babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Would You Let Your Kid Do Cage Fighting? Some Parents Would!
Would You Let Your Kid Do Cage Fighting?
There are many physical activities that you can get your child engaged in. Golf, karate, softball or maybe even a little polo. But cage fighting? That’s not high on the list for many school-age children. But in Preston, Great Britain, there is a disturbing new trend of boys as young as eight-years-old unleashing violence upon each other in organized cage matches. And officials aren’t too pleased…
The British Medical Association said that, “this example of cage-fighting among young children in Preston is particularly disturbing, especially as they are not even wearing head guards.” They added that, “boxing and cage-fighting are sometimes defended on the grounds that children learn to work through their aggression with discipline and control,” but they believe that, “there are many other sports, such as athletics, swimming, judo and football, which require discipline but do not pose the same threat of brain injury.”
It’s not just the brutality of the sport but also the danger. But what do the kids think? The club where the fights took place said, “The children loved it, the kids who were involved in the fight on the night absolutely loved it.” And apparently it’s legal. They added, “we work very closely with Preston police and the licensing department and they were happy for us to go ahead with this.” Defending the sport she stated that, “it’s just people who know nothing about the sport who want to contribute.”
Chris Cloke, who is the head of child protection awareness at a government agency stated in no uncertain terms, “We would strongly discourage parents from letting their children take part in this kind of fighting. It’s quite disturbing that some of those involved in the bouts were as young as eight, an age when they are still developing, physically and mentally.” Cloke added that, “The organizers of these activities should think very carefully before allowing children to be involved when they are egged on to inflict violence.”
Do you think children should be barred from such seemingly barbaric pastimes?
Go Back To Strollerderby
7 Comments
bob commented on Sep 21 11 at 3:29 pmAdorable.
Kaycee commented on Sep 22 11 at 12:30 pmThis article isn’t reported accurately. http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/9/22/2442027/bbc-news-sky-news-irresponsibly-report-cage-fighting-story-nspcc-british-medical-association
looloosmommy commented on Sep 22 11 at 5:12 pmO my. Check your facts please.
SunnyChanel commented on Sep 22 11 at 8:14 pmThe source we used was taken from a different place, a different article on the same subject.
Sam commented on Sep 23 11 at 11:12 amMy son started a fight club in high school only because he didn’t have the option to be in a cage fight… he was a story in the local newspaper! Make options available for kids. Life’s tough, kids need to toughen up. Have you ever been around a boys baseball team? They better know how to fight before they join one of those. When will they start one for girls?
Mary commented on Sep 24 11 at 7:06 pmOh my goodness, it is irresponsible to report this story this way. Watch the video – these kids are using groundwork techniques; no hits, no punches, certainly not cage fighting. Doing a skilled “fighting” form like jiu jitsu or wrestling in a “cage” like structure does NOT make it cage fighting and all that implies! And as for no headgear, how is that different than karate or any other martial art??
Linda, t.o.o. commented on Sep 25 11 at 3:47 amUm, Mary. My kids all take Karate and they wear full proective gear when they spar. The head & mouth guards in particular protect against possible head injury and concussion. My teenage daughter also plays full contact, flat track roller derby, again with full protective gear.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Lori Garcia 
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
7