I am an avid connoisseur of sports. College, professional, intermural, I even catch myself stopping on the World Series of Poker when it’s on TV; I have always just been attracted to competition in any form. That being said, being a life-long fan and athlete myself, I have what I would call an expertise in sports.

Although, there is one question I have never answered nor has anyone ever answered for me. Why are hockey fans allowed to openly fight during the games while no other sport can throw a punch … or two … .or clear the bench in a brawl.

According to hockeyroundtable.com, a website created by hockey fans for fans, it explains the “Three Reasons Why Hockey Fights Are Allowed.”

1. Hockey fights provide a way for the players to police themselves
2. Hockey fights are a great way to change the momentum of a game
3. Hockey fights provide entertainment value.

I love hockey. I have been to countless Portland Winterhawks games and seen countless fights, some bloody and some just a little weak. I thoroughly enjoy watching two very aggressive, large and adrenaline-pumped men fight on ice skates, but the three reasons why hockey fights are allowed seem unconvincing to me as to why hockey can and other sports cannot.

Wouldn’t you love to see Lebron James take on Joakim Noah after a blocked shot? Or end the age-old question, is it the size of the dog in the fight or the size of the fight in a dog while Nate Robinson takes on well, anyone, after a blood pumping play? I would.

Professional sports are aggressive; if an athlete isn’t “0-100” per say, they won’t perform at the level they need too in order to keep up with the momentum or level of play.
My question is, why can hockey players’ fight during a game with an at best 5-minute major, rarely an ejection, but a NBA basketball player can barely throw an elbow without it being a larger penalty, let alone throw a punch, or any professional sport for that matter.

If active fighting in sports were legal in all professional sports, how much would that change the game?

Would Brandon Meriweather of the Washington Redskins still receive the two-game suspension for an illegal hit on a wide receiver? My first thought, safety. Of course he is suspended because he was threatening the safety of the player by hitting in an illegal way. Isn’t throwing your gloves and face guard off and openly punching a player, might I add, in skates, threatening the safety of a player?

I am unsure if I will ever understand why fighting is allowed in hockey, but not in any other professional sport.