NYT SPORT: Televised Face Slapping? What Are We Becoming?
By Kurt Streeter
Section: Sports
Source: New York Times
Knife fights on national television?
Maybe a money-minded promoter will crib from the gladiator days: Sign up now to watch the world champ fight a frothing lion on pay-per-view!
In case you missed its appearance on cable TV or the manifold viral videos ricocheting across the internet, an ugly undertaking masquerading as a sport is making a bid for popularity and acceptance.
The phenomenon of slap fighting has given rise to the Power Slap League, regulated by the Nevada Athletic Commission, but the whole enterprise has little to do with the sports that derive their power from tapping into the best parts of humanity.
It’s more like a display of pure punishment created for TV ratings, video views and money, money, money.
If you possess even a fraction of knowledge about brain trauma and the dangers posed by blows to the head, let this be a warning: Don’t watch without a sick bag in your lap.
Kortney Olson learned the hard way. A bodybuilder and clothing company owner, Olson, 41, appeared in the first episode of “Power Slap: Road to the Title,” a series that made its debut on TBS in January. Her appearance on the show was her first slap fight, and, she said, her last.
By Kurt Streeter
Section: Sports
Source: New York Times
Slap fighting competitions have drawn the support of Dana White and Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with national TV audiences. But, our columnist writes, the so-called sport is indefensible.
What’s next, who can survive being run over by a tank?Knife fights on national television?
Maybe a money-minded promoter will crib from the gladiator days: Sign up now to watch the world champ fight a frothing lion on pay-per-view!
In case you missed its appearance on cable TV or the manifold viral videos ricocheting across the internet, an ugly undertaking masquerading as a sport is making a bid for popularity and acceptance.
The phenomenon of slap fighting has given rise to the Power Slap League, regulated by the Nevada Athletic Commission, but the whole enterprise has little to do with the sports that derive their power from tapping into the best parts of humanity.
It’s more like a display of pure punishment created for TV ratings, video views and money, money, money.
If you possess even a fraction of knowledge about brain trauma and the dangers posed by blows to the head, let this be a warning: Don’t watch without a sick bag in your lap.
Kortney Olson learned the hard way. A bodybuilder and clothing company owner, Olson, 41, appeared in the first episode of “Power Slap: Road to the Title,” a series that made its debut on TBS in January. Her appearance on the show was her first slap fight, and, she said, her last.
Published Date: March 6, 2023 at 02:00AM
Read More at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/06/sports/power-slap-league-dana-white.html
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