Is Boxing a sin?

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Montie_Claunch

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I heard once (where and from whom has slipped my mind) that the Sport of Boxing and Participating in it is a sin. I was watching the Cinderella Man and James J. Braddock was Catholic (and a Boxer) which made me wonder. Of Course saying your Catholic and being Orthadox don’t neccessarly coincide. But, the question is still there. Is Boxing a sin? Thanks and God bless.
 
Montie_Claunch said:
I heard once (where and from whom has slipped my mind) that the Sport of Boxing and Participating in it is a sin. I was watching the Cinderella Man and James J. Braddock was Catholic (and a Boxer) which made me wonder. Of Course saying your Catholic and being Orthadox don’t neccessarly coincide. But, the question is still there. Is Boxing a sin? Thanks and God bless.
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I would say it has to do with how it is done. Is it done as a sport with good sportsmanship, or is it done to see cause physical damage to the opponent?

Catholic boys clubs use to have boxing. It taught the boys discipline and humility.

Jim
 
It’s all in the manner of the sport.

If you’re looking for a knockout and trying to bash the other guy’s brains out, then it probably is. However, if you’re looking for a good, physical sport, boxing might be great. Notre Dame has “Bengal Bouts” in which college students train for weeks and weeks for a tournament in the fall. They wear head gear, they only go for three rounds, and the fighting is awesome. It’s all in good sport.
 
It’s not in the manner of the sport or how it’s done.

It’s not a sin. I don’t think God gives a crud about boxing. It’s for sport, fun, excersize, whatever.

If you’ve never gone into a ring and gave everything you had to knock someone out, I suggest you try it. Very liberating.
 
…Done in good sport??? How can it be done in good sport, when the goal of the game is to do violence against another human being? To me it is pure violence that appeals to the fallen nature of the man. Why would you support that sport when there are many other sports that in no way harm another human being.
 
Boxing done well isn’t all out violence. That’s what I’m saying. Just like any other sport, there is a risk for injury but that doesn’t mean we should outlaw all sports for the sake of safety. It’s a game of skill, agility, and strength, not violence.

When you think of boxing, don’t think of Mike Tyson or many pro-boxers who simply have lost focus in their lives. Whenever I think of boxing, I think of a bunch of college-aged men who wear head gear and spar against each other. Nailing each other in the head is frowned upon, and boxers hug each other and tell each other good fight afterwards. Boxing is one of the most basic of sports. No ball, no sticks, just you and an opponent.
 
Polaris said:
…Done in good sport??? How can it be done in good sport, when the goal of the game is to do violence against another human being? To me it is pure violence that appeals to the fallen nature of the man. Why would you support that sport when there are many other sports that in no way harm another human being.
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What’s so wrong about a violent sport? Football is violent. Rugby is violent. Soccer can be (especially the fans).

Besides, most, if not all, sports are very damaging to the participant’s body. All athletes know this. So are they commiting a sin by simply participating? You can really hurt your knee playing badmitton.

Besides, if you ask any boxer, it’s more an art than a sport.
 
Amateur boxing, in which lots of protective gear is worn and the point of the bouts is to score points for contact, is a great sport and excellent way for young men to condition themselves for real-world situations in which they might need to defend themselves or another.

I would be concerned about pro circuit boxing in which the goal is typically to destroy the opponent. People often get hurt, not only by the nature of the fight, but by the promoters who see destruction as profit.
 
ESimmons said:
Amateur boxing, in which lots of protective gear is worn and the point of the bouts is to score points for contact, is a great sport and excellent way for young men to condition themselves for real-world situations in which they might need to defend themselves or another.

I would be concerned about pro circuit boxing in which the goal is typically to destroy the opponent. People often get hurt, not only by the nature of the fight, but by the promoters who see destruction as profit.
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Exactly! I second that! Actually, any professional athlete needs to be concerned with how his profession might best glorify God. Is he doing the right thing with his talents and abilities? Is he offering up a good example for children who idolize him or her?
 
Violence is part of the human condition, it’s who we are and to deny it is to prepare tomorrows problems.

Sport such as boxing is a channel for this aggression, like all martial arts, it teaches as much as it releases and controls. Fists or swords, it’s competition, not attempted murder!

Of course, unfortunately like most sports, as soon as it becomes about hard cash, nobility and honour fly right out of the window.
 
Polaris said:
…Done in good sport??? How can it be done in good sport, when the goal of the game is to do violence against another human being? To me it is pure violence that appeals to the fallen nature of the man. Why would you support that sport when there are many other sports that in no way harm another human being.
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I agree, whether people accept it or not, the GOAL is to KNOCK OUT someone.
 
Catholic_Dude said:
I agree, whether people accept it or not, the GOAL is to KNOCK OUT someone.
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Both the goals of both participants is equal and getting knocked out isn’t necessarily going to damage the person for life. Besides, on the amature level, very few get knocked out and if that’s what your goal is when you get into the ring, you’ll most likely box yourself out and lose the fight.

I’ve seen more respect for opponents from boxers than any other sport.( Not talking the Mike Tyson types here.)

Jim
 
Polaris said:
…Done in good sport??? How can it be done in good sport, when the goal of the game is to do violence against another human being? To me it is pure violence that appeals to the fallen nature of the man. Why would you support that sport when there are many other sports that in no way harm another human being.
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I agree with the others. Boxing is not a sin. It would only be a sin for ordained ministers because THEY are not supposed to be strikers.

