A new woe for the tall
Both of the victims were exceptionally tall, one 208 cm (6 ft. 10 in.), the other only 2 in. shorter, and both had been playing in an invitational basketball tournament in Portsmouth, Va. One had a laceration nearly an inch long and half an inch deep on the side of his hand; it required sutures. The other had a severe scrape, also on the side of his hand, that resembled an area from which a skin graft had been removed. Both were suffering from dunk laceration syndrome.
This latest “discovery” in the growing field of sports medicine was made by Dr. Arthur Kirk, the tournament’s attending physician, who treated the two athletes. Seeking the cause of the injuries, he examined one of the baskets and found the culprit: a sharp, rough edge on the flange that connected the rim to the backboard. There were also other potentially dangerous sharp edges and points on the rim. Kirk’s conclusion, in a straight-faced report to the Journal of the American Medical Association: the lacerations had occurred when the players’ hands hit the hoop while they were making slam dunk shots. Recommends Kirk: “In the interest of good sports medicine, all high school and college coaches, athletic directors and attending physicians should check these basketball goals to prevent further injuries to players.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Where Trump 2.0 Will Differ From 1.0
- How Elon Musk Became a Kingmaker
- The Power—And Limits—of Peer Support
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com