Brickbat: For Your Protection

KWDesigns / CC BY-ND

A New York law supporters said would protect boxers is killing the sport in the state. The law, passed last year, requires $1 million insurance for each boxer on a card to cover life-threatening brain injuries. Promoters say they can afford that for big championship fights but not for the small, local shows that are the lifeblood of the sport.

Comments

[Ted S.]

Boxing and MMA are Wrong People sports.

Make Mary Lou Whitney and the rest of the white trash at Saratoga take out $1M insurance on each horse, and watch the shrieking.

[The Fusionist]

Require $1M insurance for each polo pony.

[Rat don't serf]

Require soccer moms to insure their kids.

[Suthenboy]

I think Obumblecare has this covered.

[Trigger Hippie]

"Boxing and MMA are Wrong People sports."

*pops neck, cracks knuckles*

Damn straight.

[The Hyperbole]

Can any law that results in more underground bare-knuckled fight clubs really be a bad law?

[buybuydandavis]

The first rule of fight club!!!!

[Mr Lizard]

Get the dental coverage?

[The Fusionist]

Well, I'm guessing the first rule *isn't* do not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

[Agammamon]

Its not a ticklin' competition - these fellows are out to *hurt* one another.

[Radioactive]

sticks & stones may break my bones but an eight ounce glove will give me a concussion

[JeremyR]

You really think this is unintended? The left is just champing at the bit to apply this sort of law to gun owners.

"Sure you can have a gun, as long as you have super-expensive liability coverage".

And they'd love to apply this to football as well.

OTOH, if the boxer is hurt and goes to the hospital and doesn't have insurance, the state is paying for the care.

[Agammamon]

Like snowboarders, car drivers, and yer mum.

[Radioactive]

esp. his mum...what a train wreck

[Fist of Etiquette]

But as demand grows and main events sell out, some insiders worry that a well-intentioned law passed last spring in Albany...

Journalists can never seem to muster the imagination to suppose that legislators might have sinister, unstated goals.

[Jerryskids]

I suspect the intent isn't "sinister" so much as "dark". As in, a disproportionate number of boxers are pugilists of color so you can't hardly expect them to look out for their own best interests, or even to understand their own best interests, as if they were a white man. It's just part of the white man's burden, looking out for the little darkies what ain't got no more sense than any other cute little monkey.

[Radioactive]

I suspect stupid is the root cause...

[UnCivilServant]

It is the New York Legslature. The root cause is either stupidity or corruption.

[dantheserene]

Can't it be both?

[BigT]

Couldn't the amount of ins required just be a function of the purse?

[UnCivilServant]

That would fail in the primary objective of making boxing go away.

[Radioactive]

what is the coverage requirement if you get hit in the mush with a purse?

[buybuydandavis]

So the law won't disrupt the Ruling Reptiles going to the big fights and watching on pay per view, but the peasants can't actually engage in the activity.

Exactly what I'd expect.

[UnCivilServant]

Except without those peasant fights the big fights will dry up as it becomes harder to vet good talent.

[Trigger Hippie]

^

[Trigger Hippie]

http://www.thetoptens.com/most-dangerous-sports/

Notice something missing here?

Also, I'm expecting that $1million insurance policy to be required for anyone with a trampoline any fucking day now.

[Trigger Hippie]

Huh, wrong link. That's just full of personal accounts.

I'll figure out this whole 'copy and paste' shit one of these years.

[Robert]

There's 182 entries, & I'm pretty sure I saw trampolining listed. So vote to move it up in rank.

[Lucky Jack]

TH, how is your (neice/nephew) with DS doing?

[Trigger Hippie]

She's great, man. Happy, healthy, always smiling. Though, she's teething right now so not so happy this week.

Thanks for asking.

[thrakkorzog]

If somebody actually wanted to clean up boxing, they'd audit the refs. After you watch a few fights where the fix was obviously in, you kind of lose faith in the purity of the sport.

[Rich]

*** rising intonation ***

What about Boxing Day?

*** looks around for Rufus ***

[Robert]

From what I read from the story, it was one of those mixed-effect pieces of legislation. It did boost the insurance requirement for pro boxing, but also legalized pro MMA. Amateur boxing is unaffected AFAIK.

This is typical of state regul'n of various activities that people can engage in as amateurs, small time semi-pros, and full pro. It puts a big regulatory hill to get over in turning pro, i.e. preparing to take the 1st $. Fla. did such a thing with toiletries making, which lots of people do as a hobby but some people like to take a go at selling some of their wares. It becomes a big commitment when to start selling stuff requires a hefty investment in a licensed facility, when you don't know if you'll be able to turn a profit & are working at it only part time.