It is definitely the risk professionals take, getting hurt. The old Jewish joke is that Jewish mothers won't let their children play touch football, certainly not hockey (a stick!). When my son ripped his knee apart playing football at recess, his father didn't even tell me until he had stitched him up. The scar remains today. Although his father did a nice job.
But everyone knows kids don't listen to moms. And Derek Boogaard's mom surely adored her son, encouraged his athleticism, because we're defined by our attributes and not everyone can play hockey, certainly not well.
Apparently this happens in contact sports, lethal brain injuries. Derek, 28, is perhaps the youngest professional to suffer a fatal casualty on the field. The "Big Teddy Bear", as he was affectionately called by his family, will be missed. He had exactly the type of personality we need in sports today-- proactive, kind, charismatic. Generous, good.
After the injury Boogaard committed to contributing to trauma research.
Boogaard was approached by researchers after the death of former NHL enforcer Bob Probert, who died last year at the age of 45. The BU center found evidence in Probert’s brain of the chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is associated with cognitive and behavioral problems and eventually causes dementia.
Derek said yes.
To the family-- we're sorry for your loss. Like many great athletes, he was a wonderful role model.
No comments:
Post a Comment
And you are thinking. . .