Boxing: Down for the Count
The tenth edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines boxing as
"the art of attack and defense with the fists practiced as a sport." I could be mistaken, but there is a certain emphasis placed on the idea that boxing is practiced as a sport. It is rather ambiguous. Is boxing a sport to begin with?
Is boxing something else that is just practiced as a sport? Is it, can it, or should it be practiced as something else rather than as a sport? Maybe I am just making too big a deal out of a simple definition here. Nevertheless, this simple definition of boxing gives rise to one question we should all take some time to answer: should boxing be practiced as a sport? Examination of medical findings and statistics and re-examination of our views and goals as a modern society will lead us to the one inevitable conclusion: considering boxing as a respectable sport just flies in the face of decency and civilization and therefore, it should be banned. Somehow, boxers and supporters have deluded themselves into thinking that boxing, when properly conducted, is safe. The classic justification goes something like this: "[b]oxers are not two brawling brutes seeking to maim or kill each other. [t]hey are two closely matched athletes seeking, through the use of such skills an footwork, timing, accuracy, punching, and feinting, to determine who is the better man in the ring" (Farley
26). Unfortunately, dead boxers tell a different story. A study on dangerous contact sports conducted by Patrick Malone of the Knight Ridder News Service in
1980 revealed that from 1970 to 1978 in America, there was an average of 21 deaths per year among 5,500 boxers, or 3.8 deaths per 1,000 participants, compared to college football's 0.3 deaths per 1,000 and high school football's
0.1 deaths per 1,000 (Sammons 247). Another more recent study conducted by the
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia revealed that
361 deaths have occurred in the ring worldwide since 1945 (NHMRC 22). Deaths and serious injury suffered in boxing contests reveal only a small percentage of the potential for danger. Unfortunately, the damaging effects of the "sport" are cumulative and difficult to diagnose, sometimes resulting in death, serious illness, or blindness long after the boxer is out of the public limelight.
However, convincing evidence has mounted over the years to the effect that chronic encephalopathy (a disease of the brain marked by personality changes, intellectual impairment, slurred speech, and motor deficits), Parkinson's syndrome (a nervous disorder marked by tremors, drooling, muscle weakness, and
Original Production and ESPN films created "Shadowboxing: The Journey of the African-American Boxer” in 1999. This incredible documentary shows us how African American fighters broke
The Terme Boxer or Boxer at Rest is a bronze statue with copper inlays that is cast in a manner representative of early Hellenistic statues. The exact location that this piece was used in is currently uncertain as the bronze statue was located in a form of storage within the foundations of an ancient unidentified building. Estimates regarding the date on this statue are mixed and generally fall loosely between 100 to 400c.e.. Following past examples of this type of statuary indicates that most likely this statue would have been located in a sanctuary or public commons like a bath to celebrate the athlete in question.
While the definition of a sport may vary by the person, the dictionary definition for a sport can be best described as, “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment” (Oxford Dictionary). Cheerleading has been a topic of an ongoing controversial debate as to whether or not it should be recognized as a sport. Players that engage in sports, such as, football, basketball, and baseball all display a genuine liking for their sport, which generally emphasizes why they take part in the activity. Similarly, cheerleaders have this same mindset, but society tends to overlook their passion through the generation of the argument that cheerleading does not require
The five-hour practices four times a week, the hours of time spent conditioning, the tears, the sweat, the blood, the pain, and the injuries experienced throughout the season, all come down to the second your team walks on the mat. Only the best of the best will have what it takes to come out on top and prove that their hard work has paid off. Does this sound like a sport? Absolutely. Now, what if it was mentioned that there is only have two minutes and thirty seconds to give it your all, does this change your opinion of this mystery sport being an authentic sport? It should not. So if all of the above examples fit into the same amount of athleticism as other sports, why is cheerleading not considered a sport? If the courts were to rule cheerleading as a sport, how would they go about it? Should all-star and school cheerleading be voted a sport? Should none of it? The answer to this is all-star cheerleading should be ruled as not only a sport, but also as a varsity sport. Competitive and collegiate cheerleading should be ruled as a sport because of the danger, the rigor and the popularity that this athletic activity demands. Cheerleading is overall called an athletic activity which is practically no different than calling it a sport. Different name. Same meaning.
