I've found myself watching/enjoying far less contact sports than when I was a kid. I no longer watch the UFC (a combination of the physical toll on the fighters, plus the shadiness of nearly everyone involved is a huge turn off), I will likely stop watching the NFL after the Brady/Belichick dynasty is over. I still watch hockey, and it's gotten a lot cleaner, but there's still too many reckless boarding hits/blindside hits... I dunno how long I'll continue.
And, for me, it's not just that these kids (a lot of them are in their early-to-mid 20s) are getting traumatic injuries while trying to put on a show for fans, but that a lot of them are coddled from an early age because of their physical gifts, and then essentially tossed away once those gifts deteriorate. For the fighters/players who can escape lengthy careers with most of their minds and bodies intact, it's not a big deal, but too many can't. Seeing ex-athletes dying in their 40s, when they should be enjoying their lives with their families, is heartbreaking.
And, for me, it's not just that these kids (a lot of them are in their early-to-mid 20s) are getting traumatic injuries while trying to put on a show for fans, but that a lot of them are coddled from an early age because of their physical gifts, and then essentially tossed away once those gifts deteriorate. For the fighters/players who can escape lengthy careers with most of their minds and bodies intact, it's not a big deal, but too many can't. Seeing ex-athletes dying in their 40s, when they should be enjoying their lives with their families, is heartbreaking.
