2008 X-Games Motocross Freestyle gold medal winner Jeremy Lusk died from head injuries after a back flip went terribly wrong.  Freestyle motocross is dangerous as well all know, but the reality of people dying from failed tricks still comes as a shock.  Lusk was only 24 years and was on his way to building a legendary X-Games and Motocross career. 

Extreme athlete's seem to incur injuries at a higher rate than that of any other sport.  Even the one on one combat of MMA seems safe compared to events performed at the X-Games.  Remember Jake Brown's free fall after losing control of his skateboard?  The man could have died on live television, but he did walk away from the fall.  On the same event just a year later Danny Way had another horrific crash.  So I have to raise the question, are the X-games, and extreme sports too dangerous? 

I am a believer of allowing people do whatever they please as long as the direct effect on others is not negative.  If people want to poison their bodies or attempt death defying stunts, that's fine, but there should be a stopping point.  The Freestyle Motocross event was made popular by Mike Metzger and Brian Deegan.  In 2006 Mike Metzger sustained 4 concussions within a two months time frame from missing landings on practice jumps.  In 2004 Metzger lost a testicle after a crash, and has also broken his back three times.  In 2005 Deegan almost died after a crash as he lost a kidney and four pints of blood.  Now that another freestyle rider has lost his life, is it time to call the sport off? 

These are grown men and they know what they are getting into.  They know every time before a jump, it could be there last.  Everyone has to make a living, some just make a living different than others.  My biggest concerns with this sport is the effect it has on children.  Children go to the events, watch them on TV, and dream of pulling them off someday.  Should this fact have any say on whether the sport continues?  Although I am not a fan of the sport, and believe it is extremely dangerous, I wouldn't call for it's extinction. 

Should Freestyle Motocross continue?