Archive Report
Archive Report
Rising Concern Over Fatalities in Boxing
Participation in sports, especially sports involving bodily contact, inevitably entails risk of injury, sometimes risk of death. There is a general disposition to accept the risks because taking part in competitive sports is considered to contribute importantly to physical development, the maintenance of physical fitness, and the development of leadership qualities. Yet there is growing insistence that greater precautions be taken to reduce injuries to a minimum. In the case of boxing, predominantly a spectator sport, a disturbing series of ring fatalities has generated pressure to outlaw professional bouts or subject them to far stricter regulation than at present prescribed by state commissions.
Society displays no consistent attitude in such matters. Public sanction of contests that feature the battering of ...