Time for another instalment of the Daily Bonnet Fact Check, where we scour the Internet to confirm or deny commonly held beliefs about Mennonites.
So, today we’re going to tackle a big one: Is it really true that more people are fatally wounded playing Dutch Blitz than are killed by sharks each year?
Well, according to US government statistics, there are 57 unprovoked shark attacks each year in the United States. Additionally there are 38 “provoked” attacks, because apparently sometimes people are just asking for it. Thankfully, not all of these are fatal. Worldwide there are about 10 fatal shark attacks each year.
That sounds pretty bad, right? Let’s have a look at the Dutch Blitz stats. Including hand injuries, bruising, paper cuts, and hurt feelings, experts say they are about 13,315 Dutch Blitz injuries each year and, according to gaming scholars, 99% of them are “provoked.” Thankfully, as with shark attacks, most are not fatal. In fact, only two people died last year playing Dutch Blitz and both of them were from heart attacks due to too much excitement and/or sausage.
What about other scary things like lightning strikes or being carried away in a twister? Those are exceedingly rare, as well. In fact, you’re more likely to be struck by lightning while being attacked by a shark than you are to die of Dutch Blitz injuries.
ARE YOU MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM DUTCH BLITZ THAN A SHARK ATTACK?
DAILY BONNET VERDICT: FALSE!
