Let us stipulate that nobody should die from pursuing a sport. (This raises the question of what people SHOULD die from, but we'll leave that for another day.) In particular, nobody should die from so obscure and mockable a sport as luge--it certainly takes a lot of the fun out of making jokes about it--not that that will stop us.
Consider, though, that, while his death was heartbreaking, Nodar Kumaritashvili--the Ukrainian Olympian whose fatal accident has become an internet sensation--died doing what he presumably loved--he died, in effect, for what he lived for. We can debate the relative value of his pursuit, but how many of us will be so lucky in our own cause of death?
Awhile back, we discussed recent studies confirming a link between playing football and having an increased risk of dementia. These Olympics have so far featured the debate over whether Lindsey Vonn, America's golden hope, would, could, or should compete despite a serious shin injury suffered just before the Games began. (As of today, it appears Vonn will, in fact, be able to race.) These stories and others like it often lead to pontification about the misplaced values of modern society, the implicit exploitation of the young (and often poor and/or nonwhite) who sacrifice youth and health for the sake of our entertainment.
We don't buy it.
Sure, professional athletes sacrifice youth, but so do we all. Most of us, though, just sacrifice our youth--our lives, really--for a modicum of comfort and social approbation for conforming to society's expectations. These folks sacrifice their youth in pursuit of their dreams.
Look, Lindsey Vonn will ski; she may win, she may not. Conceivably, she could cause herself serious damage if her injury is worse than she thinks. Maybe she'll never be able to ski again. But if someone has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to realize a dream, isn't it a risk worth taking?
Rest in peace, Nodar.
It is, I suppose. But his poor parents...
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