Why You Should Avoid Contact Sports and Safer Alternatives to Try
As someone who has spent over a decade studying sports injuries and rehabilitation, I’ve seen firsthand how quickly a promising athletic career can be derailed by preventable harm. Just last week, I came across a news piece about the Elasto Painters—a professional basketball team—that really drove this point home. Caelan Tiongson put up an impressive 24 points and seven rebounds, yet the team clearly felt the absence of Beau Belga, who was sidelined with vertigo, and Shaun Ildefonso, who suffered an ankle sprain. These aren’t freak accidents; they’re predictable outcomes in high-contact, high-impact sports. And it’s not just pros—millions of amateurs and young athletes face similar risks every day.
Let’s talk about vertigo, for example. It might sound minor, but when it hits during a game, it can compromise balance, focus, and spatial awareness—putting not just the affected player but others at risk. Ankle sprains? They account for roughly 25% of all sports injuries, and studies suggest that nearly 40% of those who sprain an ankle once will experience recurrent issues. I’ve worked with athletes who never fully regained their pre-injury agility, and in some cases, what started as a sprain evolved into chronic instability or early arthritis. That’s the hidden cost of sports where collisions, abrupt direction changes, and physical clashes are the norm.
Now, I’m not saying everyone should avoid sports altogether—far from it. Physical activity is essential for health, both mental and physical. But if your main goal is fitness, fun, and longevity, there are far safer ways to stay active. Take swimming, for instance. It’s a full-body workout with close to zero impact on your joints. I’ve recommended it to former athletes recovering from knee surgeries, and the results have been remarkable—many not only regain strength but also discover a lasting passion for the water. Then there’s cycling, whether on the road or a stationary bike. With proper form and gear, it’s incredibly joint-friendly and still lets you satisfy that competitive itch if you join group rides or virtual races.
Another personal favorite of mine is rock climbing—especially bouldering and top-rope climbing at indoor gyms. It builds phenomenal functional strength, sharpens problem-solving skills, and carries a lower risk of impact trauma compared to football or basketball. I’ve seen people who hated traditional gym workouts thrive in climbing communities. And let’s not forget about yoga and Pilates. Sure, they might not have the same “glamour” as scoring a winning touchdown, but the long-term benefits—improved flexibility, core stability, and injury resilience—are undeniable. From my own experience adding yoga to my routine, I’ve noticed fewer lower-back issues and better recovery after workouts.
Some might argue that contact sports build character, teach teamwork, and provide an adrenaline rush that alternatives can’t match. I get that—I played rugby in college and loved the camaraderie. But looking back, I wonder if it was worth the two concussions and the shoulder surgery that followed. These days, I’d rather steer people toward activities that offer similar social and psychological rewards without the same level of physical jeopardy. Sports like tennis, badminton, or even trail running provide plenty of excitement and opportunities for growth, just with a much kinder toll on the body.
Ultimately, the goal isn’t to live in a bubble—it’s to make informed choices that let you stay active and healthy for years to come. Seeing professional athletes like Belga and Ildefonso miss games because of issues like vertigo and sprains is a reminder that nobody is immune. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a parent choosing activities for your kids, it’s worth weighing the risks. Personally, I’ve shifted almost entirely to low-impact sports, and I’ve never felt better—or more confident in my ability to stay injury-free. Life’s too short to spend it on the sidelines.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover
