Violence in Sports

[geonuc]

I've decided I'm fed up with violence in American sports. Extra-legal violence, that is.

I don't like illegal, violent hits in football, particularly when they don't advance the game. Late hits out of bounds, that sort of thing. Or anything Ndamukong Suh does. Were it up to me, that guy would not be playing.

I don't like baseball players who lead with their shoulder coming home in an attempt to dislodge the ball from the catcher.
I don't like baseball players who slide outside the lane to trip up the SS/2nd baseman at second. Those cleats can really damage people.
I really don't like pitchers who intentionally hit batters.

I don't like basketball players who throw elbows. Essentially, Ron Artest or Kevin Garnet's style of play.

I don't like hockey. The whole game stinks of unnecessary thuggery, sometimes to the point where I think players should literally be arrested.

That's it. That's my rant.

[The Supreme Canuck]

Agreed. Especially about the hockey.

[SciFiFisher]

Q: What is the difference between a brawl and hockey?
A: Hockey players use sticks.

[cid]

The basis of most games is some form of violence (see the roots of chess). Rules are (supposedly) in place to limit the violence to some 'acceptable' level.
After all, the reason that warfare evolved into games was to prevent each side from killing the other while still settling the dispute.

The acceptable level depends on the game. What's acceptable in football is not acceptable in basketball or baseball.
That being said, I agree that there is too much 'looking the other way' or 'it's just part of the game' in many sports. Yes, there's the gray area
that pops up (did he mean it or did it just happen, no intent?), but IMNSHO it's fairly obvious when the envelope gets stretched past the
breaking point. Until some sport's regulatory body says that X behavior is unacceptable, and that violations will result in suspensions
and MEANINGFUL fines (like, a fine that is measured in POUNDS of dollar bills), things will go on as they are.

But like the gladiatorial games of old, a fair percentage of the fans go to see the 'controlled' violence (the pick on the court, the hard block on
the gridiron, coming in to second with spikes in the air, the fender-bendin' at any NASCAR race). Until human nature itself changes,
the levels of violence will be maintained, and in some circumstances could be allowed to increase.

Dat beez just da way we'uns is...

[SciFi Chick]

So I'm guessing you're not a big fan of boxing or the UFC either.

[geonuc]

So I'm guessing you're not a big fan of boxing or the UFC either.

I'm not a big fan of either, although I have attended some UFC events. Back in day when the boxing heavyweight championship was contested by the likes of Ali, Frazier, Norton, etc., I watched every fight. Now, it just bores me.

But those are sports where violence is not only within the rules, it's the whole sport. A boxer or MM artist hits the opponent in the face to earn points. As an example of where I'm coming from using boxing as a reference, I think Mike Tyson should have been charged with battery after he bit off part of Evander Holyfield's ear during a bout. There's no place in the sport or society for that, just as there's no place for using a hockey stick as a weapon.

So no, to say I don't like violent sports is not entirely true and not the point. American football is inherently violent and I enjoy watching it. It's the illegal stuff I don't like.

In the final analysis, I want games contested fairly with a high level of sportsmanship.

[The Supreme Canuck]

I'm pretty sure what geonuc is saying (and correct me if I'm wrong) is that in, say, hockey, a legal bodycheck is fine. But stopping play, dropping gloves, and beating on another guy as the ref stands there, watching, and the crowd cheers the bloodshed? Not okay.

[cid]

So I'm guessing you're not a big fan of boxing or the UFC either.

Not particularly, no...

[geonuc]

I'm pretty sure what geonuc is saying (and correct me if I'm wrong) is that in, say, hockey, a legal bodycheck is fine. But stopping play, dropping gloves, and beating on another guy as the ref stands there, watching, and the crowd cheers the bloodshed? Not okay.

Yes, although it's not just cases where the refs don't intervene.