By Sports February 1, 2014

Living on the Edge

Michael Schumacher played a relatively dangerous sport for his entire career without sustaining significant physical injury; yet he now lies in a coma, facing an uncertain future. In a way, though, doesn’t this unfortunate event capture exactly the precariousness that athletes seem to thrive on? Shamya Dasgupta explores the character of sport and the drive of those who play it to court danger – knowing it can come at any time – even as they train to defy expertly.

 

At the time of writing this, Michael Schumacher has been in a medically induced coma for close to three weeks after a freak pre-Christmas skiing accident. His condition has been called “stable, but critical” – medicalese for “we don’t want to commit one way or the other”. That’s beside the point, though. The point is that Schumacher, who made a career of driving space-age cars at over 200 mph, has been laid low in this manner.

This reminds one of Steve Irwin’s death. The ‘Crocodile Hunter’, while snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef, decided to film a stingray during a break from his adventure because of bad weather. The creature, of the sort he had dealt with his entire career, pierced his chest with its tail spine in what was a complete accident and that was that.

There are many grisly tales to tell in sports, too.

Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna’s death after a crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Indian cricketer Raman Lamba being hit in the head in a Bangladesh league match and dying on his way to hospital in 1998. Cameroon footballer Marc-Vivien Foe’s death after collapsing during a 2003 Confederations Cup game against Colombia and dying soon after. Back in 1962, after Emile Griffith punched him 29 times in a row during a welterweight clash, Benny ‘The Kid’ Peret of Cuba went in to a coma and died ten days later.

A little time on Google will tell you that there have been 43 deaths due to injuries sustained in the boxing ring, 49 after Formula One car crashes and numerous such incidents in American Football and rugby, to say nothing of the number of career-ending injuries recorded in each of these sports. In football, there have been over 100 on-field (or on the way to hospital after an incident on the pitch) deaths recorded to date. In football though, very rare is the death that comes after a crunching tackle or somesuch – more often, its fatigue and exertion in what is one of the more physically draining sports around.

Nadal should never have become an athlete with the knees he was born with. To make things worse, he chose a style of play that was immensely stressful for his knees. Just 27, Nadal’s 13 Grand Slam titles are what have made him famous. Back in his doctor’s room, it’s his damned wonky knees – and the intense pain they have to endure – that keep him occupied.

And these are just at the top level, the ones that get reported and talked about.

Such is life … and death. In Schumacher’s case, near death – one hopes very much that he recovers.

The worst Schumacher had to live with in his prime as a race-car driver was a neck injury. And, there was the time when he accused David Coulthard of trying to kill him and the time Derek Warwick chased him on foot back in 1991. The conflict with Warwick happened at Nurburgring in the Sportscar World Championship, after Schumacher deliberately swerved into Warwick’s car. The Coulthard incident took place in the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, when Coulthard, being lapped by Schumacher at the end, drove dangerously and almost hurt Schumacher.

Sport is supposed to be dangerous. Not just Formula One, but boxing, even football, definitely ice hockey and American football, rugby, cricket, to an extent… not to mention adventure sports, where the risk is part of the point. Yet, millions around the world play sport obsessively. And, at the top level, it’s beyond obsession – it’s about career and competition, about fighting the odds and never giving up, and about glory.

Schumacher knows all about it. Statistically, he is the greatest Formula One driver of all time, with seven drivers’ championship titles – the most in history.

Then there is Rafael Nadal’s story. He has been spending more and more time out of the courts of late, but Nadal should never have become an athlete with the knees he was born with. To make things worse, he chose a style of play that was immensely stressful for his knees. Just 27, Nadal’s 13 Grand Slam titles are what have made him famous. Back in his doctor’s room, it’s his damned wonky knees – and the intense pain they have to endure – that keep him occupied.

Death gets the big headlines in sport. But what about the pain an athlete suffers in non-fatal injuries? We, in India, keep track of cricket more than any other sport. Let’s talk about Sachin Tendulkar then. In his 24-plus years at the top, Tendulkar suffered back, toe, thigh, ankle, elbow, shoulder, knee, groin and hamstring injuries. Each of these forced him to miss several matches. Tendulkar played 200 Test matches. At the other end of the spectrum, Manoj Tiwary hasn’t played a single Test, but at 27, has missed month after month of cricket with shoulder, elbow, knee and back injuries.

Why do athletes go through the nonsense day after day after day then?

The glory? The money? The fame? The adrenaline rush? For the sheer fun of it? Who can say? And the motivation need not be the same for each person.

Certainly, in Schumacher’s case, sitting in the cockpit of an F1 car and flooring the accelerator – or whatever it is they do – might have been for money or glory, but the skiing exercise that almost killed him could only have been for the rush. And it’s something he has done for the longest time; pictures of Schumacher in skiing gear have appeared almost around every off-season since as far back as I can remember. There are those who speculate that the punches Muhammad Ali soaked in over his career is what led to ‘The Greatest’ being afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease.While there is no proof of that, this bit is true: in 1979, when he came out of retirement to fight Larry Holmes for the World Boxing Association belt, Ali had already started stuttering and his hands would tremble at times. Holmes didn’t want to fight, but he did, and won easily. Later, there was speculation that the Holmes fight led to a rapid worsening of Ali’s illness. Critics said he did it for the money, but Ali’s decision was probably not that easy to explain.

It all goes back to the old question, the one without a clear answer: why do we play sports?

As it is, this much is clear: it is the lot of almost every sportsperson – small or big – that injury, even death, is only a bad shot, a slow reaction or a little overexertion away. Perhaps there is a false sense of security – after all, an athlete does go through the same grind day after day without hurting too badly. And then comes the wrong step. In Schumacher’s case, he wrapped up his career without that false step, but then it came anyway. Ironic, isn’t it?

Shamya Dasgupta is the Senior Editor of Wisden India

Shamya Dasgupta is Senior Editor at Wisden India and the author of 'Bhiwani Junction - The untold story of Boxing in India'.

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