There are many dangers when participating in sports, and there is a distinct difference between the risks and benefits that may be gained from participating. Obviously, some sports carry more risk than others. The analysis of which sports are considered the most dangerous must take into account several factors: the ability to protect the athlete, the level of risk associated with each activity, accessibility to the equipment needed for participation in sport, and how well an individual can train prior to participating.

BASE Jumping

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BASE jumping, sometimes referred to as B.A.S.E. jumping, is a sport in which participants jump from fixed objects and use a parachute to break their fall. It is the most dangerous sport in the world with a fatality rate of 1 for every 60 participants and 50% of BASE jumpers die within their first five jumps. Jumpers can experience difficulty in opening parachutes, hitting objects during the descent, and structural failure of the fixed object from which the jump is made.

Bull Fighting

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Although it is seen as a rite of passage for young boys, bullfighting certainly entails more risk than other sports. The bullfighter is required to engage in a face-to-face battle with an animal that weighs as much as 2,000 pounds and has four sharp horns. Injuries from bullfighting include punctured lungs, broken bones, disembowelment, and death from loss of blood or from the bull’s horn piercing the heart.

Cave Diving

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Cave diving, as the name suggests, is a sport that involves exploring underwater caves. This dangerous activity can result in drowning or decompression sickness from coming up too quickly from depth. In cave diving, divers must carefully navigate around stalagmites and stalactites which can easily injure them during their pursuit of exploring caves.