I think paying or encouraging someone to do things that cause severe injury should be a crime. This shit and boxing and American football should not exist.
You're more likely to suffer a life-changing accident driving or cycling, or doing a number of other daily normal activities, than training to be a professional fighter. And of course you've mentioned smoking, and there's alcohol. Perhaps going to loud discos each weekend can render you deaf in the near-term. Where do you draw the line?
>"Where do you draw the line?"
That's the $64,000 question. I'm not sure where the line is, but I'm not sure that eventually finding that line is impossible, either.
@Pat
I can't imagine a line that doesn't include things most normal people would want to do for fun.
Now the likes of #MarkZuckerberg and #MarcAndreessen are contributing to making #MMA and #UFC even “cooler”:
> _“I was […] asked whether I consider Mark and #Elon to be role models to children in their embrace of #fighting, and I said, enthusiastically, yes. And I further recommended to the audience that they **have their children trained in MMA**, as my wife and I are. **#Kids as young as eight and maybe even younger** are totally capable of learning both the striking and grappling dimensions of the sport.”_
Sure, let's have an eight-year-old practicing a “sport” for which the ultimate display of prowess is being able to instantly kill another person by kicking their face. You can try to sweeten and disguise the discipline as much as you want: anyone training will know what exactly is at the apex, who are the best MMA fighters, and what it is that they do when they compete.
> _“MMA training is likely **the best path for widespread gains in physical #fitness**, particularly for **#children**.”_
Seriously? The _best_ path? Better than weight training, indoor rowing, tennis or basketball? Better than running, swimming or cycling — or the combination of the three? Andreessen is eager to point out that “MMA is the original combat sport” and that “it was introduced to the actual Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC”. Well, how about _running_? That is “the original sport”, and has an even longer history!
https://www.thefp.com/p/marc-andreessen-musk-zuckerberg-cage-fight
