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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

It’s Legalized Battery And Should Be Banned Just Ridiculous Sole Purpose Is To Inflict Pain And Brain Injury.

Some 2-year-old children like to bite. Bereft of words, and struggling with the Terrible Twos, they bite. Out of frustration. Out of a need for attention. Out of the reality that biting into soft skin with hard teeth feels kind of interesting.

Parents scold their children for biting. It is not an acceptable outlet for frustration or curiosity at age 2, or at any other age. Mike Tyson, however, made $27 million at his bite-fight. His punishment for nipping off part of Evander Holyfield’s ear? A $3 million fine and the loss of his boxing license, for at least a year.

Poor baby.

Since Tyson’s infamous bite June 28, boxing stories have filled newspapers and newscasts. Pundits have argued how severe Tyson’s penalty should be. They have analyzed what in his life led him to this 2-year-old’s biting tantrum.

What few admit is that boxing is the most violent and most ridiculous sport we have. It should not even be a sport, but an illegal event, like cockfighting. Men (and the few women who indulge) should be fined for participating, watching and betting on boxing.

They should send Muhammad Ali to schools to warn kids of the danger of all violence, including boxing. His Parkinson’s Syndrome resulted from getting hit on the head too many times. He traveled a punchdrunk path from hero to pathetic head case. So much for the glamor of boxing. Imagine how Tyson will look and sound in 20 years.

Those who argue that boxing allows inner-city kids a chance at the good life are simply in denial about the sport’s true nature. The number of kids who succeed at boxing is miniscule. The rest just get their precious brains knocked around at early ages, the very brains that would provide a more certain ticket out of poverty.

Think of the message you send kids when you tell them that their only hope for success is a profession where the sole purpose is to inflict pain, and brain injury, on another human being.

It’s crazy. The bite-fight was simply the natural evolution of a sport that feeds our basest instincts and has no redeemable social value whatsoever. Ban it.

, DataTimes MEMO: For opposing view, see headline: Bad boxer doesn’t make sport all bad

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = EDITORIAL, COLUMN - From both sides

For opposing view, see headline: Bad boxer doesn’t make sport all bad

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = EDITORIAL, COLUMN - From both sides