Boxing Essay, Research Paper

Doctors Destroying Boxing

In Boxing, Doctors-Round Two , Lowell Cohn tells us how he is in favor of boxing. I agree with Cohn on all of the points he brings to our attention. The point he tries to make in the first paragraph is an example of why he supports boxing.

First, Cohn agrees that boxing shouldn t be singled out by doctors as the only dangerous sport. There are other sports in which there can be head injuries. Football, soccer, hockey, swimming, and mountain climbing can result in head injuries as well. Cohn says, You rarely hear a peep out of [doctors] about the many injuries football players sustain (163).

Then, the doctors go into the subject of boxing being abolished. Should boxing really be abolished? It is a world sporting event just like football, soccer, hockey, swimming, and mountain climbing. Shouldn t these sports be abolished as well? No, because sports involves many Americans as well as spectators. It is a form of entertainment, and if it is outlawed it could produce many problems.Cohn states, Doctors are offended by injuries in boxing, although they don t seem as mortified by the people who die skiing or mountain climbing each year (163). They all have common injuries, and the head is one of them. I agree with Cohn fully when he says, Why the outrage over boxing? People shouldn t have an outrage over boxing. Today, boxing is a very popular money-making sport in the United States. In my opinion, doctors should examine all sports, not just boxing.

Cohn says that doctors don t object because they are social snobs (163). Some doctors are social snobs. In my thinking, they probably don t even watch sports on television. They just want their ski trips. These doctors don t even look at the whole sports scene, and, therefore, they see sports in a different perspective. However, when Cohn comments that doctors see boxing as consisting of just blacks and minorities, he is being culturally biased and one-sided. White people also make a living in the boxing ring as well.

Another point Cohn makes is that Doctors see people from ethnic minorities punching each other in a ring and they reach the conclusion that these poor, dumb blacks and Latinos must be protected from themselves because they don t know any better (163). Boxers know the risks they are taking when they step in the ring. They are fighting each other, trying to injure each other. Boxers know they are going to get hurt, but most of them fight for money which keeps them fighting. For example, football players know they are going to be sore after the game because of all the tackling and hitting. But they ice their injuries, shake their pain away, and play another game. Every athlete and every person on this earth has their own free will to choose what they want to do in their life.

Cohn could improve his argument when he suggests that these are killer sports that need attention (163). Cohn needs to show evidence about his side in this particular aspect he brings to our attention. He may need to show statistics of injuries in boxing compared to other heavier sports. His statement is not very persuasive because it does not have any facts or evidence to back it up.

Cohn quotes the doctors as saying that in boxing two people are trying to hurt each other on purpose. Well, to some degree that is true. Also, in football, players are told by their own coaches to hurt the opposing teams players. This is the same scenario the doctors are talking about. A person can get injured in any sport that they play. You can not help it if you get injured, it is something that just happens.

Cohn expands on the fact that doctors are making a moral judgment, rather than a medical judgment. Every human being is entitled to their own opinion; you are supposed to consider the consequences of your actions. People make their own decisions in determining if a situation is right or wrong. They do not need doctors to do that for them. Doctors are there to help you get better when you are sick, when you are physically unable to take care of yourself.

If boxing is successfully banned, it will be carried out even more on the streets. Most boxers come from the streets and need a way out in life. They come from broken homes and drug-filled environments. If they are put on the street again, do you think they won t fight? My point is there will be fighting, regardless if boxing is banned or not. There would be fighting in bars, classrooms, and even just in public.

The doctors present an open argument against boxing, but do not back it up like they should. They do not present facts, and do not explain their side good enough. Cohn presents his side and disagrees with the doctors. He says there should be alternatives to their reasoning. To persuade an audience, you have to cover all the angles. Cohn does a good job of this, but the doctors do not. In this analysis, Cohn shows the fallicious arguments the doctors use.