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These types of grave mishaps are noted by MLB franchises. Some teams try to encourage athletes to not participate in dangerous activities during the season because of injury, such as recreational flying.
Perhaps we think athletes are gluttons for punishment. Either they win or lose on the field, in the pool or on the tennis courts. They are quicksilver beings. Professional athletes make their boyhood dreams come true and instantly have oodles of money to buy expensive toys. Ironically, the extra green gives them the budget to live extravagantly. Athletes are the superstars of sports entertainment and they want to be in charge no matter how inexperienced one is, or so it seems. When these athletes are on their own they call the shots, which at times, inadvertently causes them the most harm.
I think it will always remain a mystery why these larger than life athletes die tragically. People wonder what happened, why they had to die. As for Lidle and Stanger, the truth to what went wrong remains unsolved.
Elizabeth Botello is a student at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, and a certified sports nut!
