I am still a huge fan of Lyoto Machida, no matter what others say about his fighting style. I like a fighter who thinks before he moves. It may seem boring to some, but I see it like a game of physical chess. When you see the thoughts racing through their heads, it’s pretty amazing to watch considering the explosive circumstances that they’re in.
I’ve also been a student of martial arts (Choy Li Fut) for 3 years, although I have since had to put it on the back burner because free time is something I no longer have in abundance. I love and miss it, and still plan to pursue it on my own just to remember that feeling of pure action. The physical movement of any sport is something that I consider to be a thing of beauty.
But sometimes, even I can’t look at the devastation caused when things become too violent. It’s hard to appreciate a good game or event when it’s marred by the screaming calls for more blood by an audience who has gone rabid. Since I’ve been on the receiving end of kicks and punches, I have a little understanding of the pain that men go through in order to prove their masculinity. We fans need to tone down our expectations.
I still think that all sports have a place in our world, but we viewers might want to take a deep breath before we start demanding ever-increasing bouts of violence. Stand at the receiving end of a barreling fist, or a powerful roundhouse kick, and then think about just how much violence is really necessary. I’m not a guy, so I’m not speaking for any of you as I don’t always understand your thought process. But I too can watch an amazing football game (yeah Packers) and feel the action all the down to my bones, like a lot of other tomboys and girls do. And this leads to my dilemma.
What’s bringing on this thought is a series written by the NY Times about the life and death of Derek Boogaard, the enforcer for the Minnesota Wild and the New York Rangers. It’s a three part story that is so sad and troubling that I’m forced to review just how far we’re all willing to go for our entertainment. The sportsman is doing this because it’s his love (and hopefully not the only way to make a living). He’s out there because it’s part of his DNA, much like a policeman or fireman. The job is so physical and demands so much of their lives in order to reach the top of their league that they have to keep striving for better. But what happens at the end of their career? Or even in the middle if they are severely injured? The league doesn’t take care of them in the same way that they do when they’re active in the sport. The fans will move on to a new hero. So the family alone is left to help them cope with the repercussions of a savage career. We’ll never see the aching bones, concussions, and brain disease that were brought on by repeated savagery.
This series is causing such a heartache in me because we are only now discovering the physical repercussions of going too far. I don’t want the sports to stop. But I do want the people to stop and think a little more, and be more conscious of the demands that we place on those in physical jobs. At the end of the day, it is a job and shouldn’t lead to a bleak future for those who participate in it. It’s when we go too far that we stare at the edge of the abyss for them and for us.
Here’s the article series here: Part 1 – A Boy Learns To Brawl, Part 2 – Blood on the Ice, and Part 3 – A Brain Going Bad. It’s an amazingly sober series that will force you to look at the situation twice and more. My heart really goes out to those in the sports world. They don’t have an easy life, and I’ve gained a lot more respect for their sacrifices. There’s got to be a better way to still do the sport without losing focus of the humanity behind that sport.