**Maybe it appeals to the fallen nature of man but so does a good pizza. 😃 The goal of the sport is to knock the other guy out but don’t forget, the other guy has the same goal. It’s not an uneven match; both are well trained as far as skills and conditioning. If two people agree to step in the ring for the sport of it (amateur) or for the paycheck (professional), I don’t see the problem.

I suspect you will bring in those members of the sex trade and equate them with my argument but that is different. That has been spelled out in Scripture to be sin. I would then bring up insurance salesmen. They “deceive” you in order to make the most money they can; and we could go on and on…**
 
hoosierdaddy said:
I agree with the others. Boxing is not a sin. It would only be a sin for ordained ministers because THEY are not supposed to be strikers.

**Maybe it appeals to the fallen nature of man but so does a good pizza. 😃 The goal of the sport is to knock the other guy out but don’t forget, the other guy has the same goal. It’s not an uneven match; both are well trained as far as skills and conditioning. If two people agree to step in the ring for the sport of it (amateur) or for the paycheck (professional), I don’t see the problem.

I suspect you will bring in those members of the sex trade and equate them with my argument but that is different. That has been spelled out in Scripture to be sin. I would then bring up insurance salesmen. They “deceive” you in order to make the most money they can; and we could go on and on…**
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It’s not a sin for ordained ministers either. My very first boxing lesson was from my Priest. I was just a kid then, but it did two things for me. Led me to train in a few different martial arts (boxing is one), and it connected me to my Priest in a way I could not have experienced otherwise.
 
Has anyone seen the CAT or MRI scans of professional boxers? The amount of damage due to concussions is systematic and accumulates with time. Boxing mainly requires blows to the head and today’s medicine has shown the effect of sudden impact to the brain (a jelly floating in a liquid). Is it a grave matter to induce physical damage to someone in the name of a sport?

The fact that Notre Dame university has a boxing team does not mean anyhting. That university is moving far away from being a Catholic university.

Just because a priest is teaching how to do something does not make it right. Priests are human beings, and like us the can be ignorant and sinful.
 
Cristiano said:
Has anyone seen the CAT or MRI scans of professional boxers? The amount of damage due to concussions is systematic and accumulates with time. Boxing mainly requires blows to the head and today’s medicine has shown the effect of sudden impact to the brain (a jelly floating in a liquid). Is it a grave matter to induce physical damage to someone in the name of a sport?

The fact that Notre Dame university has a boxing team does not mean anyhting. That university is moving far away from being a Catholic university.

Just because a priest is teaching how to do something does not make it right. Priests are human beings, and like us the can be ignorant and sinful.
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Thats very true, there is internal bleeding and other trauma that cause serious damage from boxing, even if its not seen from the outside doesnt mean there isnt irreversable internal damage.

The fact is the goal is to knock out the opponent, this is unChristian at its very core. The idea that its a good way to let off some energy is just as bad because your using a human as a punching bag.
 
I’m very weary of this drive to emulate the Taliban.

EVERYTHING is a sin according to someone somewhere depending on their point of view. Who wants to be the morality police (or Police of Vice and Virtue as they call it in Saudi Arabia) going around dictating who can do what and what is “Sinful?”

As for boxing being “un-Christian” then consider war? If there’s a “just war” doctrine, then surely learning to fight is preparation for such actions?
 
Durendin said:
I’m very weary of this drive to emulate the Taliban.

EVERYTHING is a sin according to someone somewhere depending on their point of view. Who wants to be the morality police (or Police of Vice and Virtue as they call it in Saudi Arabia) going around dictating who can do what and what is “Sinful?”

As for boxing being “un-Christian” then consider war? If there’s a “just war” doctrine, then surely learning to fight is preparation for such actions?
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The CCC is quite clear of what sin is. Sin is not defined by public opinion but by the Church teachings. It is not matter of group opinions but matter of individual behaviors and intentions. If you think that you are committing a sin and you choose to do it, even if the Church does not consider it a sin, then you are committing a sin.

Preparing for war is fine, depending how you do it. Do you accept the shooting and killing of people to simulate combat situations?
 
We pretend to kill each other by shooting blanks. In Fencing, it’s not even a requirement anymore to draw first blood, never mind a rapier through the heart. In boxing, we don’t ask for someone to be killed either, it follows a points system for blows landed and a knock-out is a consequence of a serious blow But again, a skilled fighter can score higher by not dishing out a coup de grace.
 
I am a devout Catholic youth minister. I am a former Golden Gloves and USA boxing competitor. I still love boxing and martial arts. I am not guilty of sin because of my love for or my participation in this sport. I have many good Catholic and Christian friends who are professional boxers. They are not guilty of sin because of their participation in this as a profession. The Catholic Church has not condemned the sport of boxing. Boxing is not the only violent sport out their either. This quesiton was covered in the book “Catholic Replies” available from Catholic answers. The answer then is the same now. No stand has been taken by the church on this subject. If you are a Catholic and have a problem with boxing, then don’t do it and don’t let your kids do it. But don’t label good Catholics as being at odds with the Church’s teaching just because they find joy and fullfillment as well as a way to provide for their families in this sport.
 
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