Just Say NO to Spectator Sports,
especially when animals are involved.
Although I’m not a soccer fan by any means, I couldn’t avoid reading about the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. There were so many objectionable factors involved: A long litany of Human Rights abuses. According to The Guardian, more than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar since it won the right to host the World Cup. Those who didn’t die, live in terrible conditions in insufferable heat, make hardly any money, and often their passports are taken away – which means they have no legal protection. Same-sex relationships are illegal and can be punished with imprisonment and flogging. The condition of women’s rights is abysmal. The environmental costs of hosting the World Cup in the desert are enormous. And there are consistent allegations of bribery and corruption which motivated FIFA (the international governing body for soccer [football] games) to award the 2022 games to Qatar. Many regular fans decided not to watch the games.
In my opinion, spectator sports should be avoided under any circumstances because they enforce rather unappealing human traits: identification with one team can trigger intense feelings which sometimes lead to aggression and violence, especially when alcohol is involved. Rude and abusive hooligans are not uncommon in Europe. “Us versus Them” is an underlying premise of such games: “I want MY team to win and THEIR team to lose”. Then add the fact that many sports organizations are billion dollar businesses and it becomes clear who is the real winner. Obviously, I’m not a highly competitive person…
When it comes to sports events that involve animals, my tolerance ends completely. Look at horse racing, for example. Yes, people say that horses love racing and running. I’m sure this is correct, but I doubt they’d enjoy being pumped up with drugs or being pushed to absolute physical exhaustion. And they don’t know that a race is a potential death sentence. When a horse suffers a fractured bone, in almost all cases the animal will have to be put down. One reason is that a horse’s bones are remarkably light while also being very strong. When a fracture happens, the bone shatters like glass, into lots of little pieces that can’t be put together any more. The other reason is laminitis: the weight of a horse is normally distributed among four legs and hooves, but with a broken leg only three hooves would support the weight. The one-third extra force that is applied to the fibrous tissue in the horse’s hoof, known as interdigitating laminae, puts it under such pressure that it becomes inflamed, which is incredibly painful. It is similar to a bedsore and can lead to necrotic tissue.1
An undercover investigation by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) exposed cruel standard industry practices such as administration of pain-masking drugs and performance-enhancing medication, leg-burning with liquid nitrogen to stimulate blood-flow to sore legs, and the use of concealed buzzers that would electro-shock a horse during a race. The investigation led to the first-ever federal legislation, the federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act which was passed in 2020. This is a first and important step to make sure horses will not be raced to death for human entertainment.
Greyhound racing, just like horse racing, is often part of a gambling industry where people can bet on the outcome. The difference is that greyhound racing is by and large in decline. Advocacy groups such as the non-profit organization GREY2K USA Worldwide have established major greyhound protection laws that resulted in the closing of many dog racing tracks: in 42 states dog racing is illegal, in the states of Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin and Connecticut it is legal but currently not practiced, and as of 2023 there are only two active greyhound racetracks in the United States, both in the state of West Virginia. Injuries and deaths, cases of cruelty and neglect, as well as misuse of serious drugs such as cocaine contributed to the decline of the industry. Besides concerns about the dogs’ welfare, decrease in betting revenue has led tracks across the country to close.
Yet other spectator (and betting) “sports” are dogfighting and cockfighting, both illegal in the United States. Which doesn’t mean they don't happen. You may remember the dogs rescued in 2007 from professional football player Michael Vick’s dogfighting ring “Bad Newz Kennels”. I won’t repeat the horrifying accounts of depraved cruelty that came out in the weeks after Vick’s arrest (you can refresh your memory here). Many of the dogs that were saved spent some time at Best Friends Animal Society where they were being rehabilitated and were eventually adopted by loving families. The Champions is an amazing and touching documentary following the rescue and development of several Vicktory Dogs.
Almost every year one reads about yet another dogfighting ring being busted, although dogfighting is a felony offense in all 50 states as well as under federal law. In September of 2022, the Humane Society helped rescue 275 dogs from a dogfighting operation in South Carolina. I find it hard to call anybody who is involved in such a horrifying operation, whether it’s as organizer or as spectator, a human being.
Another barbaric practice of animal fighting involves cockfighting. While it is illegal everywhere in the US, in some states it is only a misdemeanor, and some states have totally ineffective laws. States across the Southeast, such as Kentucky, North Carolina and Georgia, are called the nation’s “cockfighting corridor” by federal drug enforcement authorities. Georgia is also the only state without a specific law against cockfighting. In Oklahoma, cockfighters have formed a political action committee to fight meaningful penalties for all cockfighting-related activities; the PAC has contributed nearly $40,000 to Oklahoma state and federal candidates during the 2022 elections.
Besides the fights themselves, the breeding of fighting birds has become an enormously lucrative, if illegal, business. Breeders sell and ship the birds all over the world, to buyers in Mexico, South America, Guam, Vietnam, the Philippines, according to a recent article in the New York Times. When the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice conducted a raid of a farm in Alabama, they seized more than 2,000 birds in the summer of 2021.
Normally, state authorities would simply euthanize any birds that they confiscated from a breeding farm. However, the owners of the Alabama facility who all face probation or prison and home detention, suggested that their birds would be sent to an animal sanctuary. One hundred birds ended up at VINE Sanctuary, a refuge especially for game fowl. Several other sanctuaries offered their services as well. The rescuers were able to dispel the myth that these animals can’t help but fight each other, that it is the nature of roosters to turn against each other. The staff at the sanctuary slowly introduced the roosters to their flock of chickens, and they discovered that initial aggression was caused by fear. Over time, all the birds have learned to live together and get along.
Agreed, cockfighting and soccer games are not the same. But I think it’s a slippery slope, better to be avoided. And don’t get me started on the Olympic Games!
Thank you, Jessica. I thought I was the only one who found the contrived "us-vs-them" aspect of team sports nauseating. Blood sports are part of the same continuum.