Bad sports, good sports: Boxer paralyzed after motorcycle crash

Posted on June 4th, 2012 by Alan Spoll

Paul Williams, a boxer who has been a champion at the welterweight level, was scheduled to fight for the middleweight belt currently held by Canelo Alvarez in September. That bout will no longer be occurring. Last weekend, Williams crashed his motorcycle while on his way to a wedding, and he is now paralyzed from the waist down. This is a tragedy in a number of ways, the main one being that it so clearly could have been easily avoided.

I honestly can’t understand why motorcycles are legal. I am not one of those people that advocates the government passing laws about all kinds of things…I just want the laws we have to be consistent. When I drive my car, I will get a ticket if I don’t wear my seat belt, and the car is required to be built with front airbags. I understand and appreciate these laws, as the purpose and benefit of them is obvious. So how is that we allow people to ride motorcycles, which offer no protection whatsoever? In many states, the riders don’t even have to wear a helmet. I am far from an expert on the subject, but it seems to me that if you get in an accident on a motorcycle, your chances of dying would have to be astronomically higher than if you were driving a car. If you also factor in the apparent predilection of riders to drive far faster than the flow of traffic, to drive in between stopped cars on a multi-lane highway, and to take off from a stop as if they were propelled by jets, it becomes even more amazing that anyone manages to ride one of those things without getting killed.

Yes, you can tell I am not a fan of motorcycles. I hate that so many of them seem to be far louder than they need to be. I assume that’s some kind of style-choice, I guess. There must be mufflers that could cut down on the volume. I am also highly critical of the people who choose to not wear a helmet. That’s just plain stupid. What could possibly be the reason to not protect your head when riding? It doesn’t look cool? Too bad. At least Williams was wearing a helmet. It didn’t save his legs, but it may have saved his life. Still, as crazy as I think you have to be to ride a motorcycle, being a professional athlete and doing so is just insane. If your entire livelihood relies on your physical well-being, and that livelihood is one that could provide you with more money than most people will ever make, why on earth would you jeopardize that by risking your life on a regular basis just to get around? I would think athletes would be focused on protecting themselves as much as possible. I suppose that the same desire for danger that makes someone want to get punched in the head for a living also makes someone need thrills on a regular basis. Maybe that’s it.

It is likely, according to medical reports, that Williams will never walk again. It is a terrible shame for him and his family. I hope others use his misfortune as a lesson and park the motorcycles for good.

Bad sports, continued:

2) Serena Williams, a former French Open champion, had never lost a first round match in a major. That changed on Tuesday when she lost to Virginie Razzano as this year’s French Open kicked off.

3) Terrell Owens appears to have hit bottom. On Tuesday, he was cut by the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League. It sounds more like an issue of effort and punctuality than it does of ability, but his issues have usually been unrelated to his actual skill-level, so this is not unusual.

4) Phil Mickelson withdrew from the Memorial Tournament in Ohio on Thursday after shooting a 79. There was no injury, just a very poor performance. Continuing the bad news from top players, Rory McIlroy, who will try to defend his U.S. Open title next week, missed his third straight cut after matching Mickelson’s 7-over par, although his was on day two.

5) Justin Blackmon, the Oklahoma State wide receiver who was chosen fifth in April’s NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, was arrested for DUI on Sunday in Oklahoma. He reportedly had a blood-alcohol level of .24, which is astonishing. This was Blackmon’s second DUI, with the first one having come in 2010 while he was still in school.

6) Tragedy struck the basketball team from Broken Bow High School in Nebraska on Friday, as a van carrying the team crashed on the way back from a basketball camp. Two coaches were killed and eight players were injured in the wreck.

7) Gymnast Shawn Johnson, who was training for a return to competitive gymnastics after a layoff of several years, has been forced to retire by injuries to her left knee. She was planning to compete in the upcoming London Olympics.

Good sports:

1) Johan Santana pitched the first no-hitter in the fifty-year history of the New York Mets on Friday, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 8-0 with the help of a clearly blown call by an umpire on a fair ball that was ruled foul. Despite the assistance, Santana pitched a great game.

2) Although he is having an up and down year, Tiger Woods clearly still has the stuff it takes to win. While McIlroy and Mickelson were sitting at home after miserable performances (see #4 above), Woods won the Memorial for the fifth time on Sunday. The key to his final round was a spectacular shot he made on the 16th hole to take the lead. Check it out here.

Bad sports, good sports appears every Monday

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02