The dead ones appear to have been removed from the list, and from all other mentions on the website. Quickly, too. Somebody's got that in their job description.
I no longer find it entertaining to watch sports where there is such a high risk of death, or lifelong impairment, from brain injuries, for example. I used to love ski movies. But too many of the people in the credits are dead now.
Apart from things like unconscionable contracts, I wouldn't restrain people from extreme sports. I'm sure a lot of of them die in their beds. I just don't find it entertaining to watch.
We have such a weird relationship with the spectacle of risk. As he says, a tightrope act is just as difficult at any height. The only need to make it dangerous is because the audience wants the circus.
And I think somewhat implicit in the point he’s making is that he believes that while the audience wants the spectacle, the performers have a responsibility not to give it to them.
> As he says, a tightrope act is just as difficult at any height. The only need to make it dangerous is because the audience wants the circus.
Tho, only a few of the people who engage in these dangerous sports are famous or earn money on that. As in, if you look at those sports, there are always people who seek the danger and possible self destruction. They do it, because they want to do them. Not because of the audience.
There's a level of economic coercion involved though as well - "going pro" is only possible by pushing for riskier and riskier stunts. If you want to get paid to ski, skateboard, etc you need to be doing increasingly extreme things to risk your own health and safety. The companies do lots of risk mitigation once you're filming a TV spot, but to get to that level you already had to be putting your body on the line for years.
Everyone knows the risk. Especially if you get to the level of Redbull Athlete. We all accept it. We'd rather live a full life doing what we want vs the inverse. You dont have to support it but don't demean the people that choose that path. Everyone is the manifest of their own destiny. These folks are stewards of the sports and the potential that is there.
Boxing should be illegal. There are fighting arts that don't include full contact much less knocking your opponent out or otherwise damaging them, often leaving residual permanent damage. I've never found boxing entertaining at all.
Slightly misleading title. He's famous for first to jump from the stratosphere, breaking the sound barrier. That wasn't the cause of his death. More on him https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Baumgartner .
Maybe a more interesting and impressive fact from the wiki is learning about Alan Eustace, who was a senior VP of engineering at Google. Just before retiring, on October 24, 2014 *at age 57*, he made a free-fall jump from the stratosphere, breaking Felix Baumgartner's world record. He won the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year in 2015.
He only did it once he knew it was possible. And different mechanism (that most people wont understand). While yes he beat the record. Felix did it first.
If you die on your first parachute jump, you're unlucky.
If you live your entire life doing these "small chance each time" stunts, maybe we should not be so surprised that your eventual demise was this kind of thing.
There's a concept I read about before called micromorts, where activities are given a danger rating something like the expected number of fatalities per million events.
So riding a motorbike 100 miles is 8 micromorts.
Hang-gliding is 9 micromorts.
Base jumping is 430 micromorts.
And summiting Everest is 37,000 micromorts.
Incidentally, of those - I know of two guys who died either on Everest or at base camp there over the past 15 years. First guy fell on the descent, and the second guy developed health issues at altitude (apparently related to an Israeli team immediately prior stealing their oxygen bottles).
A lot more than 2 people die on Everest per year according to Wikipedia and I’m sure oxygen bottle theft plays a role but I haven’t read anything attributing deaths to “Israeli team stealing oxygen bottles”.
Wild, is that really accurate for base jumping? I've met a number of base jumpers (there's some overlap with the climbing community where I live) and several of them have subsequently died jumping. I guess they probably jump a lot more than I think?
also with time they get more cocky? While new drivers have a higher crash rate in their first year of driving, the fatality rate is actually highest in their second year, not their first.
My 4-year-old daughter asks to watch his Red Bull Stratos jump almost every night before bed. She's obsessed with space because of him and says "Felix is my favorite astronaut." May he continue to inspire.
Austrian newspaper Der Standard [1] is reporting that he was using a camera attached with a string, and authorities are considering the possiblity that it got caught in the propellor, leading to a collapse of the parachute.
Allegedly he tried to open the emergency chute, but was already too low.
