Have you ever wondered why there is so much violence in sports, and people just let it happen? There are people in the world who are asking this same question--why is sports violence so violent? This issue has been looked over and addressed in many different ways, both in book and article form, by many different people. The author of Chain-Gang All-Stars, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, focuses on sports violence in a hidden, but direct way that catches the readers attention from the already hefty violence presented at the beginning of the novel, while other supporting articles relating to the theme of the intersection of sports, violence and entertainment include evidence about the growing number of violence and incidents related to this theme. Overall, violence in sports leads to a split in society where some people normalize the violence, whereas others abhor it and want to change the rules of the game completely for the sake of people’s humanity and the morality of the sport. People should quickly take action against the violence present--and continuously growing--in sports and attempt to adjust or rewrite the rules to ensure the safety of all players is prioritized throughout each sport.

To start, violence in sports has split opinions and reactions on whether or not the violence should be normalized. The first section are people who normalize the violence presented to them and see it not as a threat, but as entertainment that later leads into a chain reaction and an inevitable cycle that keeps the violence burning on longer. In Chain-Gang All-Stars, Loretta Thurwar, one of the protagonists, looks over her fanmail after months of ignoring it and finds some messages either praising her as “a legend” or calling her a “b*tch” while calling her slurs and saying she should die. Many of these fanmails are either trying to support or bring the attention to Thurwar that participating in Chain-Gang is wrong and how she should seek religious help in understanding who she truly is meant to be. Righteous Virtue explains that Thurwar is “a reasonable enough woman, despite your insidious past, and I, as a fan of athletic competition, have seen that you are an athlete of some caliber. And perhaps GOD himself has blessed you with the power to rid the world of the very same evil that resides in your own heart. You have chosen to be Sodom when you might have been Samson! GOD himself will throw you into an eternal fire” (Adjei-Brenyah 349). The reason for this email was to wake up Thurwar and let her know that what she is doing, the game she is playing in, may seem normal to the eyes of the spectators--everyday people--but is seen as immoral and unrighteous in the eyes of God. The fanmail that Righteous Virtue sent stuck out over all the other fanmail Thurwar received because their message symbolizes a hand sticking out to and attempting to reach Thurwar in order to help her realize the normalization violence has on the spectators, her fellow Links, and herself. Thurwar being “blessed” demonstrates that she had potential to be freed from the very beginning if she had chosen a more religious and moral mindset--one that is not so sexual or in love with Staxxx, Thurwar’s girlfriend and closest Link in the A-Hamm Chain--instead of being consumed by the normality of the violence present in Chain-Gang. However, this person is somewhat hypocritical because they are warning Thurwar about the future that lies ahead of her if she doesn’t step down from fighting in these blood games, but openly states that they are “a fan of athletic competition”, meaning they are attracted to watching Chain-Gang alongside the people who normalize watching it as well. During a match on the BattleGround, Mari, an abolitionist leader, gets ready to protest with her sign in the center of the field to try and free Thurwar and Staxxx from the CAPE program’s tyranny. However, before doing so, Mari looks at the men and women sitting next to her “who had presumably paid hundreds of dollars to witness this circus of death firsthand were, more or less, regular people” (Adjei-Brenyah 368). Based on Mari’s observation of the spectators, the people who paid more money to watch the blood games up close are regular everyday people who see Chain-Gang as entertainment and don’t view the violence as immoral or wrong for any reason. In addition, the money these spectators spend on the program profits the GameMasters of the CAPE program who will expand their death games to more locations, increasing the attention and forcing the competitors to play violently in order to garnish and keep those viewers alive; a chain reaction. In relation, during Staxxx and Thurwar’s final fight, the GameMasters look down upon their creation, the BattleGround, and “raise their glasses. ‘Cheers,’ they called, and then they turned their attention to the green fields they’d designed” (Adjei-Brenyah 398). The GameMasters “rais[ing] their glasses” demonstrates that they’re reaping the profits and not caring about who wins or loses on the BattleGround, all they care about is the growth of their business and the Blood King/Queen the fans will favor in order to attract more fans, attention, and views. In Chain-Gang All-Stars, the spectators are brainwashed and blinded to the horrific reality of bloodshed during the games and don’t understand the true impact it has on the characters and other bystanders who don’t agree with the violence present in the gameshow. Throughout each season of the CAPE program, violence becomes worse and more dangerous as the Links have to give it their all to maintain their survival, even against those whom they love (Staxxx and Thurwar). This violence is mainly created to intrigue and attract fans which creates a domino effect for the GameMakers, the Links, and the fans.

