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Essay / Violence in Sports Throughout History
There are an incredible amount of cultural similarities between ancient history and today. In some ways we've really progressed as a society, and in other ways we're still retaining some of those old values. One of the ways we have maintained the same ideals is through sport, specifically violence in sport. It is very evident that violence has been a dominant aspect of sports and games throughout history. In this article I will talk about how violence in sports has not changed throughout history and how violence in sports is relevant today. In the first section, the 1976 game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Toronto Maple Leafs will be described and discussed. In the second section, we will talk about hunting and the human nature that motivates men to be aggressive. The third section will discuss the epics of Homer and their connection to the violent nature of men. The fourth section will discuss the game of Soule played during the modern Renaissance and discuss the games of the Roman gladiator. The fifth section will talk about the importance of everything we talk about in the 21st century. The nature of men to have an aggressive and dominant tendency has been clearly demonstrated throughout history and continues to manifest itself on fields, ice rinks and many other sporting spaces. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Hockey has retained a reputation for being violent in nature; Many injuries can occur while playing such an intense contact sport. Not only are players exposed to typical injuries such as broken or sprained ankles, but they are sometimes exposed to other potential dangers such as fist fights. This is how the chosen event of the 19th century happened. During the hockey game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Toronto Maple Leafs, three Philadelphia players were accused of assaulting Toronto Maple Leafs fans. There have been many incidents in the field of hockey that caused a lot of noise, but this incident was one of the most significant and received the title "Week of Disgrace". In this particular game, Philadelphia lost 5-4 after winning the first two games of a series. This was an incredibly tough and physical match, the length of the game was almost an hour and a half its average length, taking 3 and a half hours. The amount of aggression and dominance displayed on the ice was only the beginning of what was to come. Under NHL rules, Rule 47 (Fighting) states that any player suspected of starting the fight will receive a minor penalty, a major penalty and a 10-minute misconduct penalty. For each penalty, a short period of time passes, allowing the referees to determine the penalty and the player to enter the penalty area. All those minutes would add up to create a three and a half hour match. This particular game resulted in 163 penalty minutes in total, while the average hockey game has around 15-20 penalty minutes. The New York Times goes on to talk about one of the incidents that occurred during this match: a police officer was attacked with a hockey stick behind the penalty box. Some of the charges filed that night were assault causing bodily harm, common assault and dangerous weapons charges. Historically, men have had to act violently to defend their lands, protect and provide for their families. “It is not uncommon to hearteenagers openly admire their elders and ancestors for their autonomy, their strength and their ability to kill. Hunting, across generations, is a sign of superiority, masculinity, strength and much more. This idea of violence manifests itself through many different aspects in Durani Bai culture, not just in more western civilizations. Violence is evident throughout the world throughout history. High goes on to explain how men and women told stories of abuse at the hands of their fathers and grandfathers while receiving whippings, older men had the idea that by whipping their children and raising them in this way, they would show them how to be strong. It is further described in the article that children experiencing physical abuse from elders are a means of imparting knowledge to them, showing them what it means to be an adult. This shows how physical aggression has been used throughout history to show dominance, teach lessons, keep families alive through hunting, pursuit and much more. Aggression has been ingrained in humans for so long and is now carried out in other ways that are more acceptable in today's society. Violence is illustrated in the story through more than just hunting and teaching children to adulthood; this has been demonstrated through many sporting events in history. Throughout history, there are examples of how the sport has changed and evolved, but also how it has stayed the same. One of the main ways sports stays true to its roots is through the violence and aggression displayed in sports games. Violence in history dates back to the Homeric epics, where "the majority of the most serious injuries that occurred during the Homeric epics were caused by participation in warlike activities." Men, at the time, had to participate in combat and use the weapons at their disposal, which resulted in many injuries. As the story progressed, the idea of violence in life did not disappear. The Romans adopted the sporting brutality of the Etruscans. The Etruscans made violence in sport normal, they were thirsty for blood and everything was a “fight to the death” for them. It is clear from Nigel Crowther’s article “Sporting Violence in the Roman and Byzantine Empires” that violence was everywhere. A riot occurred in Pompeii, which was not part of the usual gladiator shows, but it broke out because groups of men fought to prove their physical education, abilities and military valor. Men taunting each other caused this riot, which is often seen today at sporting events between fans and athletes. Crowther goes on to explain how some spectators at the Pompeii riot prepared themselves with weapons such as knives, in case fighting broke out. The idea of taunting and using words to make people angry is seen in the NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. In all these cultures, it is men who play sports and fight in wars. HA Harris writes in the book Sport of Greek and Rome, that in the second century AD, boys played the game of throwing balls at each other. with the intention of hitting the other person with the ball, the boy who is hit is the loser of the game. This very simplistic game demonstrates the idea that using force to hit yourself makes someone a winner. Men have shown that through the physical strength of hitting, someone will emerge victorious, hockeydemonstrates very clearly. Fights very often break out on the ice because one of the players tries to hit to win, to gain the upper hand. During the Middle Ages, peasants played the game of Soule, as described in the article The Game of Soule by Bentley's Miscellany in the Periodical Archives. It is said that it was not just any ordinary sport, but a “terrible celebration”. The days of soul playing were considered the days of righting wrongs and ending grudges. The men who were playing were seeking revenge: “And who is there who does not have someone to kill.” It means “and what is someone who has no one to kill”. Soule was played in order to release accumulated masculine aggression. The article goes on to explain how, once the ball is thrown, chaos ensues. There are people who run to get the ball and others who get up from the ground covered in blood after not being able to show themselves strong against the other competitors. The trampling of men who play is not uncommon in the game of Soule. Ultimately this game is not for the weak, it is a bloody and horrible game. Gladiator games are another gruesome activity that shows violence in sports. One of the bloodiest activities played out in ancient Rome, in AD 27, resulted in an estimated "20,000 casualties and 50,000 mutilated or crushed to death." It is described in this article that Roman spectacles were created as an “outlet for aggression.” Men build up anger and frustration over time and gladiator games are a way to release pent-up emotions. This violent sport thrived because spectators were delighted when an athlete in the game won the game even after being "strangled by his opponent." The emperors of the time refused to accept spectators' requests regarding the games, which Crowther believes was the reason the games became increasingly aggressive during this period of Roman history. Sports culture in 2019 holds great significance when it comes to violence in sports. The amount of knowledge available today on how to rehabilitate injuries and the stages an injury goes through before being healed. Cressman wrote in Evaluating the Use of Healing Imagery in Sports Injury Rehabilitation about the three stages through which injuries pass. The first stage is the inflammatory phase, this stage occurs 0-6 days after the injury, how long it can last and it will start to disappear when the damaged cells are removed by white blood cells. The second stage is described as the proliferative stage. Occurs about 3 days after injury and can last up to a few weeks. It ends when the fibers of the muscle, tendon, etc. straighten up and return to their normal position. The final stage is called the remodeling phase. In this phase, the collagen fibers that were repaired in the second stage work to become stronger and healthier. It may take a year or more to be completely complete. Speaking of specific methods of rehabilitation, the idea that there is a lot of new scientific evidence on how to properly rehabilitate athletes continues to evolve. As the science behind sports injuries grows, so does awareness. As Crowther had said, injuries in Roman times often resulted in death due to the violent nature of the sport and the weapons used in sporting events. M. Cusimano et al. wrote after an experiment involving young boys and adolescent hockey players, that “interventions must appeal to the sense of.