Most Dangerous Sports Jobs

It may seem at times that professional athletes get paid a lot of money for what looks to be a little work, but in actuality, many of them are putting their lives on the line every day doing what they love. There is an element of danger in most sports, but in these high level dangerous sports, athletes are truly at risk. Let's take a look at some of the world's most dangerous sports jobs.

  1. BASE Jumping

    • The extreme sport, known as BASE jumping, which stands for: Building, Antennae, Span and Earth, involves jumping off of tall buildings, bridges, cliffs or basically anything high and dangerous, with only a parachute to break your fall. Injuries are all too common, especially among the inexperienced. Those who manage to live through the experience are most commonly arrested, particularly if they choose to jump off buildings or landmarks.

    Football

    • Nearly every game, fans watch players hurdle into one another, so it's no surprise that football is one of the most dangerous sports jobs in existence. Head and spinal injuries are very common, as well as broken limbs, and torn muscles or ligaments. In recent years, it has become apparent that the long term damage from taking several hits to the head often results in brain damage and even behavior abnormalities among professional football players.

    ATV Sports

    • ATVs, or all terrain vehicles, are not known as the safest means of transport, especially over rough terrain. It's no wonder than that according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission 740 deaths occurred in 2003 among participants of this sport. Terrain changes, inadequate protection gear or total lack of protection gear and equipment failure are common reasons why injuries occur. With proper training and safety gear, the risks, while still high, do go down slightly.

    Bull Riding

    • Just stay on for eight seconds, and you have a chance to win thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, bull riding is incredibly dangerous, and there have been numerous deaths in the sport over its history, including the high profile death of Lane Frost. While today's riders wear protective vests and in some cases helmets, serious injuries can occur in this professional sport, many of which are life threatening.

    Surfing

    • Catching the big wave is a dream for surfers, but for the inexperienced, surfing can be incredibly dangerous. The risk of drowning or in rare cases, shark attacks can make this sport deadly. Professional surfers still put themselves at risk every day as they pit themselves against Mother Nature's might and attempt to ride out a wave.