This is similar to the sports violence that happens in our real world. Sports like football, soccer, and rugby are examples of violent sports because the main entertaining part of the sport is to be violent and competitive against your opponents in order to win and secure victory. However, these violent plays are mainly happening for the audience’s entertainment and to start a show in order to get more views and replays of the same fight scenes on repeat. But “[r]ugby isn't alone in this, either: American football, ice hockey, mixed martial arts, and wrestling are other examples of violent contact sports that continue to enjoy popularity. In these sports, violence isn't just incidental; it's a key part of the game” (Psychology Today). The trend that many sports equip is an essential detail to making their sport the best over any other; having the most violent and intensified gameplay is the key way to gain more--money, fame, and fans. However, this is a dangerous pinnacle that can risk the lives of the athletes that play in these sports that contain a load of violence. For example, documented on The New Zealand Herald, there was a terrible accident that happened during a soccer game where Masato Kudo was forcefully knocked by Matt Lampson--the opposing team's goalie--and suffered a concussion and a broken jaw while he was close to making a goal. With this scene being posted on a news network for the world to rewatch what happened to this player it demonstrates the unseriousness of this situation and the unimportance of Kudo’s life being at stake. Unfortunately, Kudo passed away at the age of 32 due to complications following brain surgery for hydrocephalus that were likely caused by the traumatic jaw and head collision he had back in 2016--the soccer match listed above. In comparison to this tragedy, a similar event happened during a hockey game in February 21, 2000, called the Marty McSorley Incident, published on USLegal, where two hockey players involving Marty McSorley of the Boston Bruins, and Donald Brashear of the Vancouver Canucks were rivals during the game and “After fighting and losing to Brashear early in the contest, McSorley sought revenge later in the game by trying to goad Brashear into another fight, which Brashear would have no part of. With time winding down, and his team significantly behind, McSorley skated towards Brashear from behind and slashed at his head with his stick. Brashear’s head smacked the ice, sending him into convulsions. The NHL immediately suspended McSorley for the remainder of the season. Later, he was convicted of assault and given an 18-month conditional discharge by the court” (US Legal). This violence and hate toward Brashear was normalized by McSorely, assuming it won’t get him into any consequences if he attacked Brashear out of the want for revenge. However, since hockey is considered a highly physical and aggressive sport this incident may not seem too outrageous for the average viewer who is a dedicated hockey fan--former hockey players have died due to the harsh brawls inflicted upon them during these games. This type of roughhousing is seen as exciting for the audience and for the commentators as they get excited to talk more and replay the same scenes to fully capture the violent moment that will give viewers a close-up view to the juicy and intriguing.

On the contrary, the other section are people who are completely against and can’t stand seeing the violence in sports any longer. These people take action to another level by organizing all types of protests in order to bring meaningful change to society and grab the attention of those in power to realize their wrong-doings and begin to change as requested. In Chain-Gang All-Stars, one of the most prominent abolitionist and activist--Tracy Lasser--makes her debut on Sports Central where she, at first, blends in and follows the script of a typical news reporter, but then shifts her tone to speak about the ongoing normalization of violence and about her old friendship with Staxxx, sharing how she knew her “very well. She was a great friend of mine. We called her Hammy. She was one of the best athletes I’ve ever known. But what she’s doing now, what this program is telling you is sports--it’s not sports…We are fighting for a more humane society. Thank you for your time” (Adjei-Brenyah 112-113). Tracy shares her personal relationship with Staxxx before she joined the CAPE Program expressing how she had also wanted to be a part of the program, but as it had evolved over the years the program was known for everything Tracy abhorred. Nearing the end of her speech, Tracy mentions that she “support[s] the repeal of B3 and all so-called hard action sports just as I support ending the death penalty” (Adjei-Brenyah 113). Tracy steps out of her comfort zone to pursue her dream of being on live television to state her claim against sports violence and to bring the attention to people that the violence present in the games is morally unjust and the CAPE Program should be taken accountable for all the death and gore during each game. In connection to peaceful protesting, we return back to Mari where she is on the BattleGround holding a sign that sank in the hearts of everyone in the entire stadium that read: WHERE LIFE IS PRECIOUS, LIFE IS PRECIOUS. However, as she was doing so, a swarm of soldier-police officers ran at her “and the entire stadium could see when one of the officers pulled a weapon that looked like a gum from his side and shot a black rod into Mari’s neck. And the entire stadium saw as Mari was Influenced” (Adjei-Brenyah 371). This scene is impactful for both the audience in the novel and for any reader reading this book because it demonstrates the harsh police brutality against peaceful protestors as Mari knew “this was no epiphany, this was pain, and yet, she felt more than she understood that she would do anything, anything to end the pain she was feeling” (Adjei-Brenyah 373). This violence against Mari peacefully protesting to save Thurwar and Staxxx demonstrates how little her life mattered until the whole stadium saw her getting Influenced. In the meantime, the audience had thought about what they were watching--Chain-Gang--and how maybe this show is wrong. Mari’s message had shaped the very minds of the people both watching, playing, and hosting the blood games and how maybe they should change or at attempt to take action to revise the rules some way. This helps the reader reflect and connect to the real world how peaceful protestors are harshfully beaten and harmed by police officers over something that needs to be stopped and how far this world has gone in hurting innocent civilians who are trying to bring an important cause to action, but are getting discriminated and mistreated by the public because they see the thing the cause being taken action against as an offence to the people who normalize it or find it okay. Many people in our world are blinded to the truth and reality of things that are supposed to be wrong and that should not be normalized, even so they choose to continue letting it happen with no consequences to follow.

