Leading neurologist says RunIt is more dangerous than NRL, calls for new ‘sport’ to be banned
There are renewed calls for the world’s most dangerous new sport to be banned after a leading neurologist labelled it a ‘recipe for catastrophic injury to the brain’.
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One of Australia’s leading neurologists has called on RunIt to be banned, saying the new craze is more dangerous than rugby league.
Sydney’s Dr Rowena Mobbs says ‘run it straight’ style tournaments, in which competitors make repeated high-impact one-on-one collisions is a “recipe for catastrophic injury to the brain”.
Dr Mobbs’ comments come a week after former NRL veteran Kevin Proctor was knocked out in shocking fashion during a RunIt event in Dubai.
The 283-game NRL second-rower got his head in the wrong position during an exhibition ‘run it straight’ contest against former lower-grade footballer, turned social media influencer Jordan Simi.
The former Kiwi international forward was KO’d on impact and vision showed his arms and legs going stiff in what Dr Mobbs described as a “stunning of the brain’s surface, when neurons fire abnormally”.
A viral craze that has gained hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, RunIt is touted as the “world’s fiercest new collision sport” but has as many critics as supporters.
A teenager in New Zealand died in May playing an unsanctioned ‘run it straight’ style game with friends.
Meanwhile, sporting organisations including Rugby Australia, New Zealand Rugby League, the Warriors and the Melbourne Storm have all moved to distance themselves from the phenomenon.
Dr Mobbs is one of the new competition’s staunchest detractors, and argues it is far more dangerous than rugby league.
“In my opinion, RunIt is a more dangerous activity than, say, an average rugby league tackle,” Dr Mobbs told Code Sports.
“Excluding the cumulative risk in CTE, the risk of a severe single brain injury from RunIt is likely to be much higher than from rugby league and is more likely to result in permanent injury or death.
“An intentional head-on collision by both players will result in extreme levels of impact force to the head.
“It comes down to physics.
“The purpose of RunIt is to induce a high-force impact, which, sadly, on rare occasions, is enough to cause death, as was shown by the recent loss of a 19-year-old participant in New Zealand.
“It is hard to think of another so-called sporting activity with a higher catastrophic impact.
“Lacking skill or strategic value, in my opinion, RunIt is reckless in the extreme and has intentional brutality.”
Dr Mobbs joined in the many other CTE and concussion experts in calling for bans on the new craze.
“RunIt should be banned,” she said. “Intentionally head-butting someone can be considered a criminal offence.
“Is there any real difference between head-butting and RunIt?”
RunIt organisers have been contacted for comment but have been quick to point out that they have medical professionals on-site, and they conduct tests before and after each event.
Meanwhile, the Melbourne-based organisation has a tackle technique specialist on staff and stress all competitors are selected and screened by an “athlete manager”.
None of which was enough to prevent Proctor – the most experienced athlete at RunIt 02 in Dubai – from coming off second best.
“RunIt participants colliding at maximum speed is predictable for causing brain injury, but unpredictable as to whether a person ever gets up again,” Dr Mobbs said. “High-energy collisions cause the brain to reverberate like a bell, from both the direct hit and the indirect whiplash or ‘bodylash’ effect.
“Brain injury results in torn blood vessels, inflammation, death, or dysfunction of neurons and their support cells – like buildings felled in an earthquake.
“Recovery from injury is slow, and full recovery is uncertain, so players are at risk of permanent injury or even death at the extreme.”
The nature of ‘run it straight’ tournaments means the winner can be in 10 or more high impact collisions, which is just asking for trouble.
“Hit after hit from RunIt in quick succession is a recipe for catastrophic injury to the brain,” she said. “The risk of long-term damage and dementia from brain injuries is cumulative.
“The longer and the more hits sustained across a career, the higher the risk of conditions such as CTE.”
The RunIt 02 event in Dubai offered a whopping $200,000 prize for the winner, with second place taking home $50,000 and third place pocketing $25,000.
Dr Mobbs said the long term impacts of ‘run it straight’ events span far beyond the individual.
“As a community, we have a choice on how much brain injury is tolerable for the other benefits of sport,” she said.
“How much trauma for families, loss of life and loss of quality of life, and whether we allow our children to witness violence?
“Ultimately, do we encourage a more skills and endurance-based sporting milieu, or blood sports for the brain?
“Who do we allow to make a quick profit, if the cost to the community is brain damage over decades?”
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Originally published as Leading neurologist says RunIt is more dangerous than NRL, calls for new ‘sport’ to be banned
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