There is a violent side to humanity. Lets not deny that. Lets find a way for it to be vented by our society without killing each other or letting it ruin the football.
In Canada, fighting is part of Hockey; in the rink, generally not in the stands. In Thailand it is much deeper in their culture. The Thai people's national sport is boxing. "Muay Thai" as it is known to the world. Although the contest is held in a ring, and the participants wear boxing gloves, it is much more martial art meets religious ceremony than a Las Vegas style bout. For those who haven't seen it, flying knees and elbows, as well as devastating kicks will give you an idea these are some of the most ferocious fighters in the world.
The origins of Thai boxing are lost to prehistory. What we are sure of is its influence on the entire population. The Thai people are known for being gentle and kind spirited; sure extremists exist, but consider the population is in excess of 60 million. If there is any indication of people getting heated, it will be immediately suggested they 'take it into the ring'. There is a place for fighting, and it is not in the street, in bars or at sports games.
In addition to the large boxing stadiums, (which are an amazing experience, I'll personally recommend), there are many community rings available for settling local disputes, or for burning off steam. The lesson doesn't stop at ridding oneself of aggression through a series of rapidly executed blows; the discipline, self-control, self-knowledge and respect learned in training have become very much a part of the Thai psyche. All Thai military and police, (which there isn't really much of a line between), train in the sport. Everyone from commoner to King has competed in the ring. The story of King Chao Sua who dressed as a peasant, fought and won, is a favourite legend.
Modern Thai Boxing has added gloves, weight classes and timed bouts. This has been done in order to keep the number of fatalities in the ring to a minimum. However, it is a vicious sport and nearly every year somebody gets killed.
I'm not suggesting we put machete wielding combatants into a cage to see who's the last one standing. But, I'd like to see some form of one-on-one physical contest become part of Bermuda culture. Great respect to the victor. Great shame to anyone who wants to play tough outside of that forum.
There is a lot of interest in the Ultimate Fighting Championship since the TV show popularized it. We could look at bringing the Octagon to the island.
Who knows, maybe even Premier Scott and TonyB could finally settle their differences in the time-honoured way.
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