Illegal sports

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An illegal sport is any sport that is illegal in one or more jurisdictions due to the violent or dangerous nature of the sport.[ not verified in body ] Well-known illegal sports, such as cockfighting and dogfighting, are barred on the basis of animal abuse.

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Illegal sports are controversial due to the dangerous aspects attributed to them and the pain they can inflict on humans or animals.[ original research? ] They also are controversial due to the perceived nature of some of them — notably dogfighting — as being savage sports.

Cockfighting

Cockfighting is a gambling and spectator sport where roosters fight, frequently to the death, in rings, while players place bets on which rooster will win. Often, sharp implements are attached to the legs of the birds, inflicting massive injuries and pain. [1] The birds used for cockfighting sometimes are given stimulant drugs to enhance their fighting ability and make them more aggressive. [1]

According to the Humane Society of the United States, cockfighting is illegal (at least a misdemeanor) in all fifty US states. [2] It is classified as a felony in 39 states. Notable states that have less severe laws are Alabama, Hawaii, Idaho, and Mississippi (misdemeanor punishment for cockfighting; no punishment for possessing cock or being a spectator); South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and Kentucky (misdemeanor punishment for cockfighting, no punishment for possessing cocks, misdemeanor punishment for being a spectator). [3]

Governor Frank Keating of Oklahoma said when outlawing cockfighting in his state that "Cockfighting is cruel, it promotes illegal gambling and it is simply embarrassing to Oklahoma to be seen as one of only a tiny handful of locations outside of the third world where this activity is legal." Since there is no reliable data on the status of cockfighting in the third world, it is assumed that cockfighting is largely legal, unpopular, or laws against it are unenforced amongst these nations. [1]

Dogfighting

Dog fighting is a practice, illegal in many jurisdictions, where two dogs, often a bull-type terrier breed, are put into an area to fight and sometimes kill each other. Dog fighting has been reported as far back as AD 43 when the Romans invaded Britain. Both sides employed fighting dogs, and out of their wartime use grew a sport, which achieved great popularity, particular in Britain and later the United States. [4]

Dogfighting can involve high stakes, and carries with it the same sociological dangers of other gambling, and particularly illegal gambling, activities.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals focuses heavily on the issue on dog fighting. There are various levels of dog fighting. There is “street” level, which means that the dogfights are informal because strict rules and regulations are absent from the matches. Another level is “hobbyists”, which are fights that are formally organized. They are mainly scheduled for income and speculators. The final level of dog fighting is “professional.” At the professional level, owners usually have more than fifty fighting dogs and carefully examine the specific breed, lineage, and winning history of each dog. [5]

Dog fighting is illegal in every U.S. state and in many countries around the world (Britain, where it was quite popular, banned it as far back as the 1830s), although enforcement in other countries is frequently lax or nonexistent. Dog fighting is a felony in all states except Idaho and Wyoming, where it's a misdemeanor. It is a felony to possess dogs for fighting except in the states of New York, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming. [6]

Street racing

Street racing is the frequently illegal racing of motor vehicles on public roads and highways. These high-speed races, usually with untrained drivers, can result in fatal crashes that have the capacity to inflict damage on innocent people not participating in the race. In 2006, California state highway patrol issued 697 citations for "speed contests". There is no official statistic kept on street racing deaths. [7] Street racing can become an addicting habit for many drivers. [8]

BASE jumping

BASE jumping is a form of skydiving from buildings. The sport is illegal in almost all cities, because the jumpers seriously risk sustaining injuries, or causing problems for pedestrians or motorists when they land. In many cases, BASE jumpers illegally access the high points from which they are jumping by breaking and entering or trespassing. Two BASE jumpers were arrested in St. Petersburg, Russia after jumping off of the Cathedral of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul in November 2011. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cockfight</span> Blood sport

Cockfighting is a blood sport involving roosters ("cocks"), held in a ring called a cockpit. The first documented use of the word gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or entertainment, was recorded in 1634, after the term "cock of the game" used by George Wilson, in the earliest known book on the sport of cockfighting in The Commendation of Cocks and Cock Fighting in 1607. But it was during Magellan's voyage of discovery of the Philippines in 1521 when modern cockfighting was first witnessed and documented for Westerners by the Italian Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan's chronicler, in the Kingdom of Taytay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pit bull</span> Type of dog

Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog believed to have descended from bull and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. Within the United States the pit bull is usually considered a diverse grouping that includes the breeds American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and occasionally the American Bulldog, along with any crossbred dog that shares certain physical characteristics with these breeds. In other countries including Britain, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not considered a pit bull. Most pit bull-type dogs descend from the British Bull and terrier, a 19th-century dog-fighting type developed from crosses between the Old English Bulldog and the Old English Terrier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dog fighting</span> Blood sport

Dog fighting is a type of blood sport that turns game and fighting dogs against each other in a physical fight, often to the death, for the purposes of gambling or entertainment to the spectators. In rural areas, fights are often staged in barns or outdoor pits; in urban areas, fights are often staged in garages, basements, warehouses, alleyways, abandoned buildings, neighborhood playgrounds, or in the streets. Dog fights usually last until one dog is declared a winner, which occurs when one dog fails to scratch, dies, or jumps out of the pit. Sometimes dog fights end without declaring a winner; for instance, the dog's owner may call the fight.

