CMA call for ban on MMA just one more attempt to ban violent sports
For a very long time, people whose interest could not be held by the highlights of a man shooting a ball through a basket or a dozen players scrambling around a field trying to score goals, sought out their cravings for excitement elsewhere. Boxing for a time, satisfied the cravings for the sight of combat in a controlled environment. Amidst the violence and display of brute force, spectators found the ultimate form of entertainment as they watched two men battle it out to prove their superiority. Just as all sports encompassed a type of danger, boxing proved to go the distance as competitors met with lethal injuries, concussions and in some cases death.
Despite its violent nature and historical signs of danger, most countries allowed the sport to prosper, giving birth to some of the most respected names of our time. Yet as all things evolve through time, boxing paved the way for another sport. Mixed martial arts fighting reached the height of its popularity a few years ago, making mass coverage on all major sports channels and in many cases overshadowing its predecessor.
However, where boxing eventually succeeded in becoming recognized as a glorified sport, MMA has fallen short, particular in Canada where the country's largest doctors group have banded together in order to try and persuade the government to ban the mixed martial art sport.
Doctors have called the sport a dangerous game in which it delivers the risk of potentially lifelong injuries to fighters. In fact, after several long debates, that resulted in more arguments than persuasion, close to 250 delegates that had attended the Canadian Medical Association’s annual meeting held a vote to determine the actions to be carried out with the popular sport. It was no surprise the delegates voted strongly for the organization to campaign for a ban of “mixed martial arts prizefighting matches in Canada.”
“We've heard about other dangerous sports such as skiing and hockey," said Dr. Atul Kapur, an emergency department physician from Ottawa. "The difference between skiing, hockey and mixed martial arts and boxing, which we have a policy on, is the intent of skiing and hockey is usually not to cause bodily injury to your opponent.”
Despite the obvious dangers pointed out about MMA, and the UFC, the sport's largest promotion, the combat sport continues to attract new Canadians everyday that are willing to put themselves in danger of harm in return for fame and fortune. UFC representatives continue to strive to point out that they were and would continue to always look out for the well being of their fighters and were willing to work around set limitations in order to provide the best possible safety for everyone.
Tom Wright, the head of the UFC's Canadian office, who openly admitted that in several cases the sport has resulted in concussions and broken bones, went on to say: “We worry about those concussions, and that's why we will make sure we test our athletes before and after (matches) and put in the appropriate kinds of medical suspensions.”
The same medical committee that protests the setup of mixed martial art fighting in Canada had tried for years to see boxing stripped from the roster of sports allowed in Canada, but could do little to prevent matches from going on.
However, given the style of MMA fighting and the comparison in injuries, their efforts may prove worthwhile, at least when it comes to delaying the sport from taking place on time. Whatever the case, it seems that sports that include intents to cause violent manners towards others will always evolve, developing new rules and new combat techniques and just as these sports themselves evolve, so will the campaigns to protest them.
But if boxing is any precedent, MMA should be able to overcome the stigma of the CMA ban. Canada continues to be one of the largest markets in the world for MMA, proving that once again not everybody listens to doctors' orders.
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