The Pros And Cons Of Fighting In Hockey

Hockey has been a fan favorite since the players first suited up in 1875. With the season lasting most of the year, starting in October and ending with the Stanley Cup in June, there is plenty of games to see. Nearly every league in the world has banned fighting in the sport, although there is one outlier, the NHL. Not only is it the biggest hockey league in the world, many consider it the best. Although it has one glaring difference, it allows fighting. The NHL is the only major league that allows fighting and has specific rules defining fight etiquette. Although fighting in hockey creates a fun and exciting environment for the fans, it is dangerous for the player’s health, sets a bad example for the youth of the sport, and glorifies violence. Injuries in hockey are

Teaching the youth the answer to a problem is fighting creates a negative environment. It’s already in the professional player’s mindset to fight, as Micheal Betz (2022) writes: “Additionally, skeptics of the community deterrent approach would point to the fact that fights are just as likely to occur after a hard, legal hit as they are after an illegal hit, suggesting opposing players have a biased perspective of what should be punishable by fight” (Betz 2022). The players are already prone to fighting, even when an entirely fair big hit is conducted, teaching kids to fight when they are upset with something. Furthermore, many of the fights did not resolve anything in the game. Betz (2022) also writes, “I find no quantifiable evidence that fighting serves as a deterrent to undesirable violent behaviors in the NHL” (Betz 2022). With this information, it seems clear that fighting doesn’t solve any unwanted behavior, which is not a good example to send kids. Kids want to be just like the pros, and seeing violent behavior from them will make kids more likely to act that