Safety issues take back seat to big money

Dale Earnhardt’s death in the Daytona 500 Sunday has become the front-page story of the day. As with any death, it is a tragedy because a human has died and left behind those who loved him and now suffer.

Unfortunately, but in a very human way, his death also becomes the sensational news of the moment, used by the media of every kind to attract readers and viewers. It is the death of Princess Diana all over again.

Like the rubber necking that occurs by motorists passing an accident on the highway, the passing of high profile people takes on a prolonged fascination. When that passing involves a sporting event and is violent in nature, the fascination grows.

One is reluctant to write a column like this about Earnhardt for fear of just joining the media frenzy. However, when the passing may allow us to think again about important life matters, as most deaths do, hopefully there is justification in thinking about what his death tells us.

There will never be an end to the debate about how violent sports should be. Every sport involves risks to those who compete. The never-ending questions involve what should or shouldn’t be done to reduce the risks. That is always a worthy consideration.

The doctors who cover racing events seem nearly unified in their belief more should be done to promote safety. Earnhardt himself was one who fought many such proposed measures, including the head and neck support system now talked about. He also opposed the speed limiters placed on the cars’ engines. This created the pack racing we saw Sunday.

Exciting, but dangerous.

What all sports deal with is the ugly issue of just how much potential danger the fans want and at what point safety measures detract from the ability of the sport to sell itself and make money.

Is the potential for wrecks necessary to keep the racing dollars flowing? Is fighting in hockey necessary to sell tickets? Is the high hard one in baseball an edge that draws some fans who might not otherwise come? Has the increase in on-court fistfights helped the NBA to sell its product?

In all these cases, the rulers of the sports have never been willing to go to the extreme to prevent such violence. NASCAR could pad the walls, reduce the speeds, and require the wearing of all known safety devices by drivers.

They do not.

Baseball could suspend any pitcher who hits another player above the shoulders, intentional or otherwise. Hockey could eliminate fighting with serious suspensions or the expulsion of players who fight. The NBA could do the same regarding their on-court brawls.

None of the sports goes further than acts that give an appearance of concern and control. They have not outlawed the acts.

Ironically, it is the NFL, the most violent of man-to-man contact sports, that has done the most to reduce acts that cause injuries, acts like the cut-back block. Perhaps because there is so much inherent violent activity in the game, such restrictions do not risk losing the fans who come to see that.

Then again, the XFL that seemingly wants to find a way to increase the violence and ratchet the fan frenzy up a notch.

The tragedy of Earnhardt’s death is simply in his dying. The further tragedy would be not to use this time as sports fans to better define for ourselves and make known to the rulers of the sports we follow where we stand on the issues of safety and violence.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and CBS sportscaster.