Should fighting sports be legal?

Having 14 years of experience in fighting sports mainly boxing and MMA one glaring issue stands out.

Brain damage.

www.traumaticbraininjury.net...

Here is a frightening statistic: nearly 90-percent of boxers suffer a brain injury of some extent during their career, according to the Association of Neurological Surgeons. The repeated hits to the head on a daily basis are terrible on boxers, and causes them to be prone to Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease later in their lives.

I've met many boxers who are punch drunk including world champions. I personally suffer from symptoms of brain injuries like emotional outburst, memory issues, and I'm very impulsive.

Now let me tell you most of the damage is done during hard sparring sessions in the gym and I calculate I have an estimated 20,000 plus rounds over a period of 11 years of active competition on different levels.

The crazy thing is there's guys out there with way more experience.

You could have told me anything for many of those early years and it wouldn't have mattered. I get asked a lot if I regret it and usually the answer is no but sometimes truthfully the answer is yes.

Unlike what my coach had advised me for many years I didn't focus on my personal life and option B and am now left dealing with the aftermath like many many others.

Its very hard to understand why fighters fight and I wouldn't expect Anyone to understand but the love of the crowd is absolutely amazing.

Anyway I would like to hear alternative perspectives on this and I know this is a popular topic on ATS so I'd like to call into question the legality of the sport.

Yeah. Football too.

But perhaps the problem isn't with the "sport" itself. Just in how it is conducted.

Is kicking someone's ass a sport?

Gladiators? Feeding people to lions? Whee!!!

a reply to: onequestion

You know who else gets a lot of brain damage...deployed troops when they get blown up by an IED or hit with an RPG.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a known injury in today's combat arena. Improved screening and surveillance methods have diagnosed TBI with increasing frequency. Current treatment plans are based largely on information gleaned from sports injuries. However, these management paradigms fail to address the effect of physiologic stress (fatigue, dehydration) and psychological stress at the time of injury as well as the number of previous concussions that may affect recovery from combat-related TBI. This article presents current evaluation and management of combat-related injury and discusses other psychological conditions that may coexist with TBI.

TBI is no joke.

a reply to: RainbowPhoenix

Oh trust me I know I'm very careful with my approach when I train people.

I think fighters and combat vets a lot in common I know many of both.

Combat is far more intense but the issues suffered by both are very similar.

Depression angerr , can't be happy, hard time settling into a career, all of the above.

The respect a fighter has something to be said for it like soldiers I've witnesses.

Trust me I know soldiers aew far more badass no question.

Please extrapolate.

Phage.

a reply to: onequestion
Martial arts are not inherently good or bad. In fact, in principle, they are beneficial.

Blood sport, for the sake of entertainment and especially profit on the part of those who promote it, that's another matter. That is a perversion.

Martial arts are not a "sport."

I think so. Since not fighting ups the likelihood of a sedentary lifestyle which can be just as harmful If not more so than the potential injuries sustained in fighting.

Also because in my opinion martial arts can be a healthy outlet for people of all ages and walks of life. I know it can save people from addiction.

Plus I believe humans were meant to pursue greatness, to take risks rather then just stay safe.

If It were illegal that would be straight up oppressive IMO.

a reply to: onequestion

People make a choice to do those sports knowing the risks. If they have a skill for the sport then the reward can outweigh the risk.

Other professions are dangerous, too. Should crab catching be illegal because there are risks?

No. It is a personal choice, just like you made.

It won't be made illegal simply because too much money is made for all involved.

Between grown consenting adults?

Why not?

That's why a lot of them make the big bucks. They are aware of the chances they are taking. Just like nascar and formula one. It's risky. Sometimes deadly. They earn way, way, more than minimum wage to do it and that is why.

Lots of folks think that kind of money makes it worth the risk and if they are grown, who am I to say that to them it isn't worth it?

a reply to: Phage

I disagree. A sport is: an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

If blood is let during the sport, it does not make it a non sport or perversion of a sport.

It might not be your cup of tea, but it is still a sport.

a reply to: Phage

There have been competitions, full contact, for the ENTIRE history of martial arts.

It has always been a sport.

a reply to: gator2001

If blood is let during the sport, it does not make it a non sport or perversion of a sport.

The perversion is in spectators who pay to vicariously "participate." Go ahead, join a dojo, learn something about yourself. Don't expect to be paid for it.

originally posted by: projectvxn
a reply to: Phage

There have been competitions, full contact, for the ENTIRE history of martial arts.

It has always been a sport.

Yeah, well. So what?

Yes we should ban fighting sports... along with football, gymnastics, hang-gliding, and anything else where someone could possibly hurt themselves.

a reply to: gator2001

tend to agree with you but many times I find young athletes do not understand the risk until its too late.

The reward far far outweighs the risk.

a reply to: Bone75
No.
It's not a matter of doing dangerous things.

This issue isn't one that will be around much longer.

In a few decades at least, people will enjoy watching robots do various sports on steroids ( no pun intended ).
The demand and interest will be so high, that human fighting will become B movie material and underground will even charish the robotic aspect since it's so easy to cheat in unregulated scenes.

If people wanna beat each others brains out, it's their freedom to do so. They get paid, which is much better than days of old. Wanna talk about perversion though, talk about their pay not their brain damage, that should of been expected. I wouldn't last long either if I hit my head against the wall day after day after day.

Anyhow... Robots... Yeah.

To directly answer the question posed by your thread title - yes.
Every fighter should be given a full course before the first fight or first hardcore training session of what the possible negative outcome could be. As long as they understand what is it risk, and are willing participants they should be allowed to fight for sport - or in my opinion even for personal enjoyment as long as they both are willing participants.

Our species has always been violent. Pretending otherwise is foolish. Forcing someone or a large number of people to attempt not to be violent is also a futile effort. That being said I am not against people trying to better themselves and teach the next generation not to be violent.

a reply to: DeviantMortal

Oh wow I like that.

I'll he pitching that to fellow coaches and possibly contacting state athletic commission.

I'm thinking required for competition among with the medical requirements an online course about brain injuries.

a reply to: onequestion

I don't practice MMA, per se, but I do train in Krav Maga and do my share of sparring, so while I may not experience it at the level you do/have, here's my take on your question in the thread title: Everything done between two consenting adults should be legal, as long as it doesn't directly harm anyone else.

Of course fighting sports should be legal, but at the same time, I think that all information about said injuries should be prominently displayed and discussed in the sport so that the consenting adults can make educated decisions.

But, yes, of course they should be legal.