I think this is an interesting topic. This year, cycling teams were restricted to 8 riders in each Grand Tour to reduce the number of crashes. Plenty still happened in this year's Tour though, including Philippe Gilbert falling over a low wall which could have killed him had he landed in a different way. Of course this isn't just a cycling problem, with motorsports claiming fatalities every year, and sports such as the snowboard cross having massive crashes as part of the unpredictable-ness of the sport. And there are lots more as well.

 

So I guess the question is - will there be a point in time where sports are completely safe? Or is it up to the sportspeople to accept the risk they're putting themselves into? And are there any simple ways sports like these could be made safer?

I don't think there will be a point in time where sports are completely safe there is always going to be a risk in types of sports. In horse racing, I don't think that will change but it is awful to hear that horses dying and jockeys getting seriously injured for example Freddy Tylicki who was paralyzed in a fall at Kempton on 31st October 2016 it has affected his life completely. Maybe reduce the field in cycling in grand tour races could that work? Snowboard cross and ski cross- more safety barriers?

There are a lot of people suggesting restrictions on heading in football, particularly for younger players. A lot of former players are now suffering from dementia with evidence suggesting that heading the ball has caused some of the damage.

There are a lot of people suggesting restrictions on heading in football, particularly for younger players. A lot of former players are now suffering from dementia with evidence suggesting that heading the ball has caused some of the damage.

 

If they go ahead with this in the future there will be a lot more fouls in the box, what with the tussling of feet and legs after the ball has landed. Either that or we see an increase in the amount of straight forward catches goalkeepers make and a reduction in the amount of free kicks and crosses going into the box.

 

Whether that would be a good thing or not is yet to be seen (it'll stop the 'loft it into the box and hope for the best' style of play at least). :lol:

Football isn't really a sport you think about safety issues really but I've heard before that heading is an issue that is often overlooked. I guess a restriction would feel weird at first but we would get used to it (I mean, yellow and red cards weren't a thing before 1970 and I can't really imagine a game without them now).

 

I feel like unless the courses are made a lot less dramatic we'll always get serious injuries in the snowboard/ski cross. Nothing else is going to soften the fall of someone flying metres into the air when they lose control of their skis.

Part of the thrill & excitement of watching Sport is the inherent risk of danger athletes exposure themselves to (without trying to make that sound sadistic) - take Formula 1, the advancements in safety over the years have been nothing short of remarkable but everyone still knows there's that slight element of danger & without that the Sport really wouldn't be worth watching at all...