Fifteen punches in professional ice hockey gets a player five minutes in the penalty box. Fifteen punches in American football, basketball, baseball, and futbol get a player ejected, fined, suspended, or even banned.
It is that time of year again, when the sports world is simultaneously swarmed with American football, baseball, and ice hockey at the professional ranks.
So, where's the beef?
Fighting does make sense when it is allowed, and the sport is not named boxing, MMA, or some other form of martial arts. Where fighting is allowed, the punishment is swift and patient. Where fighting is disallowed, the punishment affects the entire team, the players, and even the organization. Fans mess up in-game fighting regardless of its permissibility. Fans fight in the stands no matter what sport is being watched. Casual fans specifically cheer on fighting in ice hockey because they do not understand why it is allowed in the first place. "I like hockey only because of the fighting." Said most fans who do like hockey because they only see the fighting in it. "I don't like hockey. There is too much fighting." Said most fans who do not watch hockey because players fight.
Well, let's do some discussing here.
Starting with allowing fighting to happen in ice hockey, fighting is used for a few reasons:
1) It gives an intimidation edge. If a team comes out and their enforcer picks a fight with an opposing enforcer or another opposing player, the summoned player may need to fight. A back down could mean that the player is intimidated; hence, making the team the enforced is on look weakened. Therefore, fighting gives a mental and a cognitive momentous advantage. It is almost reminiscent to picking a weak spot in a futbol or basketball line-up. If you saw the weak spot, you would want to exploit it for the remainder of the game if nothing was done by the opposing team to strengthen the weakness, right? Professional ice hockey executes this exploitation by fighting. Youth, high school, and college levels of ice hockey, where fighting is not allowed, fulfill this exploitation by legally aggressive play.
2) It protects. Sometimes, the star athlete, or the agonist, if you will, on a team is targeted or antagonized. In order to shake off the antagonist, the enforcer of the star athlete's team targets or tries to intimidate the antagonist. The antagonist may also warrant aggression toward him with the result of very physical play, which could see a fight ensue.
3) It is motivating. If your team is winning the game and wins the fight, then you feel like you can conquer the other team. If your team is winning the game but loses the fight, then there could be a momentum swing. If your team is losing the game but wins the fight, well, there is hope. Capitalize off it by scoring a goal – win the fight, and win the game! Is that not a life lesson as well?..If your team is losing the game and loses the fight, then you need help by some other means. If it is a tie game and the fight is a draw or if one player wins the fight, then you need to keep pumping up your team. Adding here, brawls that occur when one team is getting blown out are worthless. You look stupid losing 7-1 and getting pummeled in the face.
4) It is a game changer. (See above) Win the fight, changes the game. Draw the fight, changes the game. Lose the fight and get in some licks...changes the flow of the game.
5) It calls for respect. Everyone does not aggressively target the enforcer(s) on a team because they know the potential consequences. However, it does not hurt to show some kahunas!
6) It is a strategy. (See above) But, keep in mind that you want your team to have an edge. Know when to fight. Do not simply start fighting because it is fun to look like a buffoon for the sake of looking like a buffoon. Go in for your team!
7) Behavior is still like a gentleman. I know - how can you say fighting is like being a gentleman? Well, have you noticed that teams shake hands after the end of every playoff series? So, guess who shakes hands? Every single player, including guys who fought it out. I’m not too sure if that could happen at will in other sports. If two guys fight in football, baseball, or basketball, they resort to Twitter in rage and jabs. They never shake hands over the fight unless they become future teammates (speculation). They get kicked out of the game pouting. And, as we saw in the NBA during the 2012-2013 season - ala, Kevin Garnett's trash talk to Carmelo Anthony - the anger continues after all of the teams have showered. C’mon, that is not gentleman-like behavior to chase after the game has ended. In a sport where fighting is allowed, ice hockey holds that case of… we duked it out on the ice. Shut up. Shower. Go home. Circle the schedule for when we play each other again. We may duke it out one more time.
Above is your checklist. Next time you watch ice and a fight breaks check off these reasons to see if fighting is verified for how the tempo of the game is flowing. Also, the next time you watch any of the other sports aforementioned keep this same checklist to see if fighting makes sense in that sport versus ice hockey. In week three of the 2014 NFL season, the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles gathered in a brawl. Two players were ejected. One quarterback was on the ground. But, he was fine. Everyone was simply trying to survive. It made me think that if fighting were allowed, the two lineman who started the melee could have duked it out until they hit the ground or fought until exhaustion. End of story. Luckily, no one else was hurt. But, in a heated rivalry, someone could have been hurt - these guys are not prepared to fight during the game. They fight just to brawl.
I am not advocating for fighting to be allowed in American football. Fighting in sports where it is not allowed simply does not make sense. At least in football, the level of physicality is very aggressive.
Sports like basketball, futbol, and baseball do not see nearly the amount of physical aggression. Aggressively touch one of these athletes, and they go berserk!...Yet, ice hockey gets the ridicule. It sounds a little unfair to blame one sport where the rule is already written, granting permission. Fighting is not a perfect part of the game. In fact, an aggressive game with good hits and few penalties is dynamite. These types of games happen all of the time in youth, high school, and college games. Junior level games attract these games as well, but fighting is allowed at that level.
Sports like basketball, futbol, and baseball do not see nearly the amount of physical aggression. Aggressively touch one of these athletes, and they go berserk!...Yet, ice hockey gets the ridicule. It sounds a little unfair to blame one sport where the rule is already written, granting permission. Fighting is not a perfect part of the game. In fact, an aggressive game with good hits and few penalties is dynamite. These types of games happen all of the time in youth, high school, and college games. Junior level games attract these games as well, but fighting is allowed at that level.
Sure, there are times when fighting is unnecessary in a sport like ice hockey where fighting is allowed. Guess what? Both teams know when fighting is a bad move just as they know when fighting is a good move. Let's face it, fighting is a part of the game of ice hockey. It may be eradicated one day, and it may make sense to keep it in the game. Either decision will presage well.
Keep this note in mind that everything mentioned in this piece is relative. Fighting is still fighting. It shows aggression that should only be a part of a game or an event that breeds fighting - i.e., boxing, MMA, martial arts - and not performed in public or in the privacy of your own home.
Stay classy!
Derek
Derek Arledge, CSCS www.teempt.com TEEM Performance Training
