CNN
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Inspired by the biggest and most difficult full contact hits in American football and rugby, the burgeoning new sports trends have proven deadly and are now sought to be banned.
Run straight games branded by leagues organized as “the world’s most intense, new conflict sports.” Anyone who rules will win.
Tens of thousands of dollars were offered as prize money for organized events in New Zealand and Australia, and the game had fatal consequences and became a social media trend as teens tried it out at home.
Ryan Sattertwaite passed away in a hospital Monday after a backyard challenge tragically wrong in the small city of Palmerston North. New Zealand police said the 19-year-old was seriously injured.
His uncle Pete Satterthwaite told CNN affiliate RNZ that Ryan was attending a friend’s birthday party on Saturday and decided to play a round of a very popular game in New Zealand.
When Pete Sattertwaite saw local news reports about doing it, he thought the game was a “silly idea” and instinctively knew “someone would be seriously injured.”
He didn’t expect it to be his own nephew.
“The ultimate goal is to injure the other person and run through his peak. You guide with your shoulders and your head,” he said. “Whether they have medical staff on-site and everyone is taking the test, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has urged people not to participate in the tackle game and calls it “what to do.”
“You are hearing advice from the police, medical fraternity, the government, and from the principal.
“For adults who are involved in, influenced, and led this on social media, I think you need to stop.
New Zealand’s Minister of Sports Mark Mitchell said on Friday he sought advice on what the government could take on what it labelled as “unregulated activities pose a significant level of risk,” New Zealand’s Minister of Sports Mark Mitchell said on Friday he sought advice on Friday.
The Run it Straight game combines elements of American football and rugby. This is two sports that we work on in common but have clear rules to protect players.
Football players wear helmets and thick padding to withstand shocking tackles all over their bodies, except for their head and knees. Rugby players will film the field without helmets and have no padding, but tackles are allowed under the shoulders only.
This new game is partially popularized by a company called Runit Championship League. This claims that the game was “born for being born” and that it “swaddled social media with tens of millions of views.” According to an interview with Australian public broadcaster ABC, CEO and owner Charizma says that Christy Lesa Charizma, Charizma, Christian Lesa, started when he was hospitalized and struggling with mental health.
Resa said she was inspired by YouTuber Donald de la Haye, a Costa Ricon-American professional soccer player called “Deestroing.” Pit players one-on-one for virus clicks. He recreates the concept in Australia, with tournament-like events spreading across New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
As followers and subscribers grew on YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok, Runit began holding championships where participants came across one another, with the last standings winning the prize.
The Runit League final is scheduled for June, with $200,000 (approximately $118,800).
According to Professor Patria Hume of Auckland Institute of Technology, he warned that there is a high risk of brain damage and death, and that straight-type collisions are more than five times more force than rugby tackle.
“Ryan’s death was preventable. It was a backyard imitation of the Runit event, designed for its social media impact,” Hume said.
“Runit lacks the structure, safety protocols and objectives of traditional sports. Rugby, boxing and MMA are physical in nature, but dominated by rules designed to minimize harm and protect athletes.”
Stacey Mowbray, CEO of brain-injured tissue Headway, told CNN that Trending games are not a sport, adding that it is “reckless and glorious violence.”
“We fired an alarm in New Zealand when we heard they were warning us that we were at a higher risk of brain injuries and death. Social media was used to target young people with a message that this was a bit fun. That’s not the case. It’s fatal.
“It’s not about my head hitting the ground, it’s a shock,” she said.
A Runit Championship League spokesperson said in a statement that it did not encourage “sports copying” by saying it should only be done under “strict conditions.”
“All RUNIT events will follow established protocols including screening participants for suitability, strict guidelines on location and methods (between shoulders and hips only), followed by medical support and medical assessments conducted during and after the competition,” they told CNN..
The alarm bell had already sounded about the game before Ryan Satterthwaite’s death. Last week, two men were knocked unconscious during a Ranlit League event at Auckland’s Trust Arina, and one of them fell into a seizure.
“There was overwhelming concern about the high-risk nature of Runit-style events,” Lynette Adams, interim CEO of Trusts Arena, told CNN.
“We have decided not to allow future Runit events to take place at Trusts Arena as safety for all participants in our venue is paramount.”
High contact sports like rugby and rugby league are very popular in New Zealand, and Satterthwaite’s death puts pressure on the sports body and puts it in a straight, prone position.
New Zealand Rugby issued a statement warning people, “We should not take that into straight games or competitions as we take a serious risk of serious injuries.”
“People who want to play contact sports should sign up for schools and club teams and learn the art of avoidance and how to tackle safely in a controlled, safe environment,” the statement said.
Many New Zealand schools are working to prohibit students from playing games on school grounds, and are also banned by local council committees from some of Auckland’s largest city, the country’s largest city.
David Bobby, president of Palmerston North Boys High School, attended by Ryan Sutterthwaite a few years ago, said he had planned to warn students about the risk of running straight on campus before hearing about Ryan’s death.
“It’s an absolute tragedy. I can almost say that something like this is going to happen,” Bobby told RNZ, adding that he received the news 20 minutes before addressing students on Monday.
“I think this kind of thing really goes home in terms of the message we’re trying to give to the boys because teenage boys are terrible at thinking about the outcomes and they don’t think anything will happen to them. “This is something I shouldn’t.”
