Admit it, when the news of Clint Dempsey having an irregular heartbeat first emerged last month you probable shrugged it off and figured it wasn't that serious. For the past decade, Dempsey had seemed almost bulletproof, even as defenders constantly chopped at him. He endured it all and kept on coming back, scoring goals and delivering in the biggest of moments.
Tuesday's news that Dempsey's condition would force him to miss the rest of the year served as the real wake-up call we all needed to show that Dempsey is human, and remind us that we can't take sporting heroes for granted.