The ancient Roman idea of sport was horrible. The ancient Romans enjoyed people fighting to the death. The Romans could see these fights at the huge coliseum or at an amphitheater, which is like a stadium. Most gladiators, who were the people that fought in the coliseum and amphitheater, had no choice but to fight since they were criminals, prisoners, and sometimes slaves. If a gladiator were a man convicted of murder before he became a gladiator, he would have to fight with his hands against a man with a sharp weapon. The gladiators would fight each other or wild beasts such as lions and crocodiles. If a criminal, slave or war prisoner survived long enough as a gladiator they would be free. The gladiators cleverly learned to fight in gladiator