Sports derive their origin from the practice and execution of military strategies. The constant performance of physical exercise became known as Sports, originally designed to identify which individuals possessed stronger physical capabilities. But in the modern world, we don’t need as much military manpower so we decided to entertain ourselves by making people compete against each other. Sports have many sub derivatives which include football, tennis, basketball and so on. Each sport shows off talented players who all possess great skills. But not all sports are considered harmless competition. In fact, some sports like boxing and wrestling are very physical and can lead to great injury. Such sports in my opinion cause a lot of damage- mentally, physically and socially; the reasons why violent sports are not acceptable.
Influence on Youth
Children
“It is violent sports that we choose as men, and that we as parents allow our children to play”.
These violent sports can have a profound negative impact on growing children. Children at a young age are very impressionable. It is at this age that children begin to grasp the concept of what is acceptable and what is not. By being exposed to violent sports at a young age causes children to become desensitised to violence. They begin to numb their feelings, whether it be a sports match or a fistfight among peers. Children might also get the wrong idea about violent sports regarding how acceptable they are. If a child sees violence in sports and his family seems to be happy and encouraging about it, then the child will start associating violence with societal acknowledgement. This can throw children onto a very dangerous development path impacting them for years to come.
Adolescents
But little children aren’t the only ones at risk, adolescents are also susceptible to societal impressions. In adolescence, teenagers are more likely to engage in risky behaviour which can further be accentuated if they watch more full-on contact sports. Witnessing violent behaviour tends to lead older children into riskier activities. According to the CDC, children who are impacted by violence are shown to have elevated levels of suicidal thoughts, obesity, feelings of hopelessness and engagement in the use of illegal substances. Children at this age are already engaging in pretty stupid things, the last thing we need is for them to engage in more violent activities. This is the prime reason why violent sports should not be allowed and NEVER broadcasted.
The Sport and the Player
Physical Injuries
It is not just the viewers who are at stake while watching violent sports. The health of the ones participating in the sport is also at risk. While players are fully made aware of the regulations and risks concerned with the sport, it doesn’t stop the figures from telling a gruesome story.
Take boxing for example, a full-on contact sport in which both contestants are asked to knock out their opponents three times in order to be deemed the winner. There are so many health hazards around this sport and it is not pretty. The rules state that the contestant has 10 seconds to recover from being knocked out. Ten seconds is not enough for a person to fully recover from being knocked unconscious. Repeated knocking out can lead to brain trauma or impairment of the brain. This alters the structure of the brain causing speech difficulty, memory loss and more.
Mental Problems
Then, players not only sustain physical injuries but mental injuries as well. A lot of players who participate in violent sports tend to develop PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). They may also start to develop irregular eating habits and self-isolation which can lead to their mental health completely spiraling out of control. These people are putting a lot on the line when they enter the ring and this can lead to long-lasting health impacts on their life. This is another reason why violent sports should not be allowed. After all, it is life that counts more than any stupid sport!
A Catalyst for Destruction
Time and again it has been witnessed that violent sports also tend to bring out the worst of humanity. While it is natural to be competitive and eager to see your favourite team win, some people tend to overstep that friendly competitiveness and become a bit more barbaric.
Let us look back at the case of the Edinburgh riots in 2016 which broke during an MMA fight. According to www.dailyrecord.co.uk, children and women were nearly hit with projectiles which consisted of empty wine bottles. Completely uncivilised behaviour, it took law enforcement to quell the chaos and emergency vehicles on standby to treat injured civilians. The violence that occurred was somewhat proportionate to the kind of sport on display. This shows how violent sports can bring about catalytic reactions to failure or loss and this kind of barbaric display is simply not acceptable! After all, we are a civilised society, aren’t we?
Conclusion
There are multiple side effects of violent sports. We have seen that many young & impressionable children tend to have a more desensitised upbringing and their moral compass is misaligned due to them correlating violence with social acceptance. We see the participants of these sports sustaining heavy physical and mental injuries leading them to life-long miseries. Finally, we see that these violent sports can bring out the worst in us and even a crowd of adults can start behaving like violent animals at these sporting fixtures.
As Martin Luther King once said, “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars”. Violent Sports are dangerous, heinous, contemptible and simply not acceptable. The world is addicted and there will be no future if we don’t stop them NOW!
Writer : Ethan
Grade : 10 (Year 2023)
Place : Sydney, Australia
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