Ken Block

2023 hasn't started well with the terrible news that Ken Block was killed yesterday in a snowmobile accident in Utah at the age of just 55, leaving behind three children. Ken was more recently famous for his rally driving and stunt videos, but was a business partner of my wife's brothers founding DC Shoes in 1994, a venture that worked our rather nicely for them.

He died doing what he loved to do, lived an extremely full and active life, and while I look at my Dad and his quality (or lack of quality) of life in his 96th year and understand you can live too long, passing at 55 with teenage children is much too young and very sad.  

In other bad news yesterday, the NFL's Monday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was abandoned after the Bills' Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in the first quarter after making a tackle and going into cardiac arrest. He required CPR for eight minutes and resuscitation but reports today suggest that his vital signs are back to normal.

While American Football is a brutal game, only one player has ever died during a game - Chuck Hughes of the Detroit Lions in 1971 in a game that was played to its conclusion against the Chicago Bears.

Some reports suggest that the NFL initially wanted the game last night to resume, but it was clear that many of the players were in shock and not in a fit state to play. Not a good look for the NFL if true. 

Both of the above events are jarring reminders of how fragile life is, and how important it is to maintain perspective and and understand what really matters in life. And it's not winning or losing your bets.