We don’t do gruesome injuries. It’s not that we’re faint of heart, we’d just prefer not to watch them.
Of course while exercising our right not to rubberneck, we don’t understand the “to show, or not to show” debate which occurs every time an athlete sustains one of these jaw-dropping, spine-chilling hurts – like the nausea-inducing compound fracture suffered by University of Louisville guard Kevin Ware in the Cardinals’ Elite Eight victory over the Duke Blue Devils this weekend.
For those of you who do watch these injuries … (warning, this one is extremely graphic) …
(Click to play)
Yeah …
First things first: Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ware and his family – as well as to his teammates, who were somehow able to channel their emotions and blow out Duke to advance to the 2013 Final Four.
Next: As of this writing Ware is headed into surgery, and as soon as there’s any news on his status we’ll update this post with that information.
Now … as to the debate raging about whether television networks ought to replay such injuries, we are firmly in the “replay” camp – even though we don’t (and won’t) watch them. Why? Because accidents happen. And when they do, people are going to rubberneck. And this is – for the time being – a free country, not to mention a free market.
Last time we checked people reserved the right to look away … or change the channel.
We were watching live on October 1, 2005 when University of Alabama wide receiver Tyrone Prothro suffered a complete fracture of both the tibia and fibula in his lower left leg during a 31-3 victory over the Florida Gators. That was the worst injury we had ever seen – until October 27, 2012, anyway, which is the day University of South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore suffered a catastrophic knee injury against the Tennessee Volunteers.
We watched a few of the Prothro replays but only watched the Lattimore replay once before vowing to never watch it again. It was just too terrible.
“That was the worst injury I have ever seen,” former University of South Carolina linebacker Anton Gunn said of Lattimore’s dislocated knee. ”I have tears in my eyes for him.”
Ditto.
In fact we’re still haunted by this picture taken by photographer Travis Bell approximately one second before the devastating impact …
(Click to enlarge)
Prothro’s story did not have a happy ending. Despite multiple surgeries and rehabilitation attempts – he never played football again. Lattimore on the other hand is way ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation efforts and is likely to recover in time to play in the NFL next season.
What will be Ware’s fate?
We’ll have to wait and see … in the meantime, though, we continue to believe networks can (and should) replay these injuries as they see fit.
What do you think? Vote in our poll and post your thoughts in our comments section below.
UPDATE: According to The Louisville Courier-Journal, Brown’s bone was reset and a rod inserted in his right tibia. Meanwhile the wound to his leg caused by the bone puncturing the skin was closed. Doctors have not indicated a timetable for his recovery, although they said the injury was not considered “career-threatening” at this point.
26 comments
“Don’t look but click “here’ to see the awful shit….
what hyprocrisy…..
Go ahead and post videos of puppies and kittens being euthanized.
While you are at it………
Have the videos of abortions
And to top it off videos of napalming/blowing and burning the shit out of brown/yellow people not to mention loading the pieces of American men/women into helicopters in Balad or Mosul(been there/done that;got the t-shirt)
Finish it off with victims of Hiroshima with their skin peeling off their faces or how about the pigs having their guts exposed and squealing in agony after one of the early atomic bomb tests???
Does that satisfy you FITS???
You don’t have a fucking clue…………
If you have any balls at all, you will post every fucking video I have referenced and even then you won’t have “been up close and personal” experience you obviously crave.
If you had you wouldn’t even think about offering one bit of suffering
Like so many of you and Sanford’s generation
All you know is a good time at Myrtle Beach or the Low Country……….
And fuck the REAL world
Are you BigT’s angry sister?
“Don’t look but click “here’ to see the awful shit….
what hyprocrisy…..
Go ahead and post videos of puppies and kittens being euthanized.
While you are at it………
Have the videos of abortions
And to top it off videos of napalming/blowing and burning the shit out of brown/yellow people not to mention loading the pieces of American men/women into helicopters in Balad or Mosul(been there/done that;got the t-shirt)
Finish it off with victims of Hiroshima with their skin peeling off their faces or how about the pigs having their guts exposed and squealing in agony after one of the early atomic bomb tests???
