Posted on 08/10/2012 7:15:46 AM PDT by Kaslin
As an American, I am proud of Olympic Gold medalist Claressa Shields' feat in women's boxing at the Olympics -- but as a woman who has suffered traumatic brain injury, I am deeply concerned that her win will encourage other young women to pursue this dangerous, potentially life-altering sport.
There is no question that repeated blows to the head cause changes in the brain -- even when the head is protected by gear meant to soften the blows. The NFL has come under fire recently because of the link between football-incurred concussions and greatly increased risk of Alzheimer's and other cognitive and memory problems.
The high-profile suicide of former linebacker Junior Seau has once again focused attention on the issue; his family has donated his brain for study to see if his injuries may have played a role in his mental deterioration. The league currently faces lawsuits from more than 2000 former players who believe their injuries have caused irreversible brain damage. A 2009 NFL study showed Alzheimer's was much more likely to occur among former pro-football players than in the general population. Players 30-49 years old had an early Azheimer's rate almost 20 times greater than men in the general population.
I sympathize with those players. In 2003, I took a bad fall, slamming the back of my head to the floor and losing consciousness briefly. Although early MRIs showed no sign of damage, a recent brain scan showed that one side of my frontal lobe had shrunk slightly. My doctors believe the changes occurred as a result of my brain slamming against the inside of my skull -- which is what happens whenever the head rapidly accelerates and then stops or reverses direction from hitting a hard object, shaking, being jerked forward in a car accident, or being hit. Once the first injury occurs, medical evidence suggests that any subsequent injuries, even minor ones, are more likely to cause severe damage.
So why is it we should celebrate encouraging young women to punch each other repeatedly, risking not just broken ribs, cuts and bruises, but serious trauma to their brains? The same, of course, can be said for men. Boxing is a brutal sport, one whose sole purpose is to hurt the opponent while avoiding being hurt yourself. Even football has other goals -- advancing a ball down the field -- which relies on passing, running, and kicking, not just brute force.
There are other reasons to oppose boxing for women. Many feminists see the decision to include women's boxing in the Olympics as a step forward in recognizing equality. These same feminists want to see women in military combat. Their ultimate goal is ignoring any differences between men and women, even when those differences are biologically rooted.
For millennia, women have played an important civilizing role in society. No society has ever existed in which women were the warriors. Males are larger, more powerful and driven by testosterone to be more aggressive than females. Women are life givers -- not life takers. Yes, there are exceptions. Women do commit murder -- though they are far less likely to engage in random or stranger killing than men -- and their murder rate is 10 percent that of males.
I'm sure that there are some women who could do well on the battlefield. And no doubt Shields could defeat many bigger men in the ring. But is more violence and aggressiveness something we really want to encourage in our species? Is there no evolutionary advantage in having half the population play a gentler, more nurturing role that tempers the aggressive tendencies of the other half of our species?
Whatever glory Shields and other boxers earn in the ring will be paid for by future generations of women -- and men -- who are hurt by following their example. Instead of welcoming women into boxing competition, the Olympic Committee would serve society better by eliminating the sport altogether.
Its a sick society that allows its women in harms way.
We don’t “allow” anything. The women freaking INSIST.
And “mere” men are certainly not allowed to stand in a their way for any reason.
Go ahead.
Have fun with that.
a perfect illustration
if a conservative doesn’t like something, they don’t do it.
if a liberal doesn’t like something they demand it be banned.
Good boxers, like gymnasts must be nearly perfect in form and conditioning just to compete. Serious boxers have no room in their life for almost anything else but training. The sport absorbs them entirely, man or woman. That's why you see so many boxers from difficult backgrounds, like crime and drugs. The sport takes them away from all that; it provides a path for their ambition, a a way to channel their energy into something that will bring reward and recognition.
Above all else, that's what's good about boxing.
The MMA ladies make the WBA ladies look like sissies.
Your non sequitors have failed to convince me. I’ll stick by my interpretation.
I’m basing my perspective upon 5000 years of recorded human history. Its my opinion, however unpopular these days, and I fully understand many disagree.
It’s all about eyeballs watching the ads on the tv screen. Many men are turned on by women’s hitting one another, so they watch.
Well I do see where you are coming from and I don’t completely disagree. For me, its women in combat – that’s where I draw the line and for the same reasons you stated.
Yes, let's go back to the days when women were not allowed to drive because it was thought they could not handle a automobile, let's go back to the early Olympics when the only 3 women's sports were badminton, croquete and tennis.
I'm a male who loves strong, athletic and confident women.
Thats probably because you see things that aren't there and respond hysterically.
Someone's gotta take care of you.
I haven't watched any women's boxing, so I cannot say ... but I wonder: At whom are the TV ads aired during women's boxing aimed? One can often tell whether a particular ad is aimed at women or at men.
I'm a male ...
Interesting choice of words ... very interesting. I usually see that terminology used by radical, man-hating, lesbian feminists.
Nope, red blooded 27 year old American male, with a gf of almost 3 years. Just not afraid of confident, ambitious, strong, athletic women as some.
Thats how I view boxing, as well. Combat. I'm not sure how my comments were extrapolated to cover driving, etc.
I'm no troglodyte:)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.