Sports can be brutal, get over it.

I’ve heard all the same words when describing the broken leg Kevin Ware’s suffered on Sunday vs. Duke: "sick," "gruesome," "horrifying," "awful."

Also heard them (and worse) used to describe CBS, Deadspin, other various media outlets, or just people in general who have chosen to replay, show, view, or post pictures of it.

I watched the footage of Ware’s injury four times myself. 

Two because I was still trying to really understand how the hell it happened.

The other two were for the “Damn, that actully just happened!” effect.

I also watched for the same reason everyone else watched; it was a major story, part of the game.

If you were out at dinner Sunday and one of your buddies called or text to tell you what just happened, I know you immediately jumped on your phone or ran to the nearest TV… 

Not because you enjoy that kind of thing, but you because you want to see what everyone is going to spend the next five days talking about.

I’ve seen the pictures.  Yes, they’re pretty nasty, but at the same time, hasn’t really disturbed me.

I’m not some kind of sick freak, but I’ve been desensitized to horrific injuries in sports because it’s part of the game.

I don’t need to be shielded from the gruesome side of sports.  I’ve been watching it my whole life.

I’ve seen Mike Tyson chomp on Evander Holyfield’s ear like it was a Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Nugget. I’ve seen Derrick Rose, Lindsey Vonn, RG3, and Willis McGahee blow their ACL’s.  I watched Eric LeGrand become a paraplegic and Marcus Lattimore, Joe Theisman and Michael Bush have their legs snapped.

Every one of those was shown on live National Television.

In fact, you know what you call some of those “big hits” in football that we all love, and are pissed that the NFL is trying to crack down on? 

Sick, gruesome, horrifying, and awful. 

They can leave grown men crumbled on the ground and we still love it, watch it, call our friends about it, and even make MEME’s about it.

Yet, some of those same individuals want to stand high on soapboxes thinking they’re some kind of hero to society because they don’t want to watch a bone come out of a leg and “tsk-tsk” anyone who does?

If you want to be a sports fan of ethics and morals, you should probably just watch something else next time a game is on.

-WST