With all the recent crippling injuries and brain trauma incidents, I wanted to put this out there and get some feedback. I published this about a year ago, but it seems increasingly relevent. For those who don't know, Sam Vasquez was a 1-3 fighter who died as a result of a head injury he received during a full contact fight.
by Joe Pawlus
The Death of Sam Vasquez - How Will It Impact the Sport?
The tragic death of novice MMA fighter Sam Vasquez was bound to happen to someone eventually, and it is likely to happen again. It happens in all contact sports and many non-contact sports as well. The significant difference between this particular death and all other sports related fatalities is that full contact fighting is a relative rookie in the wide world of sports leagues - at least from a multi-million dollar prime time TV perspective.
Our generation has never seen anything like it. The traditional face of martial arts never looked like this and was never so heavily marketed to the masses.
Fight promoters might want to know what conservative politics and members of the media will make of it, and what effect this will have on fight card ticket sales - at least in Texas. It really doesn't matter. Our collective human willingness to accept violence in sports entertainment was etched in the bedrock foundation of athletics centuries ago. Now that there is a ton of moolah to be made, forget about it.
The first recorded death attributed to a boxing match, the most prolific contact sport for event related fatalities, was in Great Yarmouth - Norfolk, England, in 1732. Since this fight, there have been literally hundreds of boxing related fatalities. In the last fifty years, there have also been a recognizable number of fatalities related to the following sports: football, hockey, downhill skiing, rugby, auto racing, soccer, skydiving, base jumping, luge, mountain climbing, motocross, pro wrestling, and other peripheral extreme sports.
Unlike the heavily armored NFL player or the completely invisible NASCAR driver, people had to watch Sam Vasquez take the final shots to his head that led to the end of his life. On the flip side, what happened when Dale Earnhardt died in a nationally televised event on February 18, 2001? Millions of viewers watched his car simply spin out, nonchalantly bump against the wall, and come gently to rest in the middle of Daytona International Speedway. A colossal amount of air time was dedicated to paying respects to a race legend. Very little time was spent debating the morality of the sport. It was hardly questionable that Dale Earnhardt died doing what he loved best.
There is an unwritten rule that as long as the participant is willing to accept the possible consequences offered by a particular competition, fans are willing to watch him or her accept the consequences. MMA enthusiasts do not want to see any combative sport athlete bludgeoned to death. Statistically speaking, the most avid fight fan never will. But if contact sports do not contain the advanced element of danger, the significant chance of injury or unconsciousness, would we watch? Without the risks and rewards, where would be the heavily touted sense of honor and sportsmanship associated with the sport and the undying respect shared between these athletes?
Sam Vasquez probably died doing what he loved. In the simple willingness to step into a cage to do battle, he earned the respect of fellow fighters and fans alike. And regardless of his death, whether it happened during a sanctioned event or not, MMA will continue to infiltrate the main stream. MMA is a professional sport that is here to stay.