2010-07-29 14:30:20 +0000
My thread about Vancouver re-banning freestyle fighting got me to thinking about the fact that you don't see many of these cities that refuse to sanction the sport or those that are critical of it saying the same thing about other combat sports. You rarely hear anyone condemn HBO for showing boxing in the same breath that they condemn the UFC. You never hear about anyone attacking judo in the Olympics. Kickboxing went through a significant boom period in the 80s and early 90s without anyone protesting it.
Yet, this style of combat sport always manages to bring people out of the woodwork screaming bloody murder (literally.) I know perception is reality for a lot of it. Many people don't actually give the UFC or Strikeforce or any other fight promotion a chance, and instead they rely on the tried and trued "it's no holds barred cockfighting" to run their ignorant stance.
However, for the others that have actually watched a UFC pay-per-view or tuned into Strikeforce on CBS and still declare it far more barbaric than other combat sports, what exactly is their argument?
Has anyone ever actually heard anybody give a sound reason for it? I mean, you punch people in boxing, kick them in kickboxing, choke them out in judo and jiu jitsu, yet nobody climbs on a bandwagon to ban them (well, a minority want boxing banned, but at least they aren't hypocritical for that.)
So does anybody have any specific quotes from critics that describes what it is that is so offensive about the sport or have you heard from friends or relatives that may not like it as to why they don't?
Yet, this style of combat sport always manages to bring people out of the woodwork screaming bloody murder (literally.) I know perception is reality for a lot of it. Many people don't actually give the UFC or Strikeforce or any other fight promotion a chance, and instead they rely on the tried and trued "it's no holds barred cockfighting" to run their ignorant stance.
However, for the others that have actually watched a UFC pay-per-view or tuned into Strikeforce on CBS and still declare it far more barbaric than other combat sports, what exactly is their argument?
Has anyone ever actually heard anybody give a sound reason for it? I mean, you punch people in boxing, kick them in kickboxing, choke them out in judo and jiu jitsu, yet nobody climbs on a bandwagon to ban them (well, a minority want boxing banned, but at least they aren't hypocritical for that.)
So does anybody have any specific quotes from critics that describes what it is that is so offensive about the sport or have you heard from friends or relatives that may not like it as to why they don't?
