Saturday, July 24, 2010
“Oh yeah.”
“So what do you think about voicing the concerns of the opposition with really contrived scenarios?” I like it! Only thing missing at the end was the synchronized fist bump. Linda McMahon is back, shaking things up and trying to be the different change Washington needs. SHE CORRALS WRESTLERS—SHE CAN CORRAL RUNAWAY SPENDING IN WASHINGTON! Right? (Of course, with an enviable workplace safety record any employer would be proud of too.) Wait, wasn’t Obama supposed to be the different change we needed? You mean more than one person is using that same positioning? Oh. *shock, awe* Uh-oh, looks like distorted military service records trump wrestler corralling. For now.
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4 comments:
Posting a link to the list of dead wrestlers in the way you did is misleading at best - if you follow the link and read it, you see "Cause of death: Cancer" and "Cause of death: complications from surgery" - not on-the-job injuries at all. In most cases, the cause of death has exactly zero to do with their wresting careers.
There are a few where it could be related to their career, but the vast majority of them died "normal" deaths - heart attacks, car accidents.
Only one wrestler on that list died at a WWE event - Owen Hart.
So you like the spot then.
There was a risk of misleading numbers, but that was after I was going to only post about Guerrero, Hart and Benoit and him murdering his family. I wondered if there were more. Sure enough. Now, a few on that list were older and *likely* died of natural causes as they might have from playing other sports, but that’s the list I found.
Take out the old-timers and how collision sports shorten careers and lifespans though, and you’re still left with questionable deaths.
Hulk Hogan testified that management not only supplied them, but encouraged them. Given the widespread use in the NFL, MLB, et al., it’s not out of the question to think the use was widespread with the WWF. (You don’t get that big just by genetics or living in a gym.)
“In most cases, the cause of death has exactly zero to do with their wresting careers.”
If you think there’s no correlation between heart attacks in dudes under 40 and steroid use, you need to read more on the side effects: Liver damage, suicide, enlarged heart, depression and anger issues to name but a few.
Does a bunch of dudes in supposedly great shape dropping dead from heart attacks sound normal? Or if I just stick with Hart, 1 out of 500 is still not acceptable in any sport.
I don't know if I like the spot or not, to be honest. Since I'm not in that region, it's not an election I can vote in. And I don't know how I would vote if I were in that region.
I acknowledge a significant number of heart attacks on that list - but compare it to a list of professional football players from the same era. Or baseball. Or any other sport. Or non-athletes, for that matter.
Not only that, but heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the US - that includes athletes and non-athletes alike. If you were to put together a list of bankers, you'd probably see a similar number of heart attacks.
Not only that, but the linked list is not complete. Any time a list is incomplete, it's easy to bias the sample by leaving a few out.
I can't name everyone that was left out (I'm not a wrestling encyclopedia, just a fan), but right off the bat, I don't see "Dr. Death" Steve Williams (who died of throat cancer), and his omission tells me there are going to be others.
Heart Disease is also linked to more than just steroid use. And you say "dudes under 40" which limits those on the list list to:
Johnny Grunge of Public Enemy (Sleep Apnea)
Eddie Guerrero (Enlarged heart due to drug use)
Crash Holly (Choked on his own vomit/Drug OD)
British Bulldog (Heart Attack - Steroids)
Yokozuna (Fluid in his lungs/Heart Failure)
Owen Hart (Fall)
Three out of six died from heart disease. One (Guerrero) was addicted to a number of drugs, not just steroids. One (Yokozuna) was over 700 lbs. One (the British Bulldog) was tied to steroids.
I stand by what I said: In most cases, the cause of death has exactly zero to do with their wresting careers.
(I should say I worked for Titan sports briefly back in the day here in CT in their art department, and was a huge wrestling fan growing up. Was.)
I hear you, but even without that list, I’ll just stick with one death out of 500 is too many if you’re running a company and want people to think you were a great boss. I don’t want to lose sight of that point because this is about her first saying in ads that wrestling wasn’t real, but now using her time at the helm as a reason why she can handle Washington?
Factor in the questionable deaths where the person was known to be a heavy steroid user (like Benoit), and there are still too many unanswered questions. If one of your own stars like Hogan is admitting it under oath, then I’m not sure what other proof people need that management condoned it.
Not to get off on a football tear, but since you brought up other careers, they’re similar in size to wrestlers, and steroid problems have plagued both. NFL players have been studied a lot more now to see the impact (no pun) that all the collisions they suffer during a game have on them later in life. Life expectancy of 55 years vs. 72 for the rest of us. Average hit on a player can be the equivalent of being in a car accident x 100 per game. Combine that with any performance-enhancing drugs they may be taking, and it becomes an issue of how long can the body take it.
This is where I have to disagree with the statement that there is exactly zero impact between career and cause of death in wrestling. It’s just not supported by the evidence of other sports and the physical impact and steroid use present there.
Hard to discount the countless falls that take their toll on WWE performers, and again, even people like Hogan says he’s been beat to hell physically.
I have a hard time thinking the WWE is immune from the recognized symptoms facing former athletes in other sports.
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