Adrienne

The Gladiator was one interesting movie because it was based on events that were very real. People actually murdered each other to the delight of stadiums filled with adoring fans. I'm sure it was far more interesting to watch the lions maul the Christians, but give me a beautiful day; a couple of hot dogs and several beers, I have to believe the Gladiators was as good as it gets.

I was thinking about the Gladiators when I heard the news of a Kickboxer killed after a severe blow to the head in Orlando, Florida. This time it was a thirty-four year-old lady by the name of Adrienne Simmons who took the shot during the hotly contested third round of her battle. Sanctioned by the American Kickboxing Association, it was a Muay Thai tournament which is a style that incorporates punches, kicks, elbows, and knees. It's hardly surprising that Muay Thai is characterized as "frighteningly violent".

This is a very tragic story, but please explain to me what Ms. Simmons was thinking about to allow such a thing to happen in the first place (don't bother, I already know the answer).

Maybe it's just me, but I don't want to see women fighting each other. I don't want to see women playing "professional football" (and I might add "professional basketball"). Having said that, I actually think ice-hockey and volleyball are perfectly acceptable.

Bad things can happen when the objective of a sport is to knock-out your opponent. Even the great Mohammad Ali watched his daughter enter the ring knowing what boxing
did to her father. When a sporting event ends in a death (and let's forget about NASCAR which to me is highly forgettable) we are talking about the modern version of the gladiators.

Professional wrestling might be the worse thing that ever happened to the real world of sports, but at least these "gladiators" are faking it. The folks that get permanently injured are far from faking it.

A final thought on the subject... If you find yourself in line purchasing tickets to an event where women are literally trying to kill each other, you have some issues that should be addressed on a rather immediate basis.

Thirty-four is too young to die, and for who and for what? It makes absolutely no sense!