9 Sports That Can Kill You

Guys, if there was a way to create a sport that combined a football, baseball bat, ice skates and basketball hoop, I would totally watch it. Actually, no, because that would be a complete disaster. But I am crazy about sports, the fact remains that it’s all fun and games until somebody gets killed. Here’s a look at 10 of the most dangerous sports.

10. Boxing
The fact that boxing makes the list shouldn’t come as a surprising considering the primary goal is to punch somebody in the face so hard that they collapse cold onto the mat. Studies have found that around 90% of professional boxers experience some degree of brain damage and are prone to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s (the latter of which legend Muhammad Ali succumbed to). If you think the point of the gloves is to soften the blows, think again. They’re actually designed to protect the hands, which means boxers are free to rearrange each others’ faces until the cows come home.

9. Big wave surfing
When you factor in waves reaching up to 20 feet up, the danger of a wipeout leading to the head colliding with the surfboard, and the added risk of the surfboard leash restricting mobility, it can be said that big wave surfing definitely should be left to the professionals. But as the tragic death of surfing legend Mark Foo back in 1994 demonstrates, even the best can succumb to this sport’s dangers.

8. Extreme Highlining
Highlining is a form of slacklining that takes place at a high elevation above ground or water. In most cases, the participants use harnesses, helmets, ropes and a variety of safety equipment since they want to live. But some people take this sport to dangerous heights by walking from one end of the line to the other with nothing but their feet and balancing abilities to keep them from plunging to their doom. I have a brilliant idea. Let’s not try this, sound good?

7. Heliskiing
You know what boring ol’ skiers do? They use ski lifts and ski down slopes used by mere mortals. But those who want to spice up their ski lives use helicopters to access remote mountain areas that are so dangerous that few would dare ski down from them. This practice is too extreme for Germany and France, with both countries having banned heliskiing.