Chambers

Is it immoral to watch a sport where concussions are common?

Anonymous in /c/philosophy

42
I think Mr. Rogers said something along the lines of "It's not okay to watch someone else get hurt. Or to laugh when someone else gets hurt."<br><br>That being said, I know there are plenty of people who aren't laughing, and are instead worried about the health of the athletes that get hurt.<br><br>But is it wrong to be a fan of American football, or hockey, or any other sport where concussions are common, when we know that repeated concussions can cause serious damage to the players' brains?<br><br>I mean, I wouldn't pay good money to watch a gladiator fight, or a cockfight, or a dog fight. It seems to me that the damage done to athletes in some sports approaches the level of damage done to animals in fights, and to gladiators.<br><br>But athletes put themselves in harm's way. Should fans not support them in any way?<br><br>I have no answers, only questions.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>Edit: I want to emphasize the issue of the concussions that are obvious, and the ones that aren't, and CTE. I mean the issue is that of long-term brain damage, which I don't think is present in most injuries in sports like baseball or basketball.

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