Should violent sports like wrestling be banned?
Introduction:History claims that sports and violence have always accompanied each other since time immemorial. In ancient days the kings and bureaucrat found sadistic pleasure in watching gladiators and slaves kill each other to death. They continued to be the favorite entertainment means for quite a long time in different forms in various countries.
When revolutions began and the cruel rulers were replaced by civilized ones, these extremely violent, life endangering sports were immediately banned until modern sports recognized wrestling and other violent sports in sets of rules and regulations.
Wrestling, boxing, cage fighting continues to be the most debated sports. Wrestlers lose their calm all the time that results in fatal injuries to fellow wrestlers. The Great Khali was badly injured during a tournament few months back and he did swear to revenge blood with blood. That is going to be nasty if not an eye opener for the propagators of violent sports.
Yes:1. Promoting the superiority of strength : Sports like boxing do promote arrogance and superiority complex of people with beefed up body and strength. The picturesque view for the spectator leads them to believe that those who have such supreme strength can boost it and hit and win over those who are less powerful than them. The kind of pride and arrogance a wrestler displays after seriously hurting his competitor, while the audience cheers and hoots with excitement is no good teaching for teenagers who are at the verge of picking up brawls.
2. Serious injuries : Many wrestlers and boxers and other sports people in violent games are known to have been injured as badly as to never lead a normal life again. There is no fair play in sports. Aggression and anger takes over when you are hit by someone in front of a large audience and eventually you retaliate in extreme ways. Hitting with chairs and throwing someone off like an object is no entertainment unless you want people to be sadistic.
3. Children imitate : The biggest harm these violent sports do is to children and teenagers. Children imitate the act and are often seen indulging in plays that involve fighting siblings like they watched on screen and expect people to hoot and cheer for them if they score a brownie point. Peer group can also be influenced if a single child or teen in the group is a fan of these sports. They will try to recreate scenes that can lead to fatal injuries.
4. Cruelty : Boxing and wrestling are cruel sports, even if they are governed by sets of rules and regulations. The fatal of injuries in sports are the contribution of these two sports. It looks cruel and inhuman when two people fight to extreme measures until the other exhausts pins the other down to submission. It is a pain to watch wrestlers getting up to fight even though they are injured and should have quit. The adrenaline rush that violence brings them is a clear example of the cruel nature of these sports.
5. Repeated trauma : Getting injured and healing back to health might not be a serious issue with wrestlers and boxers but these sports do have long-term trolls too. A report claims that repeated trauma can lead to dementia pugilistica commonly known as “punch dark” results from repeated blows on head.
No:1. Staying fit : Professional training in boxing can make you exceptionally healthy and fit at body. You burn calories and stay free of diseases that result from being obese and lack of exercise. The physical training includes work outs that keeps you fit for years gifting you with a physical sports to love and look up to along with quick fats burning in very short duration. Muscles are strengthened and you get to have a good cardiovascular health. Good body brings in good energy and vibes in your life outside the arena which is why wrestlers are often known to be ebullient people outside the ring. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, The Great Khali, Vijender Singh, etc. are some examples.
2. Controlled environment : Boxing and all other modern sports take place under a well-controlled environment where there are rules to be followed, penalties to be paid when played foul and reputation at stake if you hurt the sentiments of people who support you. Actions have always been taken against those who got involved in foul play or caused serious injury to the competitor. There are medical facilities present for emergency situations and moreover, trainers and coaches are always present to keep the sport going smooth.
3. Unfair to fans : Putting a ban on any sport will be like dictating what not to like in sports. There are millions of fans of boxing and wrestling. The commercial sports industry keeps escalating its turnover which is a clear indication that fans will be sad to see their favorite sports go away.
4. Accidents happen in all sports : Almost every sport has some amount of health risk. Even the simplest of sports have reports of accidents and injuries that happen. These are accidental and cannot be taken as reasons to ban a sport. You don’t stop walking for the fear of falling down. We don’t stop driving because of the rising cases of road accidents. How could a sport be banned because of some unfortunate events?
5. Recreational : Sports are entirely for the purpose of entertainment. People follow what they like and might aspire to make a career in boxing. While children imitating violence is concerned, it is entirely upon parents to guide them about the right and wrong of what they see on screen just as it goes for all other television content that call for parental guidance.
Conclusion :People with a weak heart are not advised to watch them and people who love the sport have many reasons to find it entertaining. Rules, however, could be stricter to avoid fatal injuries or repeated trauma.
Getting pleasure in seeing others inflicting pain could be sadistic in nature but that is an entirely different mindset of people who take the sport more seriously than it should be taken. It is a psychological condition which might be breeding inside for long and the person gets it triggered when he sees violence. That cannot be the sole reason for banning a sport.
