Through Daniel’s Lens: Hardball
The WDSS Tartans Girls’ Rugby Game Photo: Daniel Swan
I have seen a lot of games in my lifetime so far.
The sports have varied from Rugby to baseball to Canada’s national pastime of Hockey and in a lot of the games I have seen, some of the players have played a sort of ‘rough & tough’ game or as I call it played Hardball.
True that for a lot of the sports this is all part of the game. One such example would be fighting in hockey but I have witnessed many plays that were not necessary at all like hitting a guy against the boards too hard or in the case of Rugby performing an illegal rough tackle while trying to regain possession of the ball.
What strikes me the most is the cost that some of these players take as a direct result of this style of play.
Almost every time I turn on the news, I hear of a concussion or another sports related injury that was easily preventable and it breaks my heart at the fight that these athletes have to endure just to be able to play again.
My reading base will probably recall the concussion that Sidney Crosby suffered during a pre-season game and the long battle he had to recover again.
When I was in London covering the Tahi rugby tournament, I saw a lot of players end the day with an injury which was sad but at the same time you have to commend them for being able to take a hit like they did.
A lot of sports have taken measures of their own to prevent injuries as a result of public and professional backlash from kids and adults having injuries resulting from game play.
Some argue not enough is being done but at the end of the day there is only so much tweaking to the rules that can be done in order to make the game safer
the moral of this article is that no matter what game you are playing, be aware of your fellow players and help a brother or sister out by preventing the injury before it happens.
Daniel Swan is a freelance photographer from Chatham Ontario. You can find out more about Daniel’s photos by visiting: http://www.facebook.com/photosbydanielswan