Harmful effects of boxing - Essay Example

A PAPER ON THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF BOXING INTRODUCTION Boxing like any other sport in the world is admired for its dangerous and thrilling nature. This is truly an ancient sport that had survived the test of time for all these centuries. Besides, the risks involved in boxing, countless of sportsmen had come and gone and moreover, this sport has also gained international recognition. All this just cannot be valid things to make us consider it as a necessary one in our life. Unless we take a broader view, the real effects of boxing cannot be understood in real sense. The purpose of this paper is to bring out the real nature of boxing and to support it on the view that boxing is a savage, barbaric and an exploitative industry. BOXING IS NO MORE A SPORT Is boxing really a sport This is the question that has to be focused on first. The duty of any sport is to entertain the audience and give them pleasure, but not at the cost of the participant's life. We can very well say that all sports are dangerous and boxing is one among them, but the truth is risks in the other sports are accidental, whereas in boxing the purpose of hurting is the real goal. In the name of defeating a person, the boxer actually takes the chance of injuring his opponent fatally. Looking at each men fight for their lives and getting the pleasure from it is what we are all have been doing. Is it not the worst form of entertainment It is very surprising to see how inhumane we are just as the boxers out there. We should derive happiness from sports, the games should encourage us. It should give progress for individual development for both body and mind. This should be the real motive of all sports. But clearly, boxing does not seem to do this. It is just a brutal and barbaric way of human behavior that is all. The real objective of boxing is to knock the opponent to unconsciousness and then claim the title, no matter even if life is lost. In what way does it sound good Is there anything in this sport that we can implement in our life Does it teach us anything These are some questions that we all should think about. Only then we will be in a state of mind to accept the tragic nature of this savage sport. Though there are so many developments in science, technology and education, we have failed to care about certain things. One among them is boxing. We have not understood to look at it as something threatening the life of the players. We are happy to look at them thrashing and punching each other and bleeding throughout the game and with such a stupid curiosity we wait in want of more. More than the players, I personally condemn the authorities and audiences who are the real triggering force behind these boxers. If we stop considering it, things will change and slowly this game would die out in the end. To be very frank, there is nothing fruitful that we can obtain from this game. We have made ourselves to risk in unwanted activities to destroy ourselves. Boxing is one of those industries that make the life of people worst. Here humans are exploited in the name of sport. Boxing triggers our inhumane behavior and makes us act like beasts which sometimes end in killing each other. When education tries to modify human behavior, sports such as this really messes up everything and makes us loose our sense. Here are few cases from which we ourselves can witness the brutality of boxing. BOXING IS HARMING Three hundred thirty boxers have died from injuries received in the ring as per a survey taken from 1945. Though these statistics are no greater than that of football or hockey, you must remember that the very purpose of boxing is to inflict as much pain or injury to the opponent as possible. There are many causes of these boxing-related deaths, however. One cause of death among boxers is long-term diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. One such case is that of Sugar Ray Robinson. Though he did not die directly after a boxing match, it is believed that Alzheimer's contributed to his death. He died at the age of sixty-eight in 1989. This adds evidence to the growing relationship between boxing and Alzheimer's. Another prominent cause of death is serious blows to the head during a boxing match. Usually, these people die instantly or shortly after. An example of this condition is Cleveland Denny's story. After being battered by six straight punches to the head by Gaetan Hart, Denny went down. He died seventeen days later, without ever regaining consciousness after the fight. The last prominent cause of death related to boxing is kidney or other organ failure. A recent situation of this is that of Jimmy Garcia's. Twenty-five seconds into the 11th round of his match against Gabriel Ruelas, Garcia slumped to the mat unconscious. He later lapsed into a coma at the hospital due to extreme kidney failure. He ended up staying alive for thirteen days until the doctors finally took him off life support, still deeply comatose. These are some of the examples to prove the tragic effect of boxing on human life. There are countless players who have lived and are living with injuries from boxing. Innumerable persons who had participated in boxing have acquired diseases. Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease are head-related diseases which affect the memory, thought process, and sometimes even motor skills of the diagnosed. Some fighters affected by these head injuries are the great Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson. Though much of what attacks the brain cannot be avoidable, many believe that these cases could have been prevented. Yet another common result of boxing is dementia. This is a disease which ages the victims up to 30 years. In the case of Jerry Quarry, a 50-year-old boxing retiree, his life has been changed dramatically. Because of excessive punches to the head, Quarry had extreme cerebral atrophy; enlarged cavities filled with fluid in the brain. This condition is what aged him to need help shaving, showering, putting on shoes and socks, and later, changing diapers. Doctors say that he may only live until he is 60, if he is lucky. Lastly, another common result of boxing is becoming comatose. Many boxers such as Jimmy Garcia have gone into a coma after being knocked out during a boxing match. Garcia was in a coma for thirteen days until doctors finally took him off life support. Is it not disturbing to think that this twenty-four year old was deliberately put into that state and later killed The thought that this young man was being paid to fight for our entertainment surely makes us think about the humanity of boxing. CONCLUSION With all the things expressed above, we can really comprehend the harmful effects boxing causes. It not only ruins a person's life but creates a disturbance to the society as well. Sports such as boxing can create big problems for future generations if it is allowed anymore. It is our time to end up all our barbaric business of hitting and killing one another. For the growth and happiness of mankind, why not let us concentrate on different things instead of immersing ourselves into this bloody act of human violence It is all in our hands to bring a change and create a life filled with peace and prosperity. Let us box out boxing. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Roberts, James. B, The Boxing Register, Marvel Publication. 1997. 2. A Report from, The Ring Magazine. 3. Andrew Lindsay, Boxing in Black and White. McFarland Publications. 2000. Read More