Why Pro-Wrestlers Die Young - Essay Sample

Introduction

The rising number of premature deaths of wrestlers is a growing concern among sports lovers and other stakeholders. That has made it attract much attention from the media due to the need to establish the cause of deaths among the wrestlers. Since there are no formal studies to provide accurate statistics on the causes of death among the wrestlers, findings on the causes of premature deaths among the wrestlers base on survival estimates and the origins of deaths among the dead wrestlers. This paper, therefore, explores some of the notable causes of death among the wrestlers.

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Despite the limited statistics on mortality rates of wrestlers, the available evidence shows that mortality rates among wrestlers are higher compared to athletes in other sports. Research conducted by students at the University of Eastern Michigan on 6557 formers wrestlers shows that 62 of the formers wrestlers died between 1985 and 2011. Forty-nine of the wrestlers died before attaining the age of 50, 24 died before reaching 40, and 2 died before 330 years. The findings also established that the number of deaths for wrestlers between 45 and 54 years was twice as much as the rate for men in the overall United States population (Herman et al.).

These studies, therefore, determined that cardiovascular disease is the most popular cause of death among the wrestlers. This is due to the physical harm that the wrestlers expose themselves to during their time in the ring. The training sessions are also punitive since they are rigorous and subject wrestlers to risk factors. Ninety-eight percent of wrestlers involved in the study had a BMI ranging from overweight to a condition of morbid obese. Twenty-one percent of the sample population were stage 2 morbid obese. That means that obesity largely depends on the categories of BMI. Morbid obese wrestlers, therefore, have fourteen percent chances of death after participating in the sports for seven years. Furthermore, wrestlers engaging in the sport before the age of twenty-five years have sixteen percent chances of death after their twenty years of involvement in the sport (Herman et. al).

Obesity among the wrestlers arises due to the activities they engage in and the use of drugs. Obesity and overconsumption of drugs among the wrestlers make their heart heavy hence the inability to pump effectively. That causes a strain to the heart hence cardiovascular problems. Professional wrestlers have no breaks in the course of their performances as in the cases of other sports such as football and American football. This causes a strain to the physical health of the wrestlers hence higher chances of developing cardiovascular conditions, which lead to early death. Injuries sustained in the course of the sports and the strenuous physical exercises result in cardiovascular-related deaths. The activities and obese conditions lead to hypertension (McBride). The increase in blood pressure increases chances of cardiovascular events hence cardiovascular deaths. There are no formal studies in existence to establish the relationship between high blood pressure and hypertension among professional wrestlers. However, the conclusion on the relationship between the two aspects is based on findings from football players and NFL players, who in most cases play and exercise within same conditions such as professional wrestlers (Herman et al.).

Drug abuse is another significant factor that leads to the death of many young wrestlers. Most professional wrestlers die at a younger age due to drug addiction. Most of them consume cocaine together with other steroids, which strain their hearts. They abuse drugs due to the need to calm from the pressure of performance since they are always hyped. Being a sport, most of the wrestlers have no natural life based on regular occurrences of social life. Dr. Keith Ablow asserts that "If your job is adopting a persona who is not really who are you and maintaining it for many years inside and outside the ring to some extent, one could wonder whether you are also more vulnerable to using substances to try to maintain that identity," he said. "This could be an unhealthy alliance of certain psychological factors with the fallout from physical side effects that result when you try to maintain a false, hyperbolic image of yourself" ('Why wrestlers die so young' par. 6). That means that most of the wrestlers strive to live a life seen by many on the television outside the ring.

Kate Delaney, a sports commentator, on the other hand, refers to a case study on one of the recent wrestlers to die due to drug addiction. Kate asserts that "Sadly its steroids fuelled with alcohol addiction and sometimes completing the trifecta of abuse - drugs," she said. "Chyna had a drug addiction many others do and you couple that with steroid abuse it's a lethal cocktail" ('Why wrestlers die so young' par. 10). According to Keith Ablow, a Fox News contributor, most of the wrestlers wish to optimize their bodies. That subjects them to using illicit substances. In most cases, they use the illicit substances in excess hence leading to health problems.

According to "Why Do Wrestlers So Often Die Young?"(2019), most wrestlers desire to be successful in their careers. Fast-tracking the success of a wrestler's career requires that he or she build muscles since it provides the mechanics of wrestling. That means that the wrestlers use supplements, which pose health risks at initial stages of use. The steroids used by the wrestlers have an effect on their metabolism processes. In some instances, they alter the metabolism processes of young wrestlers forever. The drugs alter the normal functioning of the kidney and the liver hence distressed metabolism processes. Additionally, the drugs used by the wrestlers have an effect on their mental stability. The social pressure and commitment to being successful in the career subject them to abusing drugs. Consequently, some develop mental problems at an early age hence depression. Some deaths have therefore occurred due to depression. Others opt to overdose drugs hence death while in some cases wrestlers commit suicide.