I’m the a moon’s distance away from a being a pro athlete or pushing any adventure sports field I participate in, but I do things for fun that some people think are insanely dangerous. I’ve toned it back now that I have kids (which changed my thinking) but for a long time I would have been quite happy with that exit from life. Doing something I loved, never put through indignity of advanced age, dying quickly and without suffering.
I used to walk across pitched roofs 3-floors up as a teen, and squeeze between cars and busses on my bike in narrow london roads (back before bike lanes were a thing) to the point that I would routinely get to my job with bloodied knuckles.
At the time I was clearly just vibing off the adrenaline, but looking back on it all as mature adult... I get heart palpatations.
There are many parallel worlds where I am not alive, and I think of those other selves often.
I feel like humans must be naturally better at surviving these things when young. I see kids doing this stuff every day. Not walking on pitched roofs, but plenty of other stuff that could get them killed if something goes wrong.
My risk habits have a rather low chance of dying per injury event, but life changing injury isn't all that rare. I do occasionally see myself envying those with a risk profile that's more on the binary end of the spectrum: where it's either a clean end or everything is fine.
Readit News
The dead ones appear to have been removed from the list, and from all other mentions on the website. Quickly, too. Somebody's got that in their job description.
I no longer find it entertaining to watch sports where there is such a high risk of death, or lifelong impairment, from brain injuries, for example. I used to love ski movies. But too many of the people in the credits are dead now.
Apart from things like unconscionable contracts, I wouldn't restrain people from extreme sports. I'm sure a lot of of them die in their beds. I just don't find it entertaining to watch.
https://youtu.be/Jko5BGhc-Ys?si=Uz6jvQ5voEYAxg8W
We have such a weird relationship with the spectacle of risk. As he says, a tightrope act is just as difficult at any height. The only need to make it dangerous is because the audience wants the circus.
And I think somewhat implicit in the point he’s making is that he believes that while the audience wants the spectacle, the performers have a responsibility not to give it to them.
Well, sort of. But surely part of the feat is overcoming the natural fear of heights.
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Tho, only a few of the people who engage in these dangerous sports are famous or earn money on that. As in, if you look at those sports, there are always people who seek the danger and possible self destruction. They do it, because they want to do them. Not because of the audience.
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Dead Comment
Except these people have families that care about them, you could even say kids need a parent in their life.
The day Honnold falls to his death the world will applaud all his achievements but his kid probably wish his dad never climbed at all.
The day I became a father is the day I stopped riding a motorbike.
Afaik not even bob-racers have that luxury
Deleted Comment
Maybe a more interesting and impressive fact from the wiki is learning about Alan Eustace, who was a senior VP of engineering at Google. Just before retiring, on October 24, 2014 *at age 57*, he made a free-fall jump from the stratosphere, breaking Felix Baumgartner's world record. He won the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year in 2015.
If you live your entire life doing these "small chance each time" stunts, maybe we should not be so surprised that your eventual demise was this kind of thing.
Was an interesting character, RIP.
So riding a motorbike 100 miles is 8 micromorts.
Hang-gliding is 9 micromorts.
Base jumping is 430 micromorts.
And summiting Everest is 37,000 micromorts.
Incidentally, of those - I know of two guys who died either on Everest or at base camp there over the past 15 years. First guy fell on the descent, and the second guy developed health issues at altitude (apparently related to an Israeli team immediately prior stealing their oxygen bottles).
Mind sharing where you got these news from?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_died_climbi...
That's only 3.7 % — I imagined it was higher.
Does the death rate of 'summiting' include those who die before they reach the top? or those that abandon an attempt and survive?
Dead Comment
If you have been base jumping for 20 years, you have the same risk on your next jump as someone trying it for the first time.
Allegedly he tried to open the emergency chute, but was already too low.
[1]: https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000280134/justiz-in-ita...
God speed Felix
At the time I was clearly just vibing off the adrenaline, but looking back on it all as mature adult... I get heart palpatations.
There are many parallel worlds where I am not alive, and I think of those other selves often.
Unreviewed translation of "Unwohlseins"
Other media hint at seizure/cardiac arrest.