ATHLETES' BRAIN INJURIES - LET THE FANS AND PROMOTERS SHARE THE BURDEN
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 04 Jan 2010
Reading Paul Harasim’s article on the Las Vegas Review Journal regarding athletes’ brain injuries and the burden it places on tax payers is very disconcerting.
Boxers put their lives on the line every time they fight for the monetary gains of the promoters and the viewing pleasure of the fans and yet when they get injured the most they get in terms of medical insurance is a mere $50,000.
When that amount runs out (and it does pretty quick particularly in serious injuries) the tax payers are left holding the bag!
Something is awfully wrong in the scenario and changes must be done immediately.
Why burden everyone for the pleasure of the few?
That is part of the game, you may say.
It should not be because it’s wrong and grossly unfair.
And, it must be corrected!
It is time for those responsible for sports that “supports and celebrates blows to the head” and the those that pay to enjoy watching it, to step up and share the burden rather than allow all tax payers to carry the load.
I suggest that promoters set aside a certain percentage of their gross income from the fight card to fund an “insurance pool” to buy insurance for all the boxers in every fight card. The insurance pool must be managed by the State Athletic Commission to assure that it is funded adequately and in time.
If small and club-level promoters will have survival problems with the additional cost, so be it. These people should share the burden and if they can not afford it, they should find other things to do.
That is just reality!
In addition, charge an extra $10.00 for each ticket sold and the proceeds be added to the insurance pool.
I am sure a great percentage of the fans would not mind paying the extra cost if they are made aware that its for the insurance of the boxers they come to see fight. Why, that is just the cost of one beer at the Arena!
And, it would be nice if the networks like HBO, Showtime and ESPN kick in a small percentage of their income too. That should really make them look good to the public.
With that, boxers will no longer be forced to buy for themselves “supplemental insurance” and further cut the minuscule amount of money they get paid.
The above should take care of the problem about funding the medical cost of injured athletes. Thus, the Medical Centers and the doctors will be properly reimbursed for their life saving cutting edge services that is not cheap to provide and allow them to continue to provide it for the others who may suffer the same fate as Z Gorres.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, and more people are made aware that they are being forced to pay through their taxes to take care of problems brought about by a few people who make all the money off the athletes, it would not take long before they start lobbying their legislators to set up new laws to take care of a problem that can be dealt with internally within the sport itself.
Why wait for the State to force the issue?
Taking care of the problem now instead of waiting for the State to put up new regulations will not only provide immediate protection for the athletes but it will boaster public relations for a sports that many criticize as brutal and must be banned.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
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