Cancer is another cause of premature deaths among wrestlers. Young wrestlers die at an early age due to poor life choices, which expose them to cancer at a young age. The poor lifestyle choices lead to an uninhibited growth of previously normal cells, which evade the body and spread to other vital organs of the body. The abnormal growth of cells attacks significant organs in the human body such as kidneys and the liver. This distorts their normal functioning, and such impairment leads to death since they are no longer able to eliminate toxins from the body. The cancerous cells release a compound of chemicals, which affect the eating habits of the wrestlers hence weakness. Additionally, cancer leads to dehydration among young wrestlers. Consequently, lack of proper nutrition, hydration combined with the rigorous physical exercises lead to loss of muscle mass. It also leads to metastases of the lung hence causing distress in breathing (Herman, et al).

Cancer among young wrestlers occurs due to the use of steroids and other chemical substances, which lead to the growth of other compound cells. For example, the chemicals consumed to increase body muscles coupled with drug abuse and poor eating habits among young wrestlers often lead to the development of cancer. Some of the victims become ignorant of the conditions or rather seek medical attention at a later stage of cancer development. Such conditions, therefore, lead to premature deaths among wrestlers.

Physical injuries are another cause of deaths among wrestlers. The sport involves exposure to physical injuries, which in some causes cause trauma hence internal bleeding. The game is choreographed, and in some instances, some wrestlers go off the script to engage in activities, which were never part of the script. This often leads to injuries. Besides, technical problems often lead to problems, which cause injuries to wrestlers. For example, an in-ring incident in 1999 involving Owen Hart led to his death. Owen Hart had planned to make a grand entrance through a harness and grapple line. However, the equipment malfunctioned and he fell 78 feet off the ground (Aijaz). He landed with the chests, which caused damage to internal organs and bleeding due to the blunt force trauma.

Another cause of premature deaths among wrestlers is exposure to violent behaviors. Some wrestlers, due to abuse of drugs become violent and engage in violent fights. That leads to death in most cases. For example, in 1988, Jose Gonzalez killed Bruiser Brody in a locker room before a wrestling match. Gonzalez stabbed Body with a knife due to a scuffle that ensued between the two (Aijaz). Such deaths occur due to rivalry among the wrestlers. For example, when a new wrestler is introduced, they often become the center of attraction. That renders other wrestlers inactive in the sports hence leading to rivalries. This was a common phenomenon among Puerto Ricans and the Americans. Brody's death was due to rivalry since he had taken the place of Gonzalez in the wrestling career.

Conclusion

The rising toll of premature deaths among wrestlers is becoming a concern among stakeholders in the sporting fraternity. Common deaths due to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, murder, depression, and drug abuses require an effective safety strategy that would prevent the occurrence of such deaths in the future. The prevention strategies need to involve aggressive treatment of the risk factors, which often lead to deaths of the wrestlers. This would include wellness policy and appropriate medical care policy implementation among wrestling organizations. Professional wrestling organizations have taken some measures to curb such deaths, but there is a need to adjust the measures. For example, they have put in place bans for wrestlers found guilty of drug abuse. This has significantly reduced the number of wrestlers that abuse drugs. The measure needs to be more punitive since such would discourage abuse and unethical conduct of wrestlers in and out of the ring.

Works Cited

Aijaz, Rahul. "4 Tragic Deaths Which Shocked The Wrestling World". Tribune, 2019, https://tribune.com.pk/story/1763 418/4-4-tragic-deaths-shocked-wrestling-world/. Accessed 4 Mar 2019.

Herman, Christopher W., et al. "The very high premature mortality rate among active professional wrestlers is primarily due to cardiovascular disease." PloS one 9.11 (2014): e109945.

Johnson, Blanche. "Why Wrestlers Die So Young". FoxNews Magazine. 2016, https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/why-wrestlers-die-so-young. Accessed 4 Mar 2019.

McBride, Lawrence B. "Professional wrestling, embodied morality, and altered states of consciousness." (2005).

Rhodes, David. "Why Do Wrestlers So Often Die Young?". BBC Magazine. 2015, Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33817959. Accessed 4 March 2019