Should boxing be banned?

[pro_tempore]

^ thing is, even if it is not against their will, their "sufferring" and subsequent passing out is being shown in mass media.

i don't think banning is at all wise. i'd rather see it as a knee-jerk reaction to pain: it hurts to watch, so shut it out.

see, if there's anything i'm a fan of, it's free media. i don't believe in banning, i don't believe in shielding people from the truth. and the truth is, when you're cheering for a boxer, you're condoning a bloodsport -- and you should see EVERYTHING that bloodsport entails. thanks to television, you're not just seeing a boxer fight hard for something; you're seeing him/her suffering to earn that victory.

and thanks to mass media like the television and the Internet, people become aware of the very real dangers of contact sports. sure, people ascribe their own meanings to it: some say it's cruelty, some say it's honor. but i believe that ultimately, it's the athlete's decision. in most cases, a boxer used to be one of us, exposed to all the same media and aware of all the same risks. and enjoying all the same things about the sport that the majority of us spectators do.

i've always believed that a sport -- any sport -- reflects society more than it impacts society. injuries incurred in a boxing match may be getting media coverage, which offends the sensibilities of some... but one has to look at how the audience perceives those injuries. let's say, for example, a national hero fights for the country. it is shown on TV. every blow landed on the athlete is a blow to the spectators; every blow he lands is a little victory.

there is glory in being a champion. it extols the virtue of sacrifice and strength of body, mind and heart. it inspires and guides those with hard lives, who need warriors to look up to. i've had the chance to observe the boxing fans i know, and i saw how they were brought together by their common love for a sport, their united sympathy for their champion... and i realized that while i hate the very act of watching, i can't call a thing like that entirely evil.

hmm... i think it's more foreseeable that the rules of boxing will change to adapt to a more sensitive society: one that's less tolerant of inflicting physical harm. this won't be anytime soon, though, i'm afraid. then after a while of changing the rules so often, boxing would cause fewer and fewer injuries, until it doesn't seem like boxing at all, and it is phased out altogether.

but i'm thinking, that's how a way of life dies off naturally. you just don't force it.

[faaip_de_oiad]

very interesting. I hope that time comes real soon.