Violence in sports is a serious topic because people being harmed physically can become normalized in society and eventually lead to serious injuries or even death, when people normalize violence in sports it creates a mentality that winning is more important than the athletes actual safety and physical health which can cause long term injuries.
The book Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei- Brenyah, sheds light on violence in sports because of how normalized it is throughout the book. In the novel People from the outside world watch incarcerated competitions between the fighters which they find as entertainment. They focus on how these fighters are performing rather than what they are going through inside the jail system. Throughout the book it also emphasizes how the audience feels while watching the fighters are performing, the author illustrates this by saying “the crowd of men cheers it’s an explicable “yeahh” that comes because something they have been anticipating is quickly approaching” (Adjei-Brenyah 202). Adjei- brenyah demonstrates how violence has become a source of entertainment for these people, instead of having empathy for how these fighters are really feeling, they actually look forward to the violence due to how much excitement is shown while watching. Another way the author shows normalization of violence is through the way the audience admires Thurwarr, a character that most people are impressed by due to her level of fighting and how she doesn’t give up no matter how physically hurt she is. The author explains that people had “seen her highlights and been amazed by her body’s unwillingness to fold” (Adjei Brenyah 139). The phrase “unwillingness to fold” sheds light on how the audience has no empathy towards the physical pain these fighters are facing, they only care about how they are performing. In this novel these fighters who are incarcerated not only go through physical pain, but also mental pain. The environment they are in, constantly being controlled and what they witness every day, can all be a cause of the mental struggle they also go through. An example of this is when the narrator shares “ pain started in the body, but latched to a soul and tried to take it” (Adjei Brenyah 208). Adjei- Brenyah highlights how society and the environment they were in ignores the fighters' humanity and overall dehumanizes them in every aspect.
There are Articles on the internet that have proven why violence in sports is unethical. All the articles I have read have different reasons based on real research the authors have done to prove why they think violence isn’t needed in sports . An article by Fiona N. Conway explains that athletes who experience violence in sports suffer Severe injuries that could become life-threatening, the narrator also explains that “survivors often suffer from serious physical injuries” (Conway paragraph 4) and these situations all highlight the consequences of brutality in sports, getting injured in sports not only affects the athletes it also affects their career, they either lose many opportunities in their sport or even be forced to quit due to the injury.Another way violence is seen in sports is not only by competition but also anger or disagreements this can cause serious tensions between the players, Conway mentions “aggressive behaviors normalized during sport competitions may extend to actions off the field” (Paragraph 4). This suggests that the amount of violence that is being normalized on the field can escalate off the field and to athletes regular day-to-day life which can also ruin their reputation and their sports career. Therefore all these situations and consequences of physical harm in sports should challenge athletes to focus on having fun and learning how to stay safe while playing the sport they’re passionate about.
While many people believe that violence in sports is unethical, some people argue that violence in sports is a necessary part of competition and it’s needed to entertain the audience. A article mentions “most people in sports establishment agreed that some degree of violent contact is necessary in any contact sport”(horrow pg2) this argues that athletes are actually accepting the violence within the sport they play and are willing to get hurt for the entertainment. People believe sports like boxing, football, and hockey all require physical contact in order to properly play the sport correctly, when physical contact in sports are happening especially as competition, the fans also believe that it shows your strength and how determined you are to win the game. The Author explains that “violence is taught to and accepted at an early age” and that “athletes willingly consent to all contact incident to the game” (
Horrow Pg 9). This highlights how athletes are fully aware of the violence in their sport, and they understand the risks that are involved. Many people believe that athletes have a personal responsibility for the risks they choose to take part in. Although people think just because athletes agree to participate in the brutality in sports, it still shouldn’t be accepted because it’s wrong in many ways, sports in violence set a bad example to young supporters and can cause long term injuries or even death.
Another major problem with violence in sports is what it looks like from the young audience's view. There are many young kids who enjoy watching and playing sports at a young age. When they witness these brutal encounters they can start thinking that violence is okay. Many young kids look up to athletes or even coaches, and how these athletes portray themselves shapes how young kids learn what behaviors are acceptable on the field and out . An article by Gili Yaari states “televisions can be communicators of disrespect, exposing our children to all kinds of inappropriate behavior” (Yaari paragraph 3”). This statement demonstrates how exposure to violence in sports can influence how young children behave and think. Not only does this influence their current behavior but also how they grow up and behave in the future. These situations can be prevented if sports become more safe, fun and based on sportsmanship. Violence in sports can encourage negative behavior and teach young audiences that aggression is an appropriate way to handle things. Therefore violence is unethical because it has long lasting impacts on young people as well
Violence in sports is a very common topic that is not talked about as much because many people care more about the entertainment. People should be able to play a sport they are passionate about without having to worry about getting a serious injury. Even though sports like MMA athletes sign up knowing there will be violence,that doesn’t mean violence should be accepted in every sport. If people are interested in this topic, there are many articles and sources that provide research and different point of views about violence in sports. For an example an article by Fiona N. Conway where she dives deeper about the concept of violence in sports and shares how it can affect athletes and overall people in general. There are still many unanswered questions about how athletes can be safe while playing their game and still have fun while competing. Ultimately sports should allow athletes to enjoy playing the sport they love while also prioritizing their physical health.
