Injuries are a part of sports. However, not all injuries are created equal, nor are reactions to injuries. No matter the sport, getting hurt is a risk. Swimmers get concussions from bumping their heads on walls during turns. Cheerleading may be just as dangerous as football. Whether competing as an individual or a team, there's always the chance of getting hurt.
Every once in a while, an injury occurs that, as a spectator, you can't forget.
Back in high school, we played on real grass at the time and it was rainy. My team was covering a kickoff. The returner caught the ball and ran right. He planted his leg to cut and got caught in some wet ground. Just then, two of my teammates hit him and that was the time I witnessed a compound leg fracture. It required the ambulance to be driven out and something like a dozen surgeries for the player injured. I'll never forget the sound of him screaming helplessly on the field looking down at his leg essentially detached from his knee.
If you've ever witnessed a serious injury like this, it challenges your concept of what the body can and can't do and what happens when you push it the wrong way. Athletes can't consider these types of injuries happening or else it would distract from them being who they are on the field or court. But the reality is that a slight change in foot placement could result in life-changing injuries when playing fast at a high level. For example, the NBA season opener between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics was marred by the shocking injury to newly-signed Celtics forward Gordon Hayward.
I was watching it live and when the cameraman zoomed in on him lying on the floor, and I saw the reactions of the other players on the court, I knew the image was something I could not un-see. That got me thinking: what are the gnarliest sports injuries I remember seeing happen in the field of competition? I've narrowed it down to five, which you can peep below.
Warning: video footage of these injuries contains graphic imagery.
Marcus Lattimore
Former South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore was on pace to contend for the Heisman in 2012 before a bone-chilling injury ended his season and ultimately his career. Lattimore tore every ligament in his right knee and dislocated his kneecap.
Lattimore finished the season averaging 4.6 yards per touch with 11 touchdowns in nine games. He was drafted by the 49ers and then sat out the entire 2013 NFL season on the non-football injury list before retiring in November 2014.
Gordon Hayward
Gordon Hayward went up to catch an alley-oop in the first game of the current NBA and ended up dislocating and fracturing his left tibia. TNT initially switched to a close shot of the injury showing, what looked like, a devastating ankle injury with once intact bones looking perpendicular.
The players on the court all grimaced as they walked away, and the Cavaliers bench players, with a clear and up close view of the injury, all shielded their eyes. Hayward is expected to miss the entire 2017-2018 season.
Paul George
In 2014, while playing for Team USA, Oklahoma City guard Paul George contested a fast-break layup during an inter squad scrimmage when he landed awkwardly at the bottom of the stanchion to the rim and broke his leg.
George missed the entire 2014-2015 NBA season, then with the Indiana Pacers, recovering. George eventually bounced back and has returned to form, currently seeking a championship as part of Thunder.
Willis McGahee
When Miami and Ohio State met for the BCS Championship game in 2003, it was one of the most anticipated games ever. Despite the late game dramatics, quite possibly the most memorable moment, especially for hurricane fans, was when running back Willis McGahee suffered a devastating knee injury.
McGahee missed a year in total and returned to be drafted by the Buffalo Bills. He went on to have a nine year NFL career but he may be most known for his gruesome knee injury in the college championship game.
Kevin Ware
During the Elite 8 of the 2013 NCAA men’s basketball tournament in Indianapolis, the Louisville Cardinals were matched up with the Duke Blue Devils. Louisville guard Kevin Ware contested a shot and, when he landed, part of his leg was poking through his shin.
The chilling injury, obviously, ended his season but the Cards went on to win the championship, somewhat lessening the pain. Ware ended up transferring to Georgia State in 2014 where he averaged 11.6 points per game.