Kicker: A dangerous game

NICK EICHER, HOST: Pro football is clearly the most dangerous major sport: one academic paper concluded the player-injury rates are four to five times higher than all others: major-league baseball, the NBA, even the NHL.

So injuries in the NFL are quite common among players, but still rare among mascots.

That’s why an injury to the mascot of the Baltimore Ravens was such a shocker.

The Ravens’ mascot they call Poe, of course, a literary reference to Edgar Allen Poe.

Here’s Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh on Twitter:

HARBAUGH: Poe is going to be put on injured reserve for the rest of the season. He's going to be done. Unfortunately, he sustained a serious injury to his drumstick and he will not be able to perform for the rest of the season and we will find a replacement.

Did you hear that? Poe suffered a drumstick injury—aka: his knee. The injury coming after a youth football player tackled him during a little halftime entertainment, a mascot versus youth football game.

I guess Edgar Allen Poe might put it this way: the mascot’s days of cheering the team shall be “nevermore.” At least for this season.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

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