# With the exception of combat sports, which is the most brutal/violent?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-exception-of-combat-sports-which-is-the-most-brutal-violent/682012>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [February 23, 2014, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-exception-of-combat-sports-which-is-the-most-brutal-violent/682012 "2014-02-23T12:10:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-exception-of-combat-sports-which-is-the-most-brutal-violent/682012/21 "2014-02-27T20:20:27Z")

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Also, bullfighting isn’t a sport, it’s a show. Like figure skating or pro wrestling.

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**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-exception-of-combat-sports-which-is-the-most-brutal-violent/682012/22 "2014-02-27T21:17:05Z")

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> [@Gorsnak](#):
>
> I nominate lacrosse. Also almost no concept of ‘foul’, and the players all have clubs.

There are lots of rules around what is allowed when checking someone, far more limited than football or hockey.

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**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-exception-of-combat-sports-which-is-the-most-brutal-violent/682012/23 "2014-02-27T21:38:56Z")

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The [Mayan Ball Game](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_ballgame). Any sport where the winning team is sacrificed to the Gods has got be in the running.

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**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-exception-of-combat-sports-which-is-the-most-brutal-violent/682012/24 "2014-02-27T21:46:37Z")

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> [@Lemur866](#):
>
> By what metric?
> 
> The metric I’d use is: “After a career as a professional athlete in this sport, how wrecked will your body be?”
> 
> Using this metric the answer is clearly american football.

Yeah. No doubting it.

As Madden once said in an interview: “If if put you in helmet & pads and had you play a single set of downs in the NFL you would feel the effects for the rest of your life!”

Rugby and ARF fans may think the pads make the sport wimpier but they have just.no.idea!

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**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-the-exception-of-combat-sports-which-is-the-most-brutal-violent/682012/25 "2014-03-07T15:11:51Z")

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I would agree that American football is the most violent, except that most of the professionals are so loaded up with pain killers I doubt they even feel pain during a game. So the game destoys their bodies faster than other sports but I wouldn’t say the players are somehow tougher than in other sports, just more numb.

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