greenie wrote:
 
> In the majority of sports -- whether team or individual -- injuries occur
> most often to the athletes that are not the most prepared, especially
> physically.
 
[snip]
 
> Now that's just plain stupid.
>
> Logic would suggest that a dentist would have the better chance of being
> injured as he's not as aware of the risks nor results of being burned.
 
You've managed to completely miss the point of Adam's comment.  The firefighter
is more likely to get burned, since to be burned you have to be close to the
fire.  The firefighter is and the dentist is not.  The hockey analogy: Where do
most injuries take place?  On the ice.  Ergo, the player on the ice is the one
most likely to get hurt.  Let's say that your top defenseman has half the
likelihood of getting hurt as your fourth line center for any given length of
playing time since he knows what he's doing.  But the defenseman is on the ice
for 30 minutes a game and the center for only 7 1/2 minutes.  This means the
blueliner is twice as likely to get hurt in any given game, since he logs four
times the minutes.
 
In your hiking example, the Coloradan is much more likely to get caught in an
avalanche than the Floridian if the Floridian is still at home.
 
J. Michael Neal
 
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