| MrLonzo |
01-05-2023 11:35 AM |
23 year old Reggie Brown of the Detroit Lions was knocked unconscious on the field during a 1997 NFL game. The game, with playoff implications, went on. Brown sustained a spinal cord injury leaving him near death and paralyzed for life. I was watching a college basketball game a few years back when a player collapsed on the court with a potentially fatal heart condition. The game went on while he was rushed to the hospital. He did survive and was able to play again the following year. Injuries are common in sports at all levels. Spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries are common in football, and these often have left the player near death or paralyzed. Two dozen players at the high school and college level died while playing competitive football between 2005 and 2014. Many pro ballers over the years suffered career ending injuries during a game with no headline news.
I never suggested this story should not be covered, it is definitely newsworthy. But above the fold for 3 consecutive days? My question was why this case is so magnified. And I think I have the answer as I pick through some of the more thoughtful responses. It appears that when something traumatic which happens every day to ordinary people happens on t.v., it gets attention. Had this event occurred to Hamlin in his living room, it would never have made it to the front page. I’ve personally witnessed -- more than once -- a grown man dying of sudden cardiac arrest while ballroom dancing!! Of course I wish Hamlin survival, a full recovery and ability to play again. But to spend so much time on one person when there are so many others who also need prayers = “Out of sight, out of mind”.
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