Sport. We all love it, both as players and as spectators, but, after a recent spate of deaths amongst the sporting fraternity, some people think we should be asking ourselves an all-important question:
"Is sport getting too dangerous?"
Those sports stars who recently lost their battle between life and death were all from what we commonly call the 'fringe sports' (ie. 'not football') with snooker commentator Ted 'Whispering Ted' Lowe and immediately after him, boxing legend Sir Henry Cooper leading the way. Next it was the turn of Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros, who looks a picture of health in all those old photos.
Prior to all of this, on 30 April, Emilio 'Millito' Navarro, 105, the oldest living baseball player, passed away after a heart attack.
Even footballers are losing out in their battle to stay alive. Former Bolton Wanderers legend Sir Nat Lofthouse died in January aged 85.
What is it that could be killing all our sporting heroes?
Experts say that higher-than-ever levels of fitness and endurance are putting bodies under much more pressure than in days gone by, and it's thought that this could be having a marked effect on the lifespans of competitors.
Doctors are advising young people to stay away from the exertions of sport until more is known on the subject, and to take far more relaxing options such as home computer games like FIFA 2011 as a less stressful form of sporting activity.
