Viewpoint by Chris Cates/sports editor

Serious injuries in sports are becoming more common.

Not only are athletes missing years of their playing careers recovering from serious injuries, they are losing years of their lives because of them.

Many athletes know the risks of injuries, but the money and fame obviously outweigh the potential of injury.

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Shaun Livingston, who just ruined his knee with gruesome injuries (dislocated kneecap, torn ACL, MCL, PCL, etc.), will miss close to a year.

Players get concussions that impact them for the rest of their lives. They have multiple surgeries that change the way they walk or move their arms. They take such a beating over the course of their careers it results in an early death.

The presence of legal and illegal drugs can cause death and many other side effects.

Steve Bechler, former Baltimore Orioles pitcher, died from the use of ephedra at the age of 23.

Lyle Alzado, who admitted taking steroids during his career, died at 43.

A number of players in recent years have died from heat at training camp or simply collapsed during a game and died.

Head-to-head collisions in football leave numerous players dead or paralyzed. An arena football player died at the age of 25 last week after one such occurrence.

No amount of money cancels the loss of life. Instead, money needs to be poured into sports to prevent serious injuries and death.

While practicing in heat and preventing drug use are preventable, some causes simply aren’t.

If I were offered $5 million a year to play a sport, I would take it quicker than a hungry mouse takes cheese. But more precautions need to be taken. Better and safer equipment is needed.

Today, an injury that once would have been career-ending can be healed.

Some players, however, come back and play when they have no business doing so. They re-aggravate an injury and more than just their career is over-—they’re limited in their life after sports.

Put the players’ health first and success second, and there’s nowhere to go but up.

Spend as much money as it takes to further improve the landscape of sports and the medical attention players receive.

Injuring or killing a good life is not admirable, despite the winning of a championship trophy.