We should ban boxing

. .. My opponent claims that "About 1,000 boxers died,", however, he does not specify whether the 1000 boxers died "in the last month", or "in the last millennium", nor does he cite a certifiable source. His first link speaks of ONE boxer's death, and his second link speaks of 40 recorded deaths, not 1000. His third link is simply an irrelevant Wikipedia article on "Boxing". I would like to ask my opponent where he pulled this unsupported statistic from, and if he could please specify what time frame this statistic is addressing. Nowhere in any of his links anything is stated about "1000" recorded deaths. . .. Additionally, one cannot deny that boxing, by itself, is the second purest form of sport, next to running. One also cannot deny that significant injuries do arise from the sport. However, my opponent must realize that boxers are COMPLETELY AWARE of the possibility of injury, and that boxing is their PERSONAL CHOICE. If we ban boxing simply because of the injuries it may cause, should we not also ban hangliding? Or smoking? Or gambling? Or bungee jumping? If these boxers were being exploited, or coerced into the arena, or ignorant of the consequences that may ensue, than that would be a different case. However, in professional boxing, boxers enter the arena out of their own FREE WILL. Not because they have no choice. But because they enjoy the sport, and the sense of self discipline it supplies. . .. My opponent must also realize that every attempt is being made to ENSURE THE SAFETY and the well-being of boxers. We have emergency medical attention present by the ringside, if necessary. We have referees to prohibit an opponent from going too far. We have medical checks, boxing gloves, and division by weight to maintain the equality of the sport. We have even gone as far as providing free medical insurance, so boxers do not have to cover the cost of potential injuries. [1] We have the best the government can do to PREVENT permanent injuries to boxers. If we were to abolish a sport simply based on the number of sporting injuries that result from it, should we not first ban Street Luging? Or BMX? Or surfing? Or cheer leading? Because these sports have a much higher rate of injury than boxing. [2] . .. "Boxing is intended to harm others. ", quips my opponent. I cannot deny the absolute reality of this. Like running, being one of the the purest forms of sport, it's beauty is in the simplicity of which it pits man against his own limits. Now, it's no use denying it. Boxing IS done with intention to harm. However, man is NATURALLY aggressive. So why go around denying and suppressing this nature rather than apply and release this violence constructively? And it's not just boxing, because any contact sport, be it, rugby, lacrosse, hockey, or football, can be brutal. In fact, unlike the opposition would like you to believe, boxing in fact has, many benefits. In fact, regardless of the fact that "boxing is intended to harm others", many boxers claim that boxing helps build discipline and release bottled up feelings of violence. For example, when the world famous boxer Mohammed Ali (Cassius Clay) was asked whether he regretted taking up the sport, he was recorded replying "Not at all! ", along with stating how boxing helped him build discipline and a stronger sense of self. [3] . .. Additionally, there is no conceivable reason why A BAN AGAINST BOXING WOULD ONLY SERVE TO DRIVE IT UNDERGROUND. With the enormous amount of fans and desire for the sport, the popularity of boxing would only result in holding underground tournaments with extremely compromised safety features, in the case of a ban. So, even if we were looking for an abolition of boxing, a ban would only serve to further endanger the lives you want to protect. So in conclusion, while my opponent has presented some valid and legitimate points, he has failed to present enough reason to instigate a full on ban. ===Citations=== [1] . http://www.law.cornell.edu... [2] . http://itthing.com... [3] . http://www.youtube.com... See above video.