Teen Dies After Controversial Tackle Game
A teenager has died after suffering a head injury while playing a private 'run it straight-style' tackle game in Palmerston North.
It follows on from official RUNIT events taking place in Auckland last week, with a quarter of participants in one event reportedly suffering concussions.
The Science Media Centre asked experts to comment.
Professor Louise Parr-Brownlie (Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Arawa), Neuroscientist in the Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, comments:
'All unnecessary deaths are tragic, and leave a trail of destruction for whānau and friends. Ngā mihi ki te whānau me ngā hoa o Ryan Satterthwaite.
'Tackle game appears to be the latest version of a gladiator sport – adrenaline-driven risk taking by the gladiators that provides entertainment for those watching. Consequently, there are significant prizes up for grabs for competitors in organised competitions.
'Be cautious! Injury occurs when two people collide running at significant speed. Impact forces damage body tissues.
'Head injuries will occur from direct impact when one person's head collides the other person's head, part of their body or the ground. However, injury will also occur when there is no external impact – through whiplash. Here, when the body stops suddenly, but the head and brain snaps forwards or backwards, the cerebrospinal fluid that normally suspends and cushions the brain cannot prevent it from hitting the skull. This impact within the head tears brain and supporting connective tissues.
'As a consequence, brain function will be altered due to swelling or damage. The brain is bruised and the person is concussed. If the damage or swelling is severe, the person may die unless there is an emergency medical intervention.
'Fans of tackle game competitions enjoy the strengthened sense of community at these events. Connecting, the sense of belonging and forming deep relationships are good for mental health. But there are many other ways to connect and improve mental health without increasing the risk of a brain injury or death for a friend or competitor.'
No conflicts of interest.
Dr Josh McGeown, Senior Research Fellow – Mātai Medical Research Institute, comments:
'This is an incredibly sad – but unfortunately foreseeable – loss of life.
'While 'Run it Straight' events may superficially appear to resemble rugby or league, they are fundamentally different. In rugby codes, a primary concern is the risk of concussion. Decades of research have focused on understanding the biomechanics, assessment, prevention and rehabilitation of these injuries to reduce the risks. Safeguards like modified rules, medical oversight, proper training, and safe technique are integral to making sport safer.
'The format of 'Run it Straight' disregards these advances in sports medicine by deliberately creating 'battlefield' conditions that maximise the intensity of each collision. From a brain injury perspective, this shifts concerns from risk of concussion – serious in itself – to high risk of catastrophic and immediately life-threatening brain trauma due to skull fractures or brain bleeds. These severe forms of injury are more commonly seen in high-speed crashes than in organised sport.
'The RUNIT League promotes itself as the 'world's fiercest collision sport… built to break limits.' They say it was 'born to go viral.' That's exactly the problem and reflects a broader issue: the role of media in amplifying high-risk behaviour. When these stunts trend online or feature in mainstream reporting, they become socially endorsed. Glorifying violent collisions as entertainment and rewarding domination creates a culture of imitation – especially among young men – with dire consequences.
'This is where the distinction between RUNIT and sports like rugby matters most. In sport, injury is a risk. In RUNIT, injury is the objective. These events are not a test of toughness or resilience. They are deliberately engineered to cause harm for the sake of views and virality.'
Conflict of interest statement: 'I have received funding from the New Zealand Rugby Foundation.'
Professor Patria Hume, Professor Human Performance, AUT, comments:
'Last week in media interviews I stated that 'It is very clear from the number of concussions from the small number of 'running at each other events' that have occurred, that this is going to result in death'. I also said it unfortunately takes a death to make people take notice and to stop these high injury risk activities.
'This was a back yard copycat of the RunIt events. Ryan's death was preventable.
'The 'King of the Streets' 'event' based on UFC is also a high-risk event.
'We need people to stop participating in activities where the intention is to hurt someone.
'Why is this not considered assault?
'When two 150 kg rugby players collide at full sprint, the impact force can exceed 24,000 Newtons—far greater than a car crash at 30 km/h. These are not just games; they are high-speed collisions with the potential to cause life-altering brain injuries and death. Our biomechanics calculations show that the human body is not built to absorb this level of force repeatedly without consequence.
'The force of an intentional collision between two sprinting players is nearly five times that of a professional boxer's punch and more than twice the force of falling from two meters. These numbers are not just statistics—they represent a serious risk of concussion, fractures, with the potential to cause life-altering brain injuries and death. We must treat these impacts with the same seriousness as we do car crashes.'
No conflicts of interest.
Professor Melanie Bussey, School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, comments:
'The 'Run it Straight' event involves players tackling one another head-on at full run-up speed, a format that raises serious safety concerns. Current research is in agreement that front-on, upright tackles carry a significantly higher risk of concussions and neck injury. Moreover, our recent instrumented mouthguard research confirms that these tackles result in significantly higher head acceleration outcomes, which increases the likelihood of serious brain trauma. Objectively, this style of contact is among the highest-risk in sport when it comes to head and neck injury.
'At a time when player associations and governing bodies, across various sporting codes, are working hard to improve player welfare and reduce preventable injuries, the introduction of such a high-risk event seems not only counterproductive but deeply concerning.'
Conflict of interest statement: 'My research has been funded by World Rugby as well as the NZ rugby foundation, I have working relationships with Prevent Biometrics and New Zealand Rugby both through my own research work and the work of my students.'
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