Pros And Cons Of Violence In Sports

Violence in Sport

Introduction
Violence in sport is a problem that grows larger every year. This is attributed mostly to factors such as fans taking their favorite teams too seriously, or simply an excess display of recklessness. Spectators that watch the actions of their favorite teams are adversely affected by them and can react purely on aggression and emotion. In the NFL, some teams have players that fans watch solely to deliver big hits against opponents. Fans encourage the behavior that these players were brought to the team for, but the behavior is causing harm to other players. There is a very thin line between aggression and violence. It seems that this line gets crossed more and more as the years go on.
The problem of violence in sport, specifically the NFL, is deeply rooted in injury. Head injuries, different socioeconomic factors, and disregard for rules of the game are some of the things that feed into the violence. Sports leagues in the US are not always equivalent in terms of violence, as it occurs more in some sports than others. Although violence is seen mostly as a negative thing, there are ways that it can be positive as well. When it comes to violence in sport, people's opinions and thoughts vary, and range from very strongly, to none at all.

Pros of Violence in Sport
Some sports are popularized solely on the promise of violence. An example of a sport like this is hockey. Some fans attend games on the hope that the players fight. The outward display of aggression is what the fans crave, and what makes the teams in the NHL their money. Another example of acceptable violence in sport is the reckless, overly aggressive play of NFL players. Players like Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher are known for their skull-sh...

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...ere is a possible way to keep sports like football as it was intended, and keep these players safe. The prevention of some of these injuries could have saved someone's life. I don't believe any sport is safe from acts similar to the Jovan Belcher murder-suicide, or the Hernandez murder. If you have suffered a TBI, you are susceptible to any of the effects. With that said, I think more efforts to protect the athletes need to be made. Leagues need to come down harder on violators of league policies concering excess aggression, recklessness, etc. I think that violence is permissible when it is within the structure and function of the game. When the violence is not customary or acceptable is when there is a problem. That is where morals come in. If the game is played the way it is supposed to be, many issues regarding violence could be resolved, and possibly eliminated.