Toughness: Good or Bad?

[Editor's note: Daniel Wang is a student journalist at Carlmont High School.]

By Daniel Wang

Even though an athlete may not have the athleticism or skills his or her opponent may have, an athlete needs to have the physical toughness to overcome pain, along with mental toughness to play through adversity and pressure.

However, a problem could arise when an athlete is too tough.

This year, the 2013 March Madness tournament featured a moment that spectators across the United States will remember for years to come. However, it isn’t something that people want to remember.

With 6:33 left in the first half of an Elite Eight matchup featuring Louisville and Duke, Louisville sophomore guard Kevin Ware went up to contest a shot and landed hard on his ankle.

In a gruesome series of events, Ware ended up breaking his tibia through his skin. This led many Louisville players and coach Rick Pitino to tear up after seeing the severity of the injury.

Personally, after seeing the leg buckle and snap on TV and getting over the fact of how gruesome the injury was, immediately I thought that that would be the end of Ware’s career.

However, Ware vowed that he’ll playing basketball again in an interview on Good Morning America. After all, the surgery performed on Ware was successful, as a metal rod was inserted in Ware’s shin, which will prevent that tibia from breaking again. In fact, Ware’s physician said that Ware could be back playing in just six months.

But even though the surgery happened to be successful, Ware returning in just half a year seems a bit far-fetched. After all, his shin completely snapped in half.

Even though Ware has to be cleared by his physician before he can step on the court, will he necessarily be physically able to compete the same way? As a college athlete with promise to make to the NBA, Ware is definitely itching to be back with his teammates.

However, if his tibia hasn’t fully healed by the time he returns, the results could become quite catastrophic.

Not convinced? Take Preston Plevretes, a former linebacker at La Salle for example.

According to ESPN, Plevretes suffered a first concussion on Oct. 4, 2005 during football practice. Although he was still suffering concussion-like symptoms from his first concussion, Plevretes’s doctor cleared him to play again.

In another game, Plevretes suffered a second concussion, which causing him to fall into a coma.

Today, Plevretes undergoes therapy, his speech isn’t the same, he walks stiffly, and has lost his peripheral vision. Not only is his football career over, but he’s also been handicapped for life, due to the fact that he tried to come back before he was completely healed.

In addition to college athletes, many professional athletes display toughness which ends up hurting them rather than helping them.

Robert Griffin III (RG3), the quarterback for the Redskins, received a hard hit to his knee courtesy of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Haloti Ngata on December 9.

Due to Griffin’s toughness, he was back playing two weeks later against the Eagles despite severe pain to his knee. But four weeks after the blow to the knee, RG3 suffered tears in both his ACL and LCL during a match against the Seattle Seahawks, sidelining him for between nine to 12 months and leaving him questionable for the start of the 2013-14 season.

Although Griffin’s doctor says that RG3 is “recovering at a superhuman rate,” according to ESPN, Griffin’s toughness led to the ACL and LCL tear in the first place.

Most collegiate and professional athletes love playing the sport they’re best at and helping their team win games.

But if athletes decide to tough it out and play through an injury, this display of toughness could end up hurting the athlete, along with the team, more than benefitting it.

Do you think college athletes push the limits when it comes to playing injured?