"You don't kick a girl when she's down, right? Not if you can pound her face instead. At the Fatal Femmes Fighting Championships, an all-female mixed-martial arts (MMA) event, almost anything goes in the cage. Sofie Bagherdai, otherwise a sweet, petite teenager from Souther California, has her opponent, Stephanie Palmer, pinned to the floor. Now she's ready to work -- whack, a shot to the noggin. Bam! Pow! Boom! Half a dozen more. Palmer cowers in the fetal position and the ref stops the fight. The medics cart Palmer out on a stretcher" (Time Magazine, July 2007).
And this is a legal sport in America. In a world where dog-fighting is immediately condemned as barbaric, I find it a little ironic that this real time fighting that usually results in much pain and broken bones is a sport.
This sport is quickly gaining popularity and has more viewers than the baseball playoffs.
My question is, how can this even exist as a sport legally? I can understand the WWE where the fighting is highly glamorized and choreographed, boxing where they wear helmets, but this is a sport where they come in with just a pair of gloves and start pounding away.
This sends such mixed messages to the world. I mean, obviously anyone caught fighting on the school playground is immediately sent to detention, maybe suspension. Street fights usually result in some sort of police interaction. But this is a sport, where people can make money, gain fame, sponsorships, etc. for basically beating another person up.
I understand that there is some sort of natural interest in watching 2 people fight. Whenever there is any sort of fight happening, there is usually a crowd that gathers around. But that doesn't make it right, does it?
Of course, these people are 2 consenting adults who agree to fight. But then again, so are usually the thugs in the gangfight. And I don't think a sane person could do this for a living.. Just read some of the quotes from these crazy women:
"We're not hitting tennis balls. We're hitting people. Isn't that more exciting?" -Ginal Carano
"To be able to potentially break somebody's arm is pretty cool for me." - Jessica Pene
"I like to punch, but I like to get punched too. I want to take it." -Sumie Sakai
From a psychological standpoint, I would have to say these women are borderline psycho. Such fascination with violence and hurting another person is not normal, nor is it safe. . . It should not be held on a pedestal as an accepted activity.
2 comments:
Actually, in professional women's boxing, they don't wear headgear, they follow the same rules as men's boxing. Also, if women want to compete in a sport that is usually thought of as a man's, and there's an audience for it, who are we to tell them they're crazy?
And I agree with you. Women should have the equal opportunity to play any sport a man can play. But gender aside, beating someone to the point of broken bones should not be appreciated, regardless of whether its male or female. Its just crude.
Although I guess this fascination has continued for centuries. Watching people get devoured either by lions or by an opponent.
But in todays modern world, I don't think playing a game where the sole pupose is to make someone suffer physically is sane at all.
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