Trivelpiece, Mmaria. “Why the violence of sports isn ethical in society.” The Ethics and Society Blog, 6 april 2017,
This article is written by Maria Trivelpiece and was published April 6th 20917 . The article argues that violence has become way too normalized especially in sports. It mentions how people can take their personal life and anger, and bring it into sports and hurt their opponents. Trivelpiece discusses how violence in sports such as boxing and football are accepted by society even though they can cause serious injuries. People seem to enjoy the violence in sports because it can create excitement and entertainment and due to them being distracted by these emotions it distracts them from acknowledging the fact that these people are actually being hurt physically and sometimes mentally. The author believes that violence in sports is viewed as ethical because people see it as competition instead of actual harm. A counter argument to this article is that violence in sports is not always harmful because people are willingly choosing to participate and understand the risks involved. I think this article is very useful because it uses real life scenarios like football and wrestling and how violence is being normalized in sports.
Fiona Nn, Conway Ssabrina Mm Ttodaro Llaura Mm. Lesnewich. “Aathletes and A aggression:” a system review of physical and verbal off field behaviors.” september 2024 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359178924000673
This article focuses on how sports can lead to bigger and unnecessary altercations, especially between athletes. It also states that after the altercation and violence between people it can lead to serious injuries or even death. This is all caused because of aggression and disagreements during the game. The article dives deeper into different research that people have made, and it provides important information on how people can find solutions to stop the violence that occurs during and after a game. This article can be very useful because of the amount of research that has been done. They get multiple perspectives on why there’s violence in sports, and it explains the physical and mental effects it can have on the athletes and their overall career in sports. The authors also try to find solutions based on what they have researched and I believe that not only listing out the problems but also finding solutions is a great way to make society and sports become less violent.
Adjei-brenyah, nana kwame. “Chain gang all stars”. Panrthenon books. 2 may 2023.
Chain-gang all stars was published on may 2nd 2023 by nana kwame adjei brenyah, this book is all about surviving in a society that views imprisoned people as less than. The characters in the book are viewed as entertainment. They travel to different countries to fight in battles where they have to kill each other to earn freedom, every country that they go to they have a big crowd of audience, which is people who enjoy violence in sports. Throughout the novel you learn how these audiences are careless and have no empathy for these people who are incarcerated, they only care about being entertained by the death and harm that they see on the stage. Behind the scenes, each character that was fighting was all fighting not only physical pain due to the battles, but they were also suffering from their mental health that has been caused by what they are going through. This novel is very useful because it connects violence with entertainment, and how aggression is normalized in sports which makes readers see society for what it truly is.
Passero Nina “ Effects of participation in sports on men’s aggressive and violent behaviors” accessed 20 may 2026
This article dives deeper into aggressive and violent behavior among men not only on the field playing sports but also out, Passero gives multiple examples of professional athletes ruining their career and reputation due to them being violent towards another person in their sport or outside living regularly. which eventually makes people view them differently because these athletes are people’s role models and setting a bad image for themselves could create a lot of tension on social media and a lot of the public opinions. This article can be very useful because it gives readers an understanding on how violent behavior can affect the way the public and social media views athletes. It helps readers understand that aggression in sports does not only affect games or their team but can also impact an athlete’s future, career, and image online.
Passero encourages readers to think about how society sometimes normalizes violence in sports and ignores the consequences until it becomes a public issue and it creates a lot of tension. Overall this article compares sports, masculinity and violence all together to show how being an athlete or a famous person takes responsibility since so many people are looking up you.
Lydon Kylie “ The ethics of entertainment” 12 may
https://www.thesantaclara.org/blog/the-ethics-of-entertainment
This article was published by Kylie Lydon on May 12th, the article focuses on how MMA is an unethical sport due to how it promotes violence. lydon strongly dislikes MMA because she feels uncomfortable with the brutality within the sport and I feel as many people can relate. Lydon provides real reasonable reasons why she believes that brutality isn’t necessary in sports. The article connects violence in sports and how the athletes are seen on social media, they are viewed as role models for many people and their image could be easily ruined due to how they portray themselves in the sport they do. The author argues that society has normalized aggression behavior in sports because the audience likes the thrill and excitement of it. When Lydon makes this article easy to relate to, it helps readers connect to the ethical concerns surrounding MMA and violent entertainment. This article is useful because it provides real life experiences of people’s emotions while they watch the violence in MMA and it builds a better understanding on why people feel uncomfortable watching other people get physically hurt.