Big Brother says “wear your seat belt to your boxing match”

How does a civilized society allow two individuals to engage in a “sport” where the only goal is to beat each other until one falls down and cannot regain his mental status to stand back up in ten seconds?

We have a word for this behavior outside of the ring: assault.  But in boxing, the participants consent to the assault.  A decade ago, the British Medical Journal likened this to surgery; it would of course be illegal for someone to slice you open while unconscious, without your consent.  So consent is everything.

Medical Associations seem to agree on the long term risks to those who survive a career in boxing.  Their opposition to boxing stems not only from medical evidence that shows risk of acute injury but also of chronic brain damage.

So why should someone be allowed to consent to something so brutal but be forced to wear a seat belt?  We require our citizens to wear seat belts when driving even if they consent to any injury that may occur in a crash.   But feel free to enter the boxing ring... 

How are these positions not mutually exclusive?

 

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