Ridiculous, unusual, or embarrassing sports injuries, occurring off the field?
November 13, 2010 9:33 AM Subscribe
Ridiculous, unusual, or embarrassing sports injuries, occurring off the field?
I'd like to hear examples of unusual sports injuries. Specifically, I'm looking for those that do not occur during playing the actual game/practice. Bonus points for season/career-ending injuries. Double bonus points for hockey players, eh.
As an example, NHL goalie Glenn Healy cut himself pretty bad working on his bagpipes. Granted, it happened during the off-season, but this is the sort of thing I'm looking.
It definitely does NOT need to be big-name players.
I'd like to hear examples of unusual sports injuries. Specifically, I'm looking for those that do not occur during playing the actual game/practice. Bonus points for season/career-ending injuries. Double bonus points for hockey players, eh.
As an example, NHL goalie Glenn Healy cut himself pretty bad working on his bagpipes. Granted, it happened during the off-season, but this is the sort of thing I'm looking.
It definitely does NOT need to be big-name players.
Kendry Morales' home plate celebration disaster comes to mind immediately.
posted by synecdoche at 9:51 AM on November 13, 2010
posted by synecdoche at 9:51 AM on November 13, 2010
(I'm not sure if it qualifies as "off the field" or not, though.)
posted by synecdoche at 9:52 AM on November 13, 2010
posted by synecdoche at 9:52 AM on November 13, 2010
Michael Stensgaard's Liverpool career was ended by a freak ironing injury.
I was googling to fact-check Rio Ferdinand's Playstation injury and found this.
posted by nowonmai at 9:54 AM on November 13, 2010
I was googling to fact-check Rio Ferdinand's Playstation injury and found this.
posted by nowonmai at 9:54 AM on November 13, 2010
Are you only looking for examples of pro sports and famous people? If not...
I used to work as a whitewater raft guide. A supposedly dangerous activity, right? But the conventional wisdom in our company was that the biggest injuries typically came when someone slipped on the wet rocks on the side of the river. That, and bee stings.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:06 AM on November 13, 2010
I used to work as a whitewater raft guide. A supposedly dangerous activity, right? But the conventional wisdom in our company was that the biggest injuries typically came when someone slipped on the wet rocks on the side of the river. That, and bee stings.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:06 AM on November 13, 2010
In England, in the 1993 League Cup final, Steve Morrow scored the winning goal, at the end of the game. In the ensuing celebration, he was picked up by Tony Adams in an attempt to parade him around on his shoulders, but Adams dropped him and Morrow broke his arm.
Here's a brief clip followed by a hilarious (?) reenactment.
posted by pdb at 10:26 AM on November 13, 2010
Here's a brief clip followed by a hilarious (?) reenactment.
posted by pdb at 10:26 AM on November 13, 2010
Here's ten more (with some overlap and some extras at the bottom). My favorite is Bill Grammatica - a kicker tearing his ACL while celebrating a kick is technically on the field, but only barely. You may prefer "falling through a glass table after a nightmare about spiders" or "breaking your collarbone after falling while carrying a load of deer meat".
posted by true at 10:29 AM on November 13, 2010
posted by true at 10:29 AM on November 13, 2010
Spanish goalkeeper Santiago Canizares broke a glass bottle of aftershave and severed a tendon; English goalie Dave Beasant did the same thing with a bottle of salad cream. More footballing injuries here and here.
posted by holgate at 11:11 AM on November 13, 2010
posted by holgate at 11:11 AM on November 13, 2010
My sister wiped out her knee jumping over the net after she won a tennis game.
posted by CathyG at 11:18 AM on November 13, 2010
posted by CathyG at 11:18 AM on November 13, 2010
While playing hide and seek on the Saturday night of an ultimate tournament, a team-mate slipped on wet grass and gouged out a good strip of flesh from his shin. While waiting with him in A+E the next day, I saw a rugby player brought in who had been accidentally smashed in the face while a team-mate mucked about with a gold club on the sideline.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:25 PM on November 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:25 PM on November 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Vancouver Canucks (NHL hockey) defenseman Sami Salo was bitten by a venomous snake while playing golf back home in Finland.
Salo has suffered an epic number injuries on the ice, several inflicted by his own teammates. He is currently on Vancouver's injured reserve list after having torn his achilles tendon over the summer while playing floorball.
posted by notyou at 12:33 PM on November 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Salo has suffered an epic number injuries on the ice, several inflicted by his own teammates. He is currently on Vancouver's injured reserve list after having torn his achilles tendon over the summer while playing floorball.
posted by notyou at 12:33 PM on November 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
I think Plaxico Burress's self-inflicted accidental gunshot wound from the pistol he'd jammed in his sweatpants is the gold standard for this sort of injury. While the injury itself might not have been career-ending, the subsequent two-year-jail sentence he's currently serving could be.
