Sometimes the Dangers Outweighs the Thrill
The stories from this week’s read feature Nick Paumgarten, Aishwarya Kumar, and Mark Gozonksy. These three stories all delve into the dangers of playing sports and that no one is exempt from an injury. It’s not about how you get hurt, but what happens to you once you are. Paumgarten really hones in on the effects of a concussion and how multiple concussions in a short time period have life-long consequences. Recreational athletes, competitive athletes, high school athletes, college athletes, and professional athletes all have one thing in common: the risk of a concussion. It’s impossible to go a season without one athlete from a team receiving a concussion. The more that these concussions are studied, the more we learn about them, such as their detrimental effects on athletes. Although Paumgarten is talking about Beer League Hockey, that doesn’t mean those playing are exempt from the dangers of hockey. Since most of the guys playing are older, the dangers are worse and more life threatening. More readers will relate than not to this personal story and those that don’t will know someone who does.
All three of these stories show the dark side of sports and give a sense of reality. It is heartening to read these stories, because it allows the reader to get away from the “real sports talk” and discuss something harder to swallow. In The Grandmaster Diet by Kumar, diets are described in such a way that no athlete has ever talked about. It is not really taboo for any athlete to talk about their regimented diet, but to read about a chess master’s diet is unusual and different. Kumar had such detailed examples of what happens to a person playing chess under high stress. The relativity of this piece is less than the other two, as most people relate to hockey and baseball rather than chess. Nevertheless, Kumar was informative and explained in great detail the dangers of playing chess. He proves that not all athletes have the same mentality and ability.
Gozonsky also talks about concussions and how brain damage occurs when not treated properly. He discusses the other effects it has such as mood swings, excessive sleeping, seeing double, wobbliness and tingling in the left leg from foot to calf. Although, none of these stopped him from pursuing his dream of being a catcher for the Pacific Coast League. This proves that even though concussions are extremely life threatening, it doesn’t stop one from continuing to do what they love. Gozonsky really expresses this thought and throughout the story a vivid picture is painting with his words. His use of hope and gumption really prove to be true in all three of these stories.
Each author through their own words and stories creates an image that can be perceived differently by each reader. Their connection to each other with the dangers of sports helps explain what can happen and the effects of it. All three stories are unique yet similar and create a sense of realism mixed with hope. For sometimes the dangers can outweigh the thrill.
