Boxed in ?

I was watching the second season of The Contender series on AXN. For those who don't know, it is a reality television series which follows a boxing tournament. I remember watching a few fights the last time around, too. The primary reason I was watching was that I was bored and had nothing else to do. But then, I do enjoy watching some of the fights.

Like everyone I like the fights where the contestants push themselves to the limit and just ram each other like crazy. The speed at which they land their punches and parry blows is just incredible. Besides, their footwork is something that is just too cool! It's just pure adrenaline. Being a TV show, the producers of the show try to introduce some drama into the whole thing by focusing on the fighters' activities before and after the match. A few emotional moments with their families (read kissing and hugging wives/girlfriends/fiancees and talking to kids), a few minutes where their coaches try to pump them up and all and interviews after the match and stuff like that. Obviously I don't care about all this drama bullshit. Give me the fights and I'll be happy. But then I'm not the one producing the show.

So, I was watching it and my father came by. He looked at it and made a statement. He said that boxing and similar sports are just totally unnecessary in the civilized world. As in he saw no sense in humans smashing up each other. I liked watching it and immediately wanted to counter it. But all I could say was a weak "It's also a sport, just like any other sport." Apart from that I just couldn't find anything. But then I thought about how every sport was just some kind of entertainment and most of it was actually quite pointless. Actually I just went into the whole 'life is pointless' routine. Yeah. I go into it quite often.

But then, in other sports you don't actually go and friggin bash up someone to win. Though I know that there are various techniques and strategies involved in boxing, it is about beating the shit out of the other guy and defending yourself while he tries to do the same, ultimately. The sport(?) has its roots some thousands of years ago. But back then, it was predominantly slaves fighting among themselves to gain the favour of their masters. It just evolved to the current form where everyone fights everyone.

I thought about the gladiators fighting to death in the huge roman arenas and amphitheatres with huge crowds cheering them on and the king watching them from his throne. It is interesting to notice that things haven't changed much at all in so many centuries. There is still a spectacular arena (god knows how many millions went into building them) with the boxing ring in the middle and a huge crowd of spectators. Only, people fight with padded gloves, headgear and other protective accesories. And it is not a duel to death.

We've made amazing progress in terms of technology, science and living standards. But then, the raw animal instincts and a few basic human traits like the will to establish our superiority over others, etc will never leave us. We have devised various means to suppress them to a large extent but they still exist. The basic gamut of emotions is still very much the same as it was a thousand years ago, I guess and it'll probably never change.