Poll: Would you watch gladiatorial combat?

[Johnny Novgorod]

Not a fan of fighty sports, no.

 

[Vicarious Reality]

The only way I see gladiatorial combat making a comeback in this day and age is if it's robots beating the shit out of one another until one or the other no longer functions.

Good news everyone! Actually, very old news.



my news have been defeated

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

It's funny how limited a view people seem to have about gladiatorial combat. In most of the posts here it seems to be interpreted as "One on one fights to the death in the style of ancient Rome". Note that the OP merely described "the concept of gladiators" being revived. If that meant the first sentence I put in quotes, I probably would watch it once out of curiosity, but no more. But expand your view of what that could mean when revamped to modern times, and IMO it could provide very interesting results. Why not go for a "harm, not kill" approach, where fatal moves are prohibited, and if a contestant suffers severe injury, they're given full medical assistance? Why not themed group fights, say, a team of medieval knights vs. a modern swat squad with batons? Or gather a blackbelt of every martial art known to man, and have them duke it out in a free-for-all.

 

[Queen Michael]

No, I'm Swedish, and it's one thing to watch a Roman named Maximus kill in the Colosseum of Rome. It's another thing to watch a fighter called Per-Arne kill somebody at Ullevi in Göteborg.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Yes.

You know why ?

Because a lot of what Gladiatorial combat was like has been greatly exaggerated by most media.

It's been suggested that for the most part Gladiator fights were mostly no more of a huge bloodsport than wrestling really.

The idea being that people aren't really going to want to go in for life or death fights all the time.
It's been suggested that fights to the death were very rare and watching animals rip apart gladiators was mostly a myth too.

The suggestions I've heard were that Animals were often de-clawed and gladiator training etc was centred around learning to hit people with a sword in areas that would bleed but cause little lasting damage beyond maybe a scar.

Just think for a moment in a small Colosseum there would be what 1 set of events a week. You just can't keep killing replacing and training what 5 or more people each week. It's suggested a lot of it was at least in part rigged to help create fan favourites etc too very much like modern Wrestling

Yes and no. Certainly, it was cheaper not to keep killing people off, and to create fan favourites with careers.

OTOH, you had a lot of really rich people wanting to put on extravagant shows. IIRC, they had to pass a law to limit the amount of gladiators fighting, after Caesar had a show with, again IIRC, several hundred gladiators killing each other. Not cause killing people was bad, but because it meant that Caesar had a small army in the city, which worried people.

Then again, they did mix other stuff in with the combat like athletics.

 

[J Tyran]

No, not at all. I have no interest in watching living things that can feel pain, distress and fear getting mutilated or killed (I can barely watch the stuff Sea Shepard.org where I am a supporter post) I certainly have no interest in watching people do the same for entertainment.

 

[WolfThomas]

If they were 100% volunteers. If like real life Rome, killing was rare and it was mostly about putting on a show. Then yes I might dabble. In a way it's perhaps more honest than boxing where the long term risks (brain damage) aren't truly appreciated. I mean modern gloved boxing, apparently bare-knuckle is safer for brain damage because you can't strike head as often or hard.

I mean even a choreographed sport like pro-wrestling has huge health impacts on it's participants (spinal injuries, brain damage, heart strain related to unregulated steroid use).

 

[Cowabungaa]

Nah, I am however incredibly happy to sate my lust for destruction and combat by watching BattleBots. Let the sparks fly, my friends!

No, I'm Swedish, and it's one thing to watch a Roman named Maximus kill in the Colosseum of Rome. It's another thing to watch a fighter called Per-Arne kill somebody at Ullevi in Göteborg.

Yes, but think of the Viking angle you guys can pull off though.

 

[Queen Michael]

Nah, I am however incredibly happy to sate my lust for destruction and combat by watching BattleBots. Let the sparks fly, my friends!

No, I'm Swedish, and it's one thing to watch a Roman named Maximus kill in the Colosseum of Rome. It's another thing to watch a fighter called Per-Arne kill somebody at Ullevi in Göteborg.

Yes, but think of the Viking angle you guys can pull off though.

Didn't think of that. And the old Norse names have been getting popular again...