A Case For Gladiators

Yeah, I know, we aren't supposed to like gladiators.  It just encourages little kids to beat each other up, which is a bad thing.  I get it.  We're supposed to be a kinder, gentler nation.  We haven't exactly beaten any swords into plowshares, but if we can maintain this facade of political correctness in our daily lives, we can pretend we are above that.

Several years ago I was taking a Russian language class at a local university in Utah (where I was living at the time) and there were some young men starting a hockey team.  Other than their moms, they had no audience at their games.  I went home and told my niece, "We are going to be hockey fans now."  We went to all the home games (they were free and a mile from our house) and cheered on the guys from my Russian class.  The boys really appreciated it, especially since my niece was young and pretty.  I openly admit that I loved those games.  Seeing all of that violence and aggression un-pent was a release not only for the players but also for the people in the audience.   I don't like to think of it as encouraging violence so much, as encouraging happiness.  The guys I knew thought about hockey all the time.  They loved hockey.  They loved the violence.

Violence needs a better place in our society.  It is totally wrong to hurt someone who is not asking for it, but... if two hockey players/gladiators, want to beat the hell out of each other, let them.  Especially if the loser isn't a whiner.  If other people want to watch this for a release of their pent up aggression, let them.

There's a big debate right now about the wisdom of letting football players continue disabling each other.  Let's think about a couple of things.  If this freakishly huge man was not able to play football, how would he be able to rack up man points?  Is his alternative taking his rage to the streets?  Is that a good idea for us to force him to do that?

Here's my favorite argument for violent sports players growing up all right.  (This is stolen from Jewniverse):

Though you might have always pictured the rabbis of the Talmud as bearded old men, the texts tell another story. Rabbi Shimon Ben Lakish, often known as Resh Lakish, was originally a bandit and a gladiator, known for his amazing strength. In fact, Resh Lakish’s strength was instrumental in bringing him from banditry to Judaism.