Comment by ArkyBeagle
10 years ago
Where does this come from in the larger culture? I can see why people who are soldiers or ... athletes at the varsity or pro level might be interested in it but why would anyone want to basically injure themselves as a ... hobby?
I've worked with runners who had serious injury, soccer players who came in with bruises that you'd associate with a severe beating... I'm thinking "geez, it's gonna suck when you're 62." Because when you lose some amount of basic mobility, you lose a lot of the ability to stay healthy when you're older.
Is this because of Mountain Dew commercials and 1980s GI Joe body image stuff?
> soccer players who came in with bruises that you'd associate with a severe beating
I was a lacrosse goalie in high school and didn't have the sense to wear shin pads. If you run your fingers along my shin, you'll feel divots where the bone never regenerated. I too used to walk around with bruises on my legs that you'd associate with a severe beating.
> Is this because of Mountain Dew commercials and 1980s GI Joe body image stuff?
It's considerably more primal than that. Sports are the modern equivalent to tribal rites of passage. We're not allowed to kill our rivals anymore, so we settle for beating them in a physical sport in order to establish our physical dominance. It's empowering in a way that few things are, especially as a teenager and extra especially if you were bullied throughout elementary school.
I was 120 lbs soaking wet when I was 17. The school gently guided me away from sports. Good thing, too. Best coach I ever had.
I graduated high school close to 1980. Sure, there were guys finishing the big game on a broken bone but it seems like there's a lot more emphasis on this now, and it seems more dangerous and higher risk. I have nephews and kids of friends who are electing out of organized sports.
FWIW, I feel lucky - we had basically one bully and he didn't last. Expelled.
I remember in "Brian's Song" where Alex Karrass' character sold cars in the pro football off season.
I dunno; I saw "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" and it gave me pause.
When I was 16, I was 130. That's after I spent three years in the weight room every day putting on muscle. I played every sport my school offered at least once, but I played football for 8 years. I never regretted it and I encourage everyone, especially the indoor geeky types, to try out for sports. Any sport. Even historical sword fighting. ;) It's an important experience that fewer kids are getting exposed to in this day and age thanks to helicopter parenting. Not to mention the life long social and health benefits
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> it seems like there's a lot more emphasis on this now, and it seems more dangerous and higher risk.
College costs more than ever, so "pushing through" means you might make the playoffs, might get noticed and get a full ride. Hell, they're told, they might be able to go pro!
Very few people tell those kids the truth: It's a fool's errand. Only 1-2% of the kids who play basketball, football or baseball in high school actually go on to play in a division I school in college. Football players have the greatest chance of actually going pro, with a 1 in 600 chance of actually getting paid to pay pro ball... for an average of 3.5 years. If baseball is your game, it's 1 in 1850.
As the level of players gets better and better the game gets more dangerous. Rugby is a good example of this, over the past couple of years there have been multiple deaths because IMO the players are too big and too skilled. I watched a pro game from the 70s on YouTube between the two best rugby teams (NZ and Australia) and the level of play was shockingly bad, to the point that even an amateur club team now would have a good chance of beating them.
From a personal perspective I can say it's just routine. I get used to training every day and I like training with intensity (more sprint than endurance) but alas after years of repetitive strain injuries I have toned down the training load. It was unhelpful in the long run anyway as I would train for 9 months then need to sit out for 3-6 months and be back at square one (usually shin splints). My body (knees especially) aren't thanking me for it but it's nothing that can't be fixed without a good chiropractor and lots of cross training (mainly cycling and weights but yoga/pilates, running and swimming too).
I learnt a lot from how a buddy who is/was a world class 24 hour mountain bike racer trains. His view is long term, building up fitness slowly over years. I do admit I find it much harder to maintain routine now that I have pulled back the training load.
As someone who has injured himself for a "hobby" a number of times:
My "hobby" is a means for me to challenge myself, to push myself to my limits, to see what I am capable of and take my measure as a human being. It is a means for me to learn how to overcome fear, pain and doubt. It provides an objective haven when the subjective world is upside down.
Thank you for the explanation. That makes a lot of sense.
I use things other than athletic performance for that, but I've come to realize that I was nudged that way a lot by adults when I was younger.
Forgive the lack of depth in explanation, and I know it may not make sense, but for me: my children.
>but why would anyone want to basically injure themselves as a ... hobby?
Some people enjoy testing personal limits, physical and mental.