Hog-dog rodeo or hog-dogging, is a spectator event that simulates wild or feral boar hunting with dogs. It requires specially trained and bred "hog dogs" that are used to bay and sometimes catch a hog or boar. In most cases, bay dogs psychologically control the pig and no physical contact occurs. In some cases, however, such as Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trials, along with bay dog events, catch dog events have been included in the past. In these, specially bred and equipped dogs caught and held the hog by the ears before the animals were quickly separated by a person who hog-tied the pig.

<i>Amores perros</i> 2000 film

Amores perros is a 2000 Mexican psychological drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga, based on a story by them both. Amores perros is the first installment in González Iñárritu's "Trilogy of Death", succeeded by 21 Grams and Babel. It makes use of the multi-narrative hyperlink cinema style and features an ensemble cast. The film is constructed as a triptych: it contains three distinct stories connected by a car crash in Mexico City. The stories centre on a teenager in the slums who gets involved in dogfighting; a model who seriously injures her leg; and a mysterious hitman. The stories are linked in various ways, including the presence of dogs in each of them.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scope. It uses strategies that are beyond the abilities of local organizations. It works on issues including pets, wildlife, farm animals, horses and other equines, and animals used in research, testing and education. As of 2001, the group's major campaigns targeted factory farming, animal blood sports, the fur trade, puppy mills, and wildlife abuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animals in sport</span> Sports that involve use of animals

Animals in sport are a specific form of working animals. Many animals, at least in more commercial sports, are highly trained. Two of the most common animals in sport are horses and dogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Pacelle</span> American activist

Wayne Pacelle is one of the leading contemporary animal advocates, having founded or led a set of major animal rights organizations, negotiated agreements on animal rights with major American companies, and helped conceive of and pass statewide ballot measures and federal laws. He is also a two-time New York Times best-selling author.

The Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting investigation began in April 2007 with a search of property in Surry County, Virginia, owned by Michael Vick, who was at the time quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons football team, and the subsequent discovery of evidence of a dog fighting ring. Over seventy dogs, mostly pit bull terriers, with some said to be showing signs of injuries, were seized, along with physical evidence during several searches of Vick's 15-acre (61,000 m2) property by local, state and federal authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dog fighting in the United States</span>

Dog fighting in the United States is an activity in which fights between two game dogs are staged as a form of entertainment and gambling. Such activity has existed since the early 19th century in the United States and was gradually prohibited in all states. It continues as an underground activity in both rural and urban locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Animal Welfare Society</span> Organization

The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is a volunteer-based, non-government organization whose goal is to prevent animal cruelty through education, animal sheltering and advocacy, based in Quezon City, Philippines. It was founded in 1954 by Muriel Jay. PAWS believes that the creation of a more peaceful society starts with the widening of mankind's circle of compassion which includes animals, thereby envisions a nation that respects animals, practices responsible pet ownership and protects wildlife. The volunteer-based organization rehabilitates these animals in the hope of finding them new homes and a second chance at a good life. PAWS does not take in pets of other people, but only victims of cruelty or neglect where the animal offenders are charged with violation of the Animal Welfare Act in court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bear-baiting</span> Blood sport with bears

Bear-baiting is a blood sport in which a chained bear and one or more dogs are forced to fight one another. It may also involve pitting a bear against another animal. Until the 19th century, it was commonly performed in Great Britain, Sweden, India, Pakistan, and Mexico among others.

Cynthia Bathurst is an animal welfare advocate, winner of a national veterinary award, and founder and director of Safe Humane Chicago, a nonprofit which includes the first of its kind Court Case Dog Program.

Dogs in the United States have significant popularity and status – they are often treated as family members. Currently, the American Kennel Club is the largest registry of pure breed dogs across the world.

Animal welfare and rights in Mexico regards the treatment of and laws concerning non-human animals in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Humphrey</span> American politician

Justin J. J. Humphrey is an American politician from the state of Oklahoma. A Republican, he is a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, representing state House District 19. He lives in Lane, Oklahoma, in the southeastern part of the state. He was re-elected by default in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NSPCA</span> South African animal welfare organisation

National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), also known as the National Council of SPCAs, is the largest and oldest animal welfare organisation in South Africa. The NSPCA handles all matters relating to animal cruelty involving all animal species and is a registered Non-Profit Organisation registered with the Department of Social Development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Osburn</span> American politician

Mike Osburn is an American politician who has served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 81st district since 2016. He is Cherokee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cockfighting in India</span> Animal fighting game in India

Cockfighting in India primarily takes place in January, coinciding with Makar Sankranti. The practice is widespread in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, including Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari and West Godavari districts, despite being illegal in India.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Animal Fighting Archived 2011-09-01 at the Wayback Machine . Idausa.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-12.
  2. Cockfighting : The Humane Society of the United States. Humanesociety.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-12.
  3. Cockfighting: State Laws, The Humane Society of the United States, June 2010
  4. Illegal Dogfighting Rings Thrive in U.S. Cities. NPR. Retrieved on 2011-06-12.
  5. Dog Fighting FAQ Archived 2011-02-13 at the Wayback Machine . ASPCA. Retrieved on 2011-06-12.
  6. Dog Fighting Law & Legal Definition. Definitions.uslegal.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-12.
  7. Addicted to the rush of the race – Page 2 – CNN. Articles.cnn.com (2008-01-22). Retrieved on 2011-06-12.
  8. Addicted to the rush of the race – CNN. Articles.cnn.com (2008-01-22). Retrieved on 2011-06-12.
  9. Nov 2011, 4:24PM GMT 25 (2011-11-25). "Base jumpers arrested after St Petersburg cathedral leap". www.telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2011-11-25. Retrieved 2019-04-08.