Mixed Martial Arts and B.c. Boxing free essay sample

Boxing is one of the oldest sports to ever be played. It can be traced as far back as the Ancient Greeks, who participated in it as early Olympic Games back in 668 B. C. Boxing is a martial art and combat sport in which two people engage in a combination of strength, reflexes, and endurance by throwing punches at the opponent. Ever since boxing originated, there has been health issues with the sport. Boxing can result in health issues such as head trauma, brain damage, bodily injury, and future health concerns. Boxing also creates social issues, which include making people injure others for money, no sufficient medical care, and the prevention of injury, not just the treatment. The number of injuries and other risks associated with boxing outweigh the rewards of the sport; therefore, a ban on boxing and all similar sports is necessary. Boxing is one of the most popular sports in the United States, and has been that way for over five decades. We will write a custom essay sample on Mixed Martial Arts and B.c. Boxing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For as long as the sport has been popular, there has been many injuries to go along with it. Multiple hits to the head over the years can take a toll on someone’s body. Boxers who have been participating in this sport since they were children exhibit the most dramatic symptoms. One of the greatest boxers of all time, Muhammad Ali, now suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is often associated with constant head trauma, over a prolonged time. Diagnosed in 1984, Ali is thought to have sustained too many blows to the head during his career, leading to his fight with Parkinson’s. Boxing is not the only sport that causes these types of injuries, different fighting sports have nothing but harmful effects on participants. Boxing is still the main sporting event when it comes to combat sports. There are also many different sports that are similar in nature to boxing. Kickboxing includes hand to hand combat and well placed kicks to the body. Mixed martial arts, or MMA, is a Staunton 2 sport that combines boxing, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, and grappling. In many countries, such as Sweden, boxing has been banned for over forty years. Even though boxing is banned, many Swedes enjoy the sport of MMA now. President of the Swedish MMA Federation, George Sallfeldt, tells Telegraph Online, â€Å"MMA is growing rapidly. We have new gyms joining the federation every week† (Davies). Mixed martial arts is a growing phenomenon around the entire world. Many of today’s champions are from countries and continents such as Canada, France, Brazil, United States, Japan, and Africa. A number of schools have also taken boxing out of their physical education and athletic curriculum. A grade school principal in Africa, Dan Tamwesigire, does not see boxing as safe enough to allow in his school. He explains, Unless I get a clear explanation on the mental effects of boxing to these young men and women, I will scrap it from the schools calendar (Were). Many principals and educators are unsure with the health risks that this sport poses. They do not want their students to have permanent damage due to a sport in their school. All of these sports are equally as dangerous when it comes to health concerns for the participants. Health care providers suggest that even though boxing is bad for one’s health, MMA is even worse when it comes to injury. Many doctors suggest a ban on boxing and all its similar sports, mainly for health reasons. Doctor Nasir Jetha exclaimed to The Huffington Post, â€Å"The purpose of this activity is to inflict harm to inflict damage. We need stronger legislation! This sport should be banned† (B. C. Doctors Call). The objectives of all of these sports is to cause harm to the opponent. Staunton 3 People around the world believe that the intentional harm of another person is barbaric and should be banned completely. They do not want athletes getting paid to inflict damage to one another human being. There are many adverse effects of boxing, kickboxing, MMA, and other sports around the world. One of the biggest effects is the brain damage that these sports can cause to a person. The author of a British Medical Journal Lancet claims, â€Å"The most predictable and permanent reward is chronic brain damage† (WIlford). Doctors found that chronic brain damage was prevalent among boxers around the world. Most of the effects that boxing and other martial arts have on the body are permanent. Dr. Nelson Richards tells the American Medical News There is absolutely no way you can make boxing safe (Elliot). Medical doctors know first hand the effects on the body, and they conclude that boxing and other combat sports cause nothing but harm to a person. If boxing is not banned, doctors suggest that there should be precautions to make the sport safer. Doctor Teresa DeFreitas told The Huffington Post that â€Å"If you just completely ban it, I’m concerned that it would go underground or go elsewhere and there would be no opportunity for medical intervention† (Cheadle). With this in mind, new policies for checking the boxer’s health before, during, and after the fight would be very beneficial to the fighters. Doctors would also have the power to stop any fight they deem necessary, if too much physical damage is done. Once the brain tissue has been lost, there is no way to ever get that tissue back. Studies performed on boxers and former boxers show that more than half of the observed subjects had some form of brain damage. Scientist Sanna Neselius proclaims, Our study shows that after bouts, Staunton 4 some of the boxers had elevated concentrations of four different proteins in the brain fluid, which all signal damage to the brains nerve cells. Moreover, two of the proteins were still elevated after a period of rest (Study: Olympic Boxing). With advances in technology, people can now see the real effects that boxing has on the brain and nerves around the body. Many of these proteins mentioned can be found in neurological illness such as Alzheimer’s Disease or Parkinson’s Disease. Many high institutions and schools have also banned the sport of boxing and MMA. The State of New York has a complete ban on MMA. In 1997, New York passed legislation that stated MMA would no longer be participated in. Many advocates for MMA suggest that the state is discriminating against the entire sport of MMA. Co-owner of the UFC, Lorenzo Fertitta, responds, Every martial art is legal in New York, boxing, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu you can hold events in every one of them. Its kind of discriminating that you cant hold ours, when its just a mix of those. We think were being singled out† (Okamoto). Supporters of the legalization of MMA suggest that the law is outdated and unlawful. They say the sport has changed and is now safer for the competitors. John Ioannou, who is a fight promoter, says that Its old outdated legislation written by people who believe women should stay at home and look after children (O’Dwyer). A bill to legalize MMA has been passed through legislature, but it failed to make it to the Assembly Floor. There are many advocates for the sports of boxing and MMA. People suggest that these sports would help the community. The advocates for MMA suggest that this sport, as opposed to boxing, is safer for the competitors. A study from doctors at John Staunton 5 Hopkins University School of Medicine found that â€Å"The lower knockout rates in MMA compared to boxing may help prevent brain injury in MMA events† (Miller). They also state that the public is becoming obsessed with the sport itself. Many people want to learn the fighting style of mixed martial arts. A lot of people are joining gyms and clubs to learn how to fight like the people on TV. The events themselves could help the community as well. A source from the Ultimate Fighting Championship states, â€Å"A significant impact on state and local economies by generating tax revenues, creating jobs and boosting tourism industries† (Lee). The worlds of boxing, MMA, kickboxing, and other combat sports can help many people, they do more harm then good. The health risks created by these barbaric sports is too much for one persons body to handle. Medical doctors even suggest that this sport should not be allowed to take place within the community. No matter how many precautions someone takes, there is always going to be a danger associated with the various combat sports. The treatment of injuries is not a way of helping people. In order to keep people safe, you need to prevent the injuries from happening in the first place. The risks outweigh the rewards when it comes to the different combat sports around the world.