We love our sports on this little section of the web, and we’re sure you do too. But that doesn’t change the fact that sports can actually be very dangerous. If you’re not careful, you can get seriously hurt playing certain sports. In fact, you might be surprised by just how dangerous some of your favorite sports actually are. Let’s start by thinking about American Football.

A Nasty Bump On The Head

You might think that American Football is safer than something like Rugby. On the surface, the main difference seems to be that in American Football you are given a lot more padding. Of course, that wasn’t always the case, and when the sport first started, athletes were using leather caps which was why they were popularly referred to as ‘leatherheads.’ Of course, back then there wasn’t an issue with steroid usage in these types of sports, but that’s a discussion for another day. So what is the danger of playing American football.

Well aside from the nasty hits that can break bones legs and virtually any other part of the body, there’s the problem with what is essentially concussion. Each time a tackle occurs in American Football, it’s head on with heads literally colliding in helmets. According to research, this severely damages the brain, and after repeat, occurrence can lead to a condition quite similar to dementia. As such, at least by scientists, American football is said to be one of the most dangerous sports in the world. Particularly, for star players.

Why is rugby different? Well, head on collisions in rugby are avoided almost completely because tackles occur from behind with players grabbing the opponent by the leg and pulling them down. It’s still rough, and injuries do happen, but it’s not quite as dangerous.

Open Water

You might think swimming is perfectly safe as long as you know how and for the most part you’re right. The biggest danger in a swimming pool is probably going to be chlorine making the hair week and brittle. Not the most dangerous problem in the world and with companies like SwimCapz you can avoid this with right head gear. But what about open water or wild swimming. That’s become more popular lately and becomes particularly prominent as the temperatures begin to soar. People start swimming outside in rivers, lakes and the ocean. The danger here is the water itself. Underwater currents in rivers can pull swimmers down, and if you’re not strong enough, you can get trapped beneath the surface. Other strong currents can push swimmers out to sea with many unable to get back to sure. Many are rescued by lifeguards, but people have died swimming in open water.

The Most Dangerous Sport?

That would be horseriding according to experts. What makes horseriding so dangerous? Statistically, you’re more likely to die riding a horse than you are taking ecstasy. So either the government is too strict on drugs or something is seriously wrong in the world of horse riding. Though, perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this part is so dangerous. After all, you are putting your life in the hands of an animal that is unpredictable and could make a mistake. Now, jockeys will say they trust their horses with their lives. But that still doesn’t change the fact that getting thrown off or trampled could lead to fatal injuries. It’s not just jockeys that die of course. Horses have been known to be killed too. A track in England claims the horses of lives every grand national but showrunners have refused to close it.

Give Me A D?

You probably didn’t expect to see this one on the list. You might not even classify cheerleading as a sport but it is and a fairly dangerous one at that. Human pyramids, being thrown into the air, no padding, You can think of cheerleading as ballet on steroids. These dances are dangerous and if you don’t believe that just look at how far up into the air some of the girls go. If something goes wrong and they aren’t cut that will lead to bone breaking injuries. If you want a more terrifying statistic cheerleading makes up fifty percent of life altering neck, spine and head injuries suffered by female athletes. Do you still think it’s not a sport?

We hope you see now how dangerous sports can be. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be enjoyed or experienced, but we must take the inherent dangers seriously, and in some cases like cheerleading, perhaps a few more safety measures need to be in place.