2.11.2004

Postgame Celebration Gone Awry
After watching countless fan and player celebratory maulings following a victory, I suppose it was inevitable that something like this would happen:
    Joe Kay, a senior and starting forward, capped Tucson's 62-54 victory over Tucson Salpointe Catholic with an exclamation slam. A group of fans overtook him after flooding the court, coaches who reviewed film of the game told the Republic. Kay suffered a fractured jaw and a torn carotid artery -- the carotid supplies blood to the brain -- and subsequently suffered a stroke, according to the newspaper's report.
This turns my stomach. Every time I see a player sprawled out on the court and his teammates or fans piling on him, I think, "Man, doesn't that hurt? Isn't that dangerous? Is someone on the bottom yelling, 'Get off! Get off!'?" In the frenzy of sports triumphs, people often doesn't realize what they are doing, using adrenaline-fueled strength to embrace victory. I hope this guy makes a fully recovery.

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