This year, Phillies relief pitcher Ryan Madson attacked a helpless folding chair in the clubhouse after blowing the game and required surgery and eight weeks to recover from the battle. (He did return and pitch quite well after recovering.)
posted by gladly at 1:27 PM on November 13, 2010
This year, Phillies relief pitcher Ryan Madson attacked a helpless folding chair in the clubhouse after blowing the game and required surgery and eight weeks to recover from the battle. (He did return and pitch quite well after recovering.)
posted by gladly at 1:27 PM on November 13, 2010
In 2008 Joe Sakic broke three fingers and was out for a few months after injuring himself with a snowblower.
posted by fso at 2:33 PM on November 13, 2010
posted by fso at 2:33 PM on November 13, 2010
The Chris Hanson keep choppin' wood injury (#1 in the list linked above) has been the gold standard in the NFL since it happened. I'd argue it is in fact dumber than the Plaxico Burress injury, not least because it features the irony of a Pro Bowl punter hitting himself in the foot with an ax.
posted by range at 3:22 PM on November 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by range at 3:22 PM on November 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Jeff Kent (SF Giants) broke his wrist through (allegedly) stunting around on his motorcycle, but told the team he'd fallen off his truck while washing it. Does that count?
posted by AkzidenzGrotesk at 3:33 PM on November 13, 2010
posted by AkzidenzGrotesk at 3:33 PM on November 13, 2010
Just today Northwestern's star QB Dan Persa threw a TD pass with a little over a minute left to lift NW to a fairly major upset over Iowa. He blew out his Achilles tendon 90 seconds later running across the field to join the post win celebration.
posted by COD at 5:16 PM on November 13, 2010
posted by COD at 5:16 PM on November 13, 2010
In 1988, Mets pitcher Bobby Ojeda cut the tip of his finger off while trimming hedges. The injury occurred in late September and Ojeda had to miss the rest of the season and the playoffs.
In 2004, Yankees third baseman, Aaron Boone torn his ACL while playing a game of basketball in the offseason and he missed all of the 2005 season. This is notable for a few reasons: 1) Boone ended 2003 as a hero in New York after hitting the game winning, game ending home run against the Red Sox in the ALCS 2) he had just signed a one year deal with the Yankees that listed basketball as a prohibited activity (his injury nullified the contract) and 3) with the newly created opening at third base, the Yankees went on to trade for Alex Rodriguez.
posted by tommccabe at 5:51 PM on November 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
In 2004, Yankees third baseman, Aaron Boone torn his ACL while playing a game of basketball in the offseason and he missed all of the 2005 season. This is notable for a few reasons: 1) Boone ended 2003 as a hero in New York after hitting the game winning, game ending home run against the Red Sox in the ALCS 2) he had just signed a one year deal with the Yankees that listed basketball as a prohibited activity (his injury nullified the contract) and 3) with the newly created opening at third base, the Yankees went on to trade for Alex Rodriguez.
posted by tommccabe at 5:51 PM on November 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Michael Jordan, after winning his sixth title, severed tendons in his finger when the cheap cigar cutter he was using broke, and the blade slashed his finger. The need for surgery to correct the damage was one reason for his decision to retire after 98.
Last season, Derrick Rose missed a couple games with stitches in his elbow from a knife. He claims he was slicing an apple in bed, got up, did other stuff, then came back to bed to lie down, having forgotten about the knife.
Carlos Boozer, also a Bull, claims to have tripped over his workout bag on the way to answering the front door, fracturing a bone in his hand, causing him to miss 8 weeks. The fracture is also known as the puncher's fracture, as it most commonly occurs when the person has punched something hard. There were doubts as to the veracity of both Rose and Boozer's stories.
More NBA fun: Monta Ellis injured his ankle riding a moped during the offseason a couple years back. The Warriors gave serious thought to voiding his contract, which contained a no-motorcycle clause, as do most standard contracts.
Jay Williams, also of the Bulls, lost control of a motorcycle in the summer after his rookie (of the year, dammit) season and almost needed to have his leg amputated. The injuries effectively ended his career.
posted by Ghidorah at 5:58 PM on November 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Last season, Derrick Rose missed a couple games with stitches in his elbow from a knife. He claims he was slicing an apple in bed, got up, did other stuff, then came back to bed to lie down, having forgotten about the knife.
Carlos Boozer, also a Bull, claims to have tripped over his workout bag on the way to answering the front door, fracturing a bone in his hand, causing him to miss 8 weeks. The fracture is also known as the puncher's fracture, as it most commonly occurs when the person has punched something hard. There were doubts as to the veracity of both Rose and Boozer's stories.
More NBA fun: Monta Ellis injured his ankle riding a moped during the offseason a couple years back. The Warriors gave serious thought to voiding his contract, which contained a no-motorcycle clause, as do most standard contracts.
Jay Williams, also of the Bulls, lost control of a motorcycle in the summer after his rookie (of the year, dammit) season and almost needed to have his leg amputated. The injuries effectively ended his career.
posted by Ghidorah at 5:58 PM on November 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Last winter Lindsey Vonn had to have surgery after cutting her thumb on a champagne bottle.
posted by woodjockey at 8:29 AM on November 14, 2010
posted by woodjockey at 8:29 AM on November 14, 2010
Olympic Gold Medalist Misty May-Treanor tore her Achilles tendon while practicing for the TV show Dancing With the Stars.
posted by Four Flavors at 12:10 PM on November 15, 2010
posted by Four Flavors at 12:10 PM on November 15, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by yerfatma at 9:38 AM on November 13, 2010