During this last week, the NBA kicked off their season with intense and eventful games. Many exciting things happened during the week as households got excited to see their teams win or became disappointed when they lost. One event that no one was ready for happened within five minutes of the Celtic and Cavaliers’ game. One of the Celtics new transfers, Gordon Hayward, went for an alleyoop and landed on his feet wrong. He ended up dislocating his left ankle and fracturing his left tibia. This put a halt on his career, and he may not be able to play for the rest of the season.

So are sports worth the injury that could potentially come along with the game? This is a common question for athletes looking for scholarships or playing professional sports. An injury could ruin a competitor’s career. All it takes is coming down from a layup, and the rest of your life could change forever.

For college students that do not get paid the big bucks yet, scholarships can be taken away if their grades aren’t good enough. This could change their whole life because they believed their future was dependent on them going professional.  

When it comes to High Schoolers, many of students have the dreams of going to play for the professional leagues.If this never happens, is playing a sport worth the hassle? According to Riley Pietsch (9), a student that plays high competitive soccer, she thinks the injury is definitely worth the hassle. Playing a “sport teaches you lessons like teamwork and how to handle adversity through the many aspects of being on a team.” She adds that “although having an injury could be a bummer, it could also have a hidden lesson in it.” Injuries push players to get back to their old selves by “pushing through the pain.”

Riley may go on to play college with a scholarship, but sports are even worth the injury to people that know they could have no future with the sport. Savannah Pietsch (10) currently plays basketball, and is skeptical on whether or not she would play in college, yet she still goes to practice everyday. She says basketball gives her a more social aspect where she can “hang out with her friends after school.”

Whether or not sports are worth a potential injury is always going to be up for debate. One thing for sure is sports provide valuable lessons and potential life long friendships. Maybe someday college play time will become a reality, but if not,  there is no doubt the blood, sweat, and tears put into youth sport are something few will regret.