Is wrestling a bad influence on children?

Even though commercial wrestling is staged there are a growing number of parents and teachers out there who think that children should not be exposed to wrestling. There are a number of reasons for this fact but it seems that one of the biggest talking points is how children and teenagers imitate the moves they see on television on their friends and siblings, sometimes to disastrous effect. As with any debate, there are two sides to this one as well. On the one hand many people say that commercial wrestling is fake and children know that and the industry takes great care of saying that people should not try the moves they see at home or at school. The other side says children can be influenced by the violence they see and this has a hugely negative effect on them. Will wrestling become tamer in the future or will it just become more violent?

There are signs that wrestling is getting more and more violent these days. One has to only look at Japan where the sport is becoming more hardcore by the day. The country has excelled in finding innovative ways for men and women to maim their opponents with all manner of objects. Matches are fought with barbwire, nails in boards, fire, tube lights, thumb tacks and even glass. This disturbing trend is pushing the boundaries of what should be seen by audiences as entertainment. It takes us back to the world of ancient Rome and the bloodthirsty audiences of the day that loved to watch gladiator matches to the death and violent chariot races. We have thankfully evolved from that type of brutality, but it might be making a comeback. The reason why matches are going to this extreme level it seems is to fill a gap in the market. The standard wrestling matches have been done and now it is time for something more extreme to take place.

A study done in 2008 in America showed there was a direct link between watching wrestling on television and teenage violence and antisocial behaviour. The study was led by Robert H. DuRant, Ph.D, of Wake Forest University, and the findings were that as the frequency of watching wrestling increases, the incidents of risky behaviour increase proportionately. The study found disturbing trends such as the fact that those interviewed who had hurt someone with a deadly weapon watched 67% more wrestling than those who did not. This study did not stay in the realms of violence alone, it explored other social factors as well. It found that those that did not use birth control while engaging in sexual activity watched 42% more wrestling than those that did use birth control. It seems that young people get the wrong messages from wrestling, glorified violence, the degradation of women, sexuality associated with violence and extreme verbal and physical abuse and bullying. Even though this study was an isolated event and needed further research to confirm the findings, it still showed a disturbing trend among teenagers who watched wrestling.

The other side of this argument says that wrestling is simply a hugely entertaining show and it should be treated as such. The fans of wrestling say that it is just like any other show on television, for example reality shows, that are full of sexuality, racial stereotypes and sometimes violence. People should realise that it is simply entertainment and it is not real. It has been compared to movies and television series and it is a mix of both and has elements of live television thrown in as well. Many fans who love wrestling as a form of pure entertainment do not understand why it is being singled out when so many other violent forms of entertainment exist today.

One of the big problems with wrestling is its effect on children. Psychiatrists say that children should not be exposed to wrestling because it shows them violence and abuse in many forms. This can lead to incidents of fighting in school, bullying and antisocial behaviour. But the worst effect it can have on children is that it can desensitise them to violence and violent behaviour. With spousal abuse on the rise and crime increasing maybe a factor of it could be linked back to watching wrestling as children.

This debate will not end anytime soon and we will continue to see both sides arguing the merits and the negative aspects of watching wrestling on television. Wrestling does not look like it is going anywhere though and it just seems to be getting more popular and more violent every day.

Wrestling is a bad sport. Children should NOT be allowed to watch it. There are no morals or positive motivation in wrestling!

Ruthless1:
Wrestling is a bad sport. Children should NOT be allowed to watch it.
There are no morals or positive motivation in wrestling!

oh