How Far is too Far?

The Culture of Risk in Sport

In his study of the culture of risk in American sports, Howard Nixon argues that athletes are
being exposed to a set of cultural beliefs and messages that forces them to “accept the risks,
pain, and injuries of sport” (1993:188). Indeed, pain and injury have always been a major part
of competitive sports, and athletes have come to accept a certain level of risk and injury as a
necessary sacrifice of what it means to engage in a realm where physical exertion and intense
activity are vital parts of daily life. However, athletes competing at the highest levels have
been subjected to increasing pressure to take risks and sacrifice their health, wellbeing, and
even lives for the game, to the extent that such risks have become normalized and routinized.
This paper discusses the socio-cultural and economic factors that may influence athletes to
take such risks, and explore how these potentially damaging pressures might be mitigated.

It is an accepted fact that engaging in sport and regular physical exercise helps prevent
several illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and hypertension, while also being
valuable for human mental health and wellbeing (WHO, 2022). In addition, participating in
sport generally improves one’s nutrition status, and allows participants to integrate into a
sport community, which can build their identity and a sense of belonging and meaning in
their lives (Malm et al., 2019:11). The different health benefits that sports bring is why the
World health Organization has sought to “capitalize on the great potential of helping people
worldwide lead healthy lives through promoting participation in sports…” (WHO, 2022).
Thus, few would argue that sports have negative health implications for human health and
wellbeing. However, ever since sports have become professionalized and where athletes
compete at the highest levels, the risk of pain and injury has increasingly become an
acceptable part of sports. As Loland et al. suggests, the increase in risk of pain and injury in
sport is connected to the “increased competitiveness of modern sport” (2005:8). This is
because pain and injury in sport do not only include fractures, sprains, or dislocations,
but, also include the muscle pain and exhaustion that comes as elite athletes tend to overuse
their muscles in unremitting practice sessions and competition, to improve their skill and
fitness (2005:9). Nevertheless, there would be no such thing as sport without pain. Every
sport involves physical activity, and usually physical contact, and sport was structured in a
way where the risk of pain and injury will always remain in the game and will never be
eliminated completely (Nixon, 1993:191).

A young, 26 year old, professional open-swimmer, Fran Crippen, “died while competing in
the International Swimming Federation (FINA) Open Water 10-k World Cup” in Dubai
(Eichner, 2011). There are different factors that might have caused Crippen’s death, such as
heat exhaustion, heart failure, a panic attack, or even accidental drowning. In another recent
case, German boxer Musa Yamak, aged 38, collapsed in the ring after losing consciousness
and dying by a heart attack (Lynch, 2022). Whatever the cause of these athletes’ death, it is
clear that the sporting world can bring pain, injury, and even death to athletes, but this does
not mean that certain injuries or deaths are not preventable.

People who take part in sport, whether it is through participating or watching sport,
acknowledge the benefits and satisfaction that sport brings to athletes’ lives considerably
more than the potential risks that athletes can experience during their careers. This relates to
the term “culture of risk,” or the dilemma where athletes are socially constructed into
accepting the risks that form part of sport, and playing through injuries and pain without
taking into consideration the harm that this could cause (Nixon, 1993:190). People who
engage in sport often grow accustomed to some level of health risks, but the question that
must be asked is how far is too far? What is clear, is that the “culture of risk” developed in
modern sport does not remove the “physically, socially, economically, or emotionally
debilitating or disabling consequences of chronic pain and serious injuries” (Safai, 2003:191).
Thus, Safai describes this culture of risk as one that involves a “conspiratorial alliance of
coaches, athletic administrators, sport medicine personnel, and others whose activities
perpetuate the acceptance by athletes of risk, pain, and injury in sport” (2003:130). This
culture of risk has undoubtedly been amplified by big money, which has become an essential
part of the modern, professionalized sport industry that attracts “major media coverage” and
“sponsorship deals” (Loland, 2005:6).

The tragic deaths of Crippen and Yamak can, indeed, be connected to unintentional injury or
an internal factor. However, it could be argued that their deaths might have been prevented if
there was a higher level of risk management, or “risk communication” for athletes to be able
to communicate any perceptions of hazards and risks (Miller and Wendt, 2012:266).
Crippen’s death, for example, may have been prevented through adjusting external factors in
the open-water swimming competition, including organizing the event in environments that
do harm the swimmer’s health and capacity—for instance reducing the extreme heat in the
facility. Thus, Safai proposes to temper the “culture of risk” with a “culture of precaution”
(2003:139), where stricter medical and regulatory inspections can be introduced so that
athletes are not forced to push themselves beyond their physical capabilities.

In sum, while removing completely the risk of pain in sport is impossible, mitigating the risk
of injury and death can be achieved by strengthening awareness and implementing a “culture
of precaution” in sports. This can be attained by introducing more rigorous medical check-
ups for athletes and stricter regulations on what is physically damaging to athletes’ health,
and by establishing third-party clinics that provide medical services to athletes and sports
clubs and which are not influenced by the pressure to win. In addition, international sporting
organizations must conduct further studies into extreme contact sports, such as UFC and
boxing, to assess the damage that these sports inflict on athletes.
 Reference List

Eichner, E.R., (2011). The mystery of swimming deaths in athletes. Current sports medicine
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Loland, S., Skirstad, B. and Waddington, I. (2005). Pain and Injury in Sport: Social and
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Malm, C., Jackobsson, J. and Isaksson, A. (2019). ‘Physical Activity and Sports – Real
Health Benefits: A Review with Insight into the Public Health of Sweden’ Sports (Basel)
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Lynch, Joshua (2022). Undefeated boxer Musa Askan Yamak dies of heart attack during
fight. New York Post, Published May 18, 2022. Available at:
https://nypost.com/2022/05/18/german-boxer-musa-yamak-dead-after-suffering-heart-attack-
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Miller, J.J. and Wendt, J.T., (2012). The lack of risk communication at an Elite sports event:
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Human Kinetics, Inc.
Nixon, H.L. (1993). ‘Accepting the Risks of Pain and Injury in Sport: Mediated Cultural
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Intercollegiate Sport’ Sociology of Sport Journal, Vol.20, No.2, pp. 127-146.
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https://www.who.int/initiatives/sports-and-health (accessed 26 November 2022).