Although there are people who believe violence in sports is wrong, there are also people who believe the violence is justified and don’t see an issue with keeping this technique or strategy in sports and see it as a way to attract an audience who view violence as a source of entertainment. According to an article published on NBC News, by Emily Sohn, she states how sports violence can be set with limits to prevent extreme violence from taking place and can be monitored to make sure it doesn’t go out of hand/too far. However, some sports are based entirely on the purpose of creating and generating violence during each game. This violence can tire out and even exhaust the players who have no choice but to start violent acts against other players in order to garnish more viewers for the broadcasting organization--leaving them physically/mentally impacted by the violence. During the chapter Loretta Thurwar in Chain-Gang All-Stars, there is an intense battle between Thurwar and Staxxx where Thurwar “kicked forward, and heard Staxxx gasp, and the sound of it made her want to split herself open. But she got to her feet. Tired but ready. She could see Staxxx’s breathing was heavy” (Adjei-Brenyah 407). When Thurwar heard Staxxx’s scream and wanted to split herself open it demonstrates the forced violence both Links have to participate in which relates to the new rule for the new season “that no single Chain may contain two Colossal-ranking Links” (Adjei-Brenyah 384). This pushes both Links to go against their own will in having to fight each other as one of them must remain victorious while the other ends up like all their previous opponents. In addition, The Champion favoritism can be seen when we are first introduced to Thurwar and her rival--Melancholia Bishop. During Bishop’s pre-battle speech, she said her final words and laughed; “The crowd followed awkwardly. Chuckling because this was their queen. As the crowd grew raucous with laughter, Melancholia fell silent. Then was a moment when the crowd seemed not to know what to do next” (Adjei-Brenyah 6-7). Because the audience sees Melancholia as their queen, they will follow anything she does in order to make sure she earns the royalty she deserves from all the kills she’s garnished; this is also from the entertainment the audience gets from seeing Melancholia get many kills which increases her fanbase and the number of people who call her their queen.

Lastly, violence in sports is something we should take action against because sports are putting the lives of people in danger, whether they’ve done good or wrong, and is morally unlawful and something that can easily be abused in the game system of sports. In Chain-Gang All-Stars, we see an on-going protest happening called B3 where they organizers of the group were fighting for the Links’ humanity and morality to be free from the tyranny of the CAPE Program, yelling chants like “This is evil can’t you see, we don’t want no BBB” and “B Three is not for me” (Adjei-Brenyah 31-32). This is the same protesting group Mari and Tracy Lasser are apart of--Mari being one of the leader figures of the group--and who continue trying to push B3 and humanity inside the minds of the GameMasters and the spectators of Chain-Gang to understand and realize that what they are allowing to continue happening is wrong and against the Link’s will.

All in all, sports violence is being normalized by the audience, sports companies/channels, and the players themselves. This issue is a growing problem in our current world and is important to address because this type of violence in sports is dangerous in many sports all around the world with people getting hurt and injured because of the roughhouse behavior created by the players. We see people around us inflicting violence on one another and we take swift action to prevent it from continuing, but why is this not the same case with sports; we see players getting hurt and don’t do anything about it? Sports are just as equal as everyday scenarios and should be taken seriously from the violence that is accepted to happen between the players in these sports. We should consider the morality of violence in sports and begin to take action to adjust the rules presented during games to ensure the safety of the players is top priority over fan entertainment or the company’s profit and broadcasting. I believe people should start renovating sports to be more safe, more or less, and we should try and eliminate all aspects of violence that will leave the players mentally/physically scarred or that will lead to more violence to be created.