Date Posted:Sat, March 14 2009, 23:31:52 GMT-10 Author: Johnno Subject: Lightning
I am writing to express my horror at what I saw tonight
This evening a major thunderstorm hit Sydney with massive lightning strikes all over the city. Yet onward without a second thought of the dangers this situation provides marched the Cronulla v Penrith and the Bulldogs v Manly games.
What will it take for the NRL to take this situation seriously. Will it take half a team of players to be struck by lightning and killed before the NRL does something about this ?
Most amateur sports have a lightning rule that allows play to be suspended until lightning clears away.
Why is the NRL so careless on this issue – Clearly the safety of the competitions player are paramount?
It was only 5 years ago that a local cricket player was struck & killed by lightning in an environment that was actually a long way from the centre of a thunderstorm – let alone what I saw on TV tonight where NRL matches were playing smack in the middle of areas experiencing fierce lightning and thunder. It was the death of this player that lead to all cricket in Sydney being regulated by a lightning rule.
Why is professional sport so far behind amateur sports when player safety is considered ?
Will it take one or more deaths and a mountain of lawsuits by deceased players relatives to change things ?
