19 year old tragically dies playing viral ‘run it straight’ challenge
19 year old Ryan Satterthwaite has died from a critical head injury after playing an informal game of Run it Straight.
Run it Straight or RUNIT is a new sport coming out of Australia. Originating from rugby league, the sport is premised on two individuals a ball runner and a tackler running and colliding into each other. The sport has quickly grown in popularity, with international tournaments been held in New Zealand and soon to be America.
Beyond formal tournaments, Run it Straight has quickly become a social media craze. Clips of run it straight challenges have amassed tens of millions of views online, encouraging younger demographics to participate in this viral trend in informal settings.
Neuroscientists have previously warned that the contact sport is highly dangerous, stressing the risks of head injury.
Experts, such as Chris Yorke of Western Sydney University, argue that the RUNIT Organisation has failed to properly communicate to its social media audience the inherent risks involved in playing the game.
PhD Candidate Samuel Cornell notes that in recent years dangerous viral trends leading to tragic outcomes are sadly becoming more frequent.
According to the organisation’s website “RUNIT is the WORLD’S fiercest, new collision sport. Born to go viral, built to break limits”