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Dont worry about it, I wasn't offended. Just stating that these things are down to opinion/preference. I actually like American Football, and it's growing in popularity over here, but for years I just couldn't understand it (and found it VERY boring). I've actually thought for a while now that if Americans embraced 'Soccer' as much as they did with your other sports, it wouldn't be long before you dominated it. There's not many sports I don't like now. I like all combat sports though. Wish I could watch more MMA. I'm tempted to try it. My physio actually teaches it, so I might give in and get a session with him. It just looks too much like hard work.

KPj

Lots of people don't like grappling, for whatever reason. But we might be turning a corner in that regard, based on the thunderous boos in the Couture/Silvia fight when they got stood up. :-)

I think grappling can be very interesting to watch provided one or both fighters are actually trying to improve their position and/or work for submissions.

I read an article online yesterday about an MMA fighter who died recently following a fight in one of the smaller local/regional organizations. Supposedly, he was a 6'9" tall lightweight (probably a typo) and died from bleeding of the brain, making him the second fighter ever to die of injuries recieved in a sanctioned MMA event (in the US).

What really irked me however were the numerous negative comments made by stupid, ignorant, misinformed people condemning the sport and comparing it to human cockfighting. One even thought the purpose of the Octogon was to prevent the loser from running