yourself now and possibly in the future. Just look at the past 20 years in competitive and noncompetitive sports around the world. In football alone, college and high school players like Eric Legrand and Devon Walker were paralyzed and may never walk again. Even Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall and Bulls point-guard Derrick Rose couldn’t escape the injury bug. Marshall suffered a collapsed lung and multiple cracked ribs on a hit by a Dallas Cowboys defender and Rose suffered a torn acl one season and a torn meniscus the next. Injuries aren’t limited to football though. In sports like soccer, basketball, baseball, and hockey, numerous professional, high school, and ammature athletes get hurt every day.