Nikki Lauda: The Dark Side of the Sporting World

During the third test match between Australia and Pakistan that was played in the first week of January 2017 at Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia's opening batsman, Matt Renshaw, had to leave the field as he was diagnosed with a concussion after being hit on the helmet multiple times. These blows on the 20-year-old youngster from Queensland has once again brought into the spotlight the risk of injuries in the sporting world and the question is, should players opt for a term insurance policy before taking on a career in sports?

Renshaw's injury might not be severe but what the world witnessed in 1976, certainly was. On August 1, 1976, Niki Lauda, the Austrian Formula 1 racer, met with probably the worst on-field incident in the history of sports and scripted an inspirational comeback that is still used as the best example to explain the importance of term insurance in sporting careers.

The Nightmare of Nurburgring

Niki Lauda was the biggest name in the driving circuit during the mid-1970s. He shared an intense rivalry with fellow driver James Hunt. After winning the first six races and drawing the next two of the 1976 season, Lauda looked set to win his second consecutive title. By the time the German Grand Prix was to be held in Nurburgring, he had almost double the points that Hunt had.

However, things went ugly during the second lap of the Nurburgring race. Niki Lauda's Ferrari met with a horrific accident in the second lap. He lost control of the car, crashed into the wall and burst into flames. The car drifted into the middle of the track, where another car smashed into it. During the accident, Lauda’s helmet came off.

He was trapped inside the vehicle, where temperatures rose to 800^oF, for nearly one minute before other drivers dragged him out. Despite almost losing his right ear, hair on the right side of the head, eyebrows and eyelids, he made a return to the truck within 6 weeks.

Lesson to be Learned

In the final race of the season, Lauda retired after just two laps, as Hunt won the title by one point. The reason he gave was that he was worried about his family. That's the other side of a glorious career no one tells you about.

On November 27, 2014, Australian opening batsman Phillip Hughes lost his life on the field after being hit by a bouncer, while 19 players and staff members of the Brazilian football team Chapecoense were killed in a plane crash on November 30, 2016. This is why, in the modern day, it is important to have an online term insurance plan before taking to the field, given how uncertain life is and how much an accident can cost you and your family.