Whether or not we condone it, fighting has always had a place in sports.
The recent death of 21-year-old Don Sanderson after a AAA Ontario Hockey League altercation has once again sparked interest on fighting’s place in sports — and deservedly so. But this is not the first time a hockey scrap has caused public outcry, nor will the dispute result in fighting’s elimination from sports.
Back in November of 2007, all eyes were on the jaw-dropping brawl between two Ontario Minor League Hockey teams. When both benches of eight-year-old hockey players dropped the gloves for over 30 seconds, the entire sporting world fell under fire for its lax approach in addressing violence.
Fast forward two years later, and the approach to fighting in sports is still very much the same. The exhilaration of fighters stepping into the ring has excited crowds throughout history. From the early days of gladiators right through to the Ultimate Fighting Championships, jubilant crowds have watched in suspense as fighters took it upon themselves to harm their opponents.
The field/ice/ring/arena hasn’t always been used as a platform for releasing aggression, however. There are many who feel that the nature of sport has taken a turn for the worst as athletes seem to be more willing than ever to injure each other.
The bigger the hit (whether it be football or hockey), the louder the cheer. The more fights break out, the more coverage the game will receive. Hockey fans love the image of toothless thugs slugging it out, and that goes double if it’s someone dropping the gloves for the first time. Our sports broadcasters feature the scraps in highlight reels and even go as far as to rate the best fights in sporting history.
But what sort of message is being sent out to the 60,000 Tim Bits hockey youngsters watching their role models lose their composure and try to pound each others’ faces in? Many want to believe that coaches and organizers running minor kids hockey leagues will never condone fighting or dishing out hard hits. But there have been reports of coaches running clinics that teach youngsters how to properly hit other players.
Hockey icon Don Cherry has repeatedly sent out mixed signals to aspiring players. Through producing his “Rock ‘em Sock ‘em” series, Cherry promoted the biggest hits and best fights of each NHL season over the course of two decades. Despite producing videos of heightened aggression, Cherry played an essential role in implementing the embroidered stop sign on the back of the neck of each junior hockey player’s jersey.
It’s no wonder his viewers are confused with whether to take the body or play the puck in a high-pressured environment.
The five-minute fighting infractions and two-minute roughing penalties certainly don’t support the idea that governing authorities want scrapping removed from the game. If the situation was addressed more seriously, the league would be handing out suspensions rather than giving players a time out.
And why should they? If anything, violence in a sports setting has peaked the interest of an entire generation of fans. Rather than seeing fighters simply punch one another with boxing gloves, UFC and MMA have recently added another dimension to the ruthlessness of title bouts.
Through the pay-per-view listings and exponential growth of fighting in sports, supporters have made it clear that they enjoy watching fights on television. Fighters are now stepping into the ring with multi-million dollar price tags and an audience base that’s growing rapidly.
Fighting not only has its place in sports, it has evolved into its own genre. What many have failed to see, however, is that these athletes aren’t drunken street hooligans out for a night on the lash. The men and women who step into the ring are trained professionals fighting with a common purpose.
Gone are the days that bare-knuckle boxers slugged it out in shady basements of abandoned buildings. The fights are now moderated by strict rules and governing bodies with harsh penalties for violations.
A parent’s greatest fear has now come into existence as their children are constantly bombarded with aggressive imagery and the glorification of mainstream violence — could be that there’s little to stop their kids from mimicking their favourite fighters and challenging one another.