Does that satisfy you FITS???
You don’t have a fucking clue…………
If you have any balls at all, you will post every fucking video I have referenced and even then you won’t have “been up close and personal” experience you obviously crave.
If you had you wouldn’t even think about offering one bit of suffering
Like so many of you and Sanford’s generation
All you know is a good time at Myrtle Beach or the Low Country……….
And fuck the REAL world
Are you BigT’s angry sister?
Why shouldn’t they? Showing the video rakes in viewers and therefore profits, so the free market is down with that. The universities agree to let the team be televised somewhere in their contracts I’m sure (otherwise they wouldn’t get as big of paychecks), and the players likely have to agree to be televised to play, so there’s the consent. That’s pretty much a wrap.
If I took a devastating injury that ended my career, I might not like watching it again, but at least people will know just how bad of an injury it took to get me out of the game.
Yeah, I’m sure you were some superstar cut down in his prime. Probably slipped on some spilled water and ended your waterboy career.
I’m speaking in hypotheticals, dumbass. I’ve never been an athlete of any kind. I suppose that strips me of the right to have an opinion on the matter?
Why shouldn’t they? Showing the video rakes in viewers and therefore profits, so the free market is down with that. The universities agree to let the team be televised somewhere in their contracts I’m sure (otherwise they wouldn’t get as big of paychecks), and the players likely have to agree to be televised to play, so there’s the consent. That’s pretty much a wrap.
If I took a devastating injury that ended my career, I might not like watching it again, but at least people will know just how bad of an injury it took to get me out of the game.
Yeah, I’m sure you were some superstar cut down in his prime. Probably slipped on some spilled water and ended your waterboy career.
I’m speaking in hypotheticals, dumbass. I’ve never been an athlete of any kind. I suppose that strips me of the right to have an opinion on the matter?
The guy might be okay, I suspect if he gets a few more neck tattoo’s everything will be back on plan for an NBA career. I’m sure if he never plays again that his free college academics will provide for him the rest of his career.
The guy might be okay, I suspect if he gets a few more neck tattoo’s everything will be back on plan for an NBA career. I’m sure if he never plays again that his free college academics will provide for him the rest of his career.
My eyes aren’t what they used to be but anything “gory” in this was from so far away, that it didn’t impact me. I’m sorry the guy is hurt and to him, I am sure it is absolutely horrible, but from the spectator’s view, so far away, it wasn’t enough to make me hurl. Not even close.
There’s a close-up photo floating around on the web that is far more graphic than the video displays. Can’t be sure if it is legitimate or photoshopped anymore, though.
You mean the one with the clear audio of the bones snapping?
My eyes aren’t what they used to be but anything “gory” in this was from so far away, that it didn’t impact me. I’m sorry the guy is hurt and to him, I am sure it is absolutely horrible, but from the spectator’s view, so far away, it wasn’t enough to make me hurl. Not even close.
There’s a close-up photo floating around on the web that is far more graphic than the video displays. Can’t be sure if it is legitimate or photoshopped anymore, though.
You mean the one with the clear audio of the bones snapping?
As bad as it looked to an untrained eye, orthopedic surgeons see these types of injuries on a weekly basis. To them it’s just another day at the office.
As bad as it looked to an untrained eye, orthopedic surgeons see these types of injuries on a weekly basis. To them it’s just another day at the office.
Where were the cameras when I suffered that dislocated scrotum while playing football, back in high school?
I’ll pass on seeing someone’s scrotum, dislocated or not. :P
That’s actually refreshing, Smirks! I know I don’t need to keep my back to the wall if I am in a room with you.
Where were the cameras when I suffered that dislocated scrotum while playing football, back in high school?
I’ll pass on seeing someone’s scrotum, dislocated or not. :P
That’s actually refreshing, Smirks! I know I don’t need to keep my back to the wall if I am in a room with you.