Action Sports

Longtime BMX star Dave Mirra was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy based on a brain evaluation by a Toronto neuropathologist following his apparent suicide in February. 

Alyssa Roenigk of ESPN The Magazine reported that the CTE findings by Dr. Lili-Naz Hazrati, which were similar to those of former football and hockey players, have since been confirmed by other neuropathologists.

The report noted Mirra becomes the first action sports athlete publicly diagnosed with the degenerative disease and included comments from Hazrati about the findings. The results from the BMX rider and those who played violent contact sports were virtually the same.

"I couldn't tell the difference," she told ESPN The Magazine. "The trauma itself defines the disease, not how you got the trauma."

Hazrati added: "It validates what we have been thinking about brain injuries in boxers and football players. The key is brain injury. Regardless of how you get it, through BMX or hockey, you are at risk for this."

Mirra's wife, Lauren, described for ESPN The Magazine the changes she witnessed before his death and what she hopes will come from his diagnosis:

I started to notice changes in his mood. And then it quickly started to get worse. He wasn't able to be present in any situation or conversation, so it was hard to be in a relationship with him to any degree. He was lost. I looked straight through him on a few occasions. And I was like, "Where are you? Where are you? What is wrong?"

This is the beginning of bringing awareness. It would be amazing if this is something we can detect in life one day. If we can detect it, prevent it, stop it, let's do all of the above.

This is merely the latest example of the widespread impact of head injuries in former athletes. Jason M. Breslow of PBS reported last September a study by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University showed 96 percent (87 of 91) of former NFL players studied tested positive for CTE.

Michael Drapack of CBC Sports reported in February that more than 100 former NHL players filed a lawsuit stating the league should have known about the long-term impact of head injuries and failed to educate players about the risk.

Mirra, 41, was found Feb. 4 with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, per Jason Hanna of CNN.

It doesn't matter how old you get—you always have to look both ways before you go into the street.

This skateboarder apparently forgot to follow a rule everyone was taught as a child, and it nearly cost him in a big way.

He decided to show off his board skills by riding a rail and continuing to do tricks in the street. Then, in a complete surprise, a car drove through in the far lane, and the skateboarder narrowly missed getting run over.

Crazily, it doesn't appear anyone warned him about the oncoming car. Then again, that was always Virginia Venit's job:

Fortunately, the skateboarder managed to avoid getting wrecked by the car. Now he can live to watch the clip go viral.

[House of Highlights, YouTube]

At the age of eight years old, Aaron Fotheringham decided he didn't want to be a spectator.

He wanted to get in on the action.

Fotheringham was born with spina bifida, a birth defect of the spinal cord, and uses a wheelchair as a result. That diagnosis may keep some people from going after their dreams but not Fotheringham. He wanted to join his brother on the ramps at the skatepark.

Nothing was going to keep him from realizing that dream. Not even a wheelchair.

"Wheelz," now 24 years old, has found a way to get out on the ramp and do what he loves. Although his wheelchair may not always come out in one piece, he is able to get it fixed and get right back on the ramps.

For more on Wheelz, check out this Q&A session with Wings for Life World Run.

[Red Bull]

A shocking new video doing the rounds online shows a snowboarder by the name of Kelly Murphy being chased down a mountain by a bear.

The incident occurred on Murphy's recent trip to Japan, where she took to the slopes of the Hakuba 47 resort.

The video, which is posted on Murphy's YouTube channel, shows her setting up a camera, strapping herself in while singing along to Rihanna's "Work" and then setting off down the slopes.

The bear is first spotted lurking in the background as Murphy prepares to get started and can then be seen giving chase as she casually starts her ride.

Fortunately, the huge animal gives up once she picks up the pace.

"OMG! I was going through my snowboarding videos and I found a bear chasing me!!! I nearly got eaten!!!" Murphy posted on YouTube. "This was at Hakuba 47 in Japan, filmed yesterday! Be careful people!!!"

Some are questioning whether the footage is real or fake—we'll leave that for you to decide for yourselves.

[YouTube]

Snowboarder Louie Vito shows how he stays in shape with an intense workout. 

UNINTERRUPTED is a breakthrough platform that provides athletes with an unprecedented forum to provide uncensored, real-time perspectives on the topics they most want to address. UNINTERRUPTED athletes communicate directly with fans while providing rare behind-the-scenes video content that offers a peek into their lives.

If anyone has ever wondered what it's like to be a pro BMX rider, Nigel Sylvester has you covered.

Thanks to a Sony action camera, the 28-year-old has been able to give fans a glimpse into how much fun bikers have. After previously riding through New York City, he got his wheels and hit the streets (and more) of Los Angeles.

With the setting being Los Angeles, there were a few cameo appearances from celebrities like Rob Dyrdek during his adventure:

Take a few minutes and experience a ride unlike any you have ever had before—unless you watched his New York video, of course.

[Nigel Sylvester Live]

Louie Vito returns home to Ohio, and checks in from the Cleveland Cavaliers game.

UNINTERRUPTED is a breakthrough platform that provides athletes an unprecedented forum to provide uncensored, real-time perspectives on the topics they most want to address. UNINTERRUPTED athletes communicate directly with fans while providing rare behind-the-scenes video content that offers a peek into their lives.

Louie Vito enjoys his first car show and uses a selfie stick to show off some rims.

 UNINTERRUPTED is a breakthrough platform that provides athletes an unprecedented forum to provide uncensored, real-time perspectives on the topics they most want to address. UNINTERRUPTED athletes communicate directly with fans, while providing rare behind-the-scenes video content that offers a peek into their lives.

Police in Greenville, North Carolina, announced BMX legend Dave Mirra died Thursday.

Local authorities are still investigating the incident and noted an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound was the preliminary cause of death.

Shortly before his death, Mirra shared a photo of himself and his wife, Lauren:

"We mourn the loss today of a great friend and wonderful human being who touched the lives of so many around the world with his gift," Greenville Mayor Allen Thomas said. "He called Greenville, North Carolina, home and was as humble a guy talking with kids on a street corner about bikes as he was in his element on the world stage."

The 41-year-old Mirra was a fixture of the X Games as the event was gaining traction in the late 1990s and early 2000s. According to the X Games' official website, he won 14 gold, six silver and four bronze medals. The 24 combined medals are the second-most in X Games history behind Bob Burnquist's 27:

In 2011, Mirra retired from competitive BMX events and transitioned to a full-time rally-racing career with Subaru Rally Team USA. In 2008, Mirra earned a bronze medal in rally-car racing at the X Games.

Mirra was also a crossover star, lending his name to the Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX video game series, which spawned four entries. For a short time, he also served as host of MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge.