What If? Deadly Combat/Gladiator Sports Replaced Ordinary Sports In Popularity?

[CarlManvers2019]

Basically, let’s just say due to really weird reasons, sports like baseball, soccer, tennis etc end up replaced with people having No-Holds-Barred Combat Sports

Things like kendo with ACTUAL Katana’s, fencing with actual sabers and no protective gear, unarmed martial arts fights where you can gouge someone’s eyes out, jousting, melees, hunting lions with only knives etc

How badly would the cultures of the world be if they all somehow came to accept this stuff and even glorify the winners?

 

[PsihoKekec]

Even the Roman gladiator sports had rules to limit the carnage, so they wouldn't run out of gladiators.

 

[Emperor Tippy]

Personally, I have zero issue with anything that consenting adults want to do with themselves or one another.

So long as it is willing and consensual, I am perfectly fine with gladiatorial death games. Anyone who participates in them is a fucking idiot but the state should not be protecting adults from being fucking idiots.

 

[CarlManvers2019]

Even the Roman gladiator sports had rules to limit the carnage, so they wouldn't run out of gladiators.

You mean they didn’t force human beings to fight large carnivorous animals?

 

[PsihoKekec]

They did, but there were rules for gldiator vs. gladiator fights to limit the chance of death, as every trained gladiator was a considerable investment.

 

[Marduk]

Basically, let’s just say due to really weird reasons, sports like baseball, soccer, tennis etc end up replaced with people having No-Holds-Barred Combat Sports

Things like kendo with ACTUAL Katana’s, fencing with actual sabers and no protective gear, unarmed martial arts fights where you can gouge someone’s eyes out, jousting, melees, hunting lions with only knives etc

How badly would the cultures of the world be if they all somehow came to accept this stuff and even glorify the winners?

EIther they would need equipment and rules to reasonably limit the chances of death or crippling injury, force criminals, slaves or something to join, or rely on the suicidal (or suicidally stupid) to be the fighters. Your idea seems to exclude the first option, even though it's the most likely, and closest to existing stuff. For example, boxing and some similar sports have a reputation for injuries...
There are also all sorts of medieval reentactment events where injuries can very much happen, even though rules try to make them unlikely.

Axe Wounds Man During Medieval Battle Re-Enactment

A young man who participated in a mock medieval battle in Australia was flown to hospital after he received an axe-blow to the side of the head.

www.ancient-origins.net

Loosen the rules a bit, compensate with better medical overwatch and hype it up into better business as THE bloody gladiator sport, and you get modern gladiatorial combat, with little change to general culture.

Or if you want beast fights, just go to Spain, a developed country with EU membership:


In the latter cases, the very principle behind law and society allowing such people going to very likely death (or arguably worse) for entertainment, somewhat unwillingly or very stupidly, would be the bigger cultural change than the gladiatorial event itself.

 

[Shipmaster Sane]

Basically, let’s just say due to really weird reasons, sports like baseball, soccer, tennis etc end up replaced with people having No-Holds-Barred Combat Sports

Things like kendo with ACTUAL Katana’s, fencing with actual sabers and no protective gear, unarmed martial arts fights where you can gouge someone’s eyes out, jousting, melees, hunting lions with only knives etc

How badly would the cultures of the world be if they all somehow came to accept this stuff and even glorify the winners?

Gladiators usually didn't die/get crippled when they lost.

 

[CarlManvers2019]

Gladiators usually didn't die/get crippled when they lost.

Then how is it exciting with them holding back?

 

[Shipmaster Sane]

Then how is it exciting with them holding back?

Yeah who would ever pay to see two oily men pretend to fight.