Some have speculated recently about the future of football, given recent head injury issues. So far, most seem to think that football will not be unseated from America’s sports throne and that, with better equipment and several rules changes, it’ll get through.
But, according to a recent Reuters report, another sport could be in more imminent danger: boxing. In the words of Dr. Calvin Inalsingh, head of the World Boxing Association’s medical advisory committee, “Boxing is the only sport in which the objective is to render blows to the head and body of the opponent so as to cause the opponent to be incapacitated."
It’s easier to alter football’s rules while keeping the goal of the game the same. Score touchdowns. Kick field goals. Keep the other team from scoring.
In boxing, the goal is to hurt the opponent. Hard hits aren’t a means to an end; they are the end. And while violence is somewhat inherent in football, it’s doubly true that violence is the essence of boxing. Not senseless violence, but violence none-the-less.
Boxing, like football, incorporates contact into its practices as well as its matches. Sparring sessions in boxing can lead to much head and body contact, even with pads that have been used for years in such practices.
One boxer taking the next step with his equipment is undefeated heavyweight Amir Mansour. The Wilmington, Del., native recently became the first boxer to supplement traditional sparring head gear with the new GelDefender head pad.
*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefenderTM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.