Wrestling is more than just a sport; it is a way of life. And for those who enjoy its opportunities, it is something that takes the mind off of all of life’s troubling times, and puts one man against another to get their hand raised. Competition makes everything evolve, and there is no other sport that epitomizes what competition truly is. Wrestling spans the entire globe, and although it incorporates several different styles and many National and World events, remains overlooked by most.
...rticipants need to be physically fit and it fits the definition of a sport according to the WSF and IHSA.
Sport is the new Opiate of the Masses it behaves in the same way religion does as it is used as a deterrent from our everyday lives. Religion main function is to preserve the status quo, which means that it serves the “haves” and keeps the “have-nots” down in their place. Sport may be very different from
Susan Wolf presents two different versions of the Moral Saint in order to show that a perfectly moral person does not live a desirable life. A saint is someone who lives a perfectly moral life according to a given ethical system, and “a necessary condition of moral sainthood would be that one’s life be dominated by a commitment to improving the welfare of others or of society as a whole” (Wolf). Is a Moral Saintliness even a humanly possible? Susan Wolf’s description of a Moral Saint is virtually a fictional being. The requirements, characteristics, and skills she attributes to being a Saint are impossible to obtain without also participating in activities Wolf deems nonmoral or inappropriate for a Saint to engage in. These nonmoral activities are essential building blocks to becoming the Moral Saint that Wolf wishes us to imagine. Human beings have psychological needs that Wolf does not consider or seem to understand. Wolf essentially creates a fallacy and then proceeds to argue against it. When you consider the Moral Saint that Wolf has created, and pair him with the moral dilemma of The Ring of Gyges, you will discover that Wolf’s version of a Moral Saints is not attainable, no matter how innate his moral goodness.
What is a sport? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a sport is a "physical activity engaged in for pleasure"(www.merriam-webster.com). Does Cheerleading not fit that definition? Cheerleading is a physically demanding sport, that deserves to be recognized as such. People generally do not realize the difficulty of cheerleading, and how much effort and dedication actually goes into it. Cheerleaders practice as hard, if not harder than other sports to better themselves as athletes and a team as a whole. Not only is cheer a sport, it is a dangerous sport, just like any other athletic program. As a varsity athlete, and assistant cheer coach, I see every day the reasons why cheer should be considered
The definition of a sport is “an athletic involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or other for entertainment.” (google.com). Modern cheerleaders practice couple times a week. In the article Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, “The various lifts, throws, catches, tumbling runs, and jumps that comprise most performance routines require a high degree of athletic skill. Cheerleading is no longer a spontaneous activity; it involves tryouts, lengthy practices, and specialized training camps similar to ...
The author's purpose for having this quote is to say if God doesn't discriminate then you shouldn't either. To elaborate on this no one should be looked down
What makes something a sport? What characteristics define a sport? Why do we feel that some sports are not considered sports when we have never played them? When you google the definition of a sport this is what you will find “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” So as long as there is physical activity and competing then whatever you are playing is considered a sport. When you think of a “sport” that should not be considered one what is the first that comes to mind; why? Why is it when googling “Sports that aren 't considered sports” Cheerleading comes up so often?
The competitions that people most enjoy watching, such as football and boxing, have long been
Karl Stern is an artistic, lanky, beat up, Jewish fourteen year-old boy whose only refuge is drawing cartoons for his younger sister and himself. All that changes in an instant when he meets the boxer, Max Schmeling in his father’s art gallery. In exchange for a painting, Karl will receive lessons from the world renowned fighter and national German hero. Suddenly he has a purpose: train to become a boxing legend. As the years go by and he gets stronger, both physically and emotionally, so does the hatred for the Jews in Germany. This new generation of anti-Semitism starts when Karl gets expelled from school and grows until his family is forced to live in Mr. Stern’s gallery. Though the Stern’s have never set foot into a synagogue and do not consider themselves “Jewish”, they are still subjects to this kind of anti-Semitism. They try to make the best of it, but Karl can see how much it affects his family. His mother is getting moodier by the day, his sister, Hildy, hates herself because of her dark hair and “Jewish” nose and his father is printing illegal documents for some secret buyers. On Kristallnacht the gallery is broken into and the family is torn apart. Karl must now comfort his sister and search for his injured father and his mother. With the help of some of exceptional people, he manages to get over these many obstacles and make his way to America.
All of humanity, even the one reading this paper, has had thoughts of doing things that are far from that of a saint, and although most do not act upon these thoughts there are those who have; those who kill out of spite, those who commit unspeakable acts against men, women and children, those who to everyone else are frightening and fearful and thus locked away from