Fight!

By: Patryk Fournier

Fighting in sports is one of the most compelling things to watch and is one thing that is guaranteed to make everyone get out of their seats and look on intensely. The way that fights begin and develop is uniquely defined in each of the four major sports.

Hockey: The only sport that allows for fighting without an automatic ejection from the game. I am of the belief that fighting in hockey is necessary for specific purposes. Without fighting there would be no deterrent from going after a team's star with a vicious check or with using a stick carelessly. Fighting is a way to keep guys in check and a code amongst the players. Hockey fights can be terrific to watch; seeing which guy can get their arm free first, which one can grab at the other's jersey and limit their movement. On the other hand some hockey fights resemble a submission match in UFC. Both guys are cautious, no one wants to make a mistake and essentially the fight turns into a grappling match. I could do without these fights. Not enough that the skaters fight but occasionally the goalies get into the mix and the unwritten rule in hockey is that if one goalie leaves his crease to join the action in a melee the opposing goalie must also join to offset the presence of a goalie in a brawl. Goalie fights and classic hockey games go hand-in-hand. Do it in the playoffs and you'll guarantee yourself a place onto hockey's all-time best games' list. Just look at the classic altercations between Patrick Roy and Chris Osgood during the Avs - Wings rivalry.

Football: You don't see that many football fights but most of them constitute a lot of facemask pulling or a collection of repeated 15-yard penalties. You can't really throw any punches towards the head because of the facemask, unless you have extremely small hands, but even the small hands advantage can be offset with those visors that some players wear. Speaking of those facemask visors, every time I see a player wearing a black tinted visor I always think they look like Stallone in Judge Dredd. Not a compliment considering that was a horrible movie. The best football fights come when the players attack the fans. A couple of months ago in the CFL the Winnipeg Blue Bombers took it to a fan that ran onto the field in a drunken stupor and attacked a player The attack back on the fan looked very organized and malicious. When did Christopher Moltisanti become the coach of the Blue Bombers?

Baseball: The bean ball is the one instigator that will cause fights. The good thing with baseball is that when a fight breaks out it usually involves everyone coming out to join the action. The best part is seeing the guys from the bullpen make the long trek, by far the most physically exerting part of their evening. Nolan Ryan head locking Robin Ventura stands out as a great baseball fight moment and a humiliating one for the much younger Ventura. Chan Ho Park's flying dropkick was another memorable moment. Anytime you can mutter flying dropkick and baseball fight in the same sentence you know you're talking about something memorable.

Basketball: The fighting that goes on in basketball may be my favourite out of all the sports from an enjoyment standpoint. Basketball has the funniest and most awkward looking types of fights by far. A lot of fights in the NBA involve two guys who play the whole "hold me back" routine with absolutely no intention of actually fighting. Basketball players have great accuracy with free throw shooting and shooting 3 pointers but when it comes to throwing punches they have none. Windmill dunks are as common as guys throwing windmill punches, just flailing their arms and not connecting with anything. Don't believe me? Remember the Brad Miller and Shaquille O'Neal fight from last season? Another classic moment brought from fighting was Jeff Van Gundy hanging onto Alonzo Mourning's leg like he was a toddler being dropped off to daycare for the first time. This year's preseason brought us Doug Christie and Rick Fox going at each other on the court and in the tunnel leading to the locker rooms. This led to everyone trying to interject including Christie's wife.

You've got to love the NBA. It's Fan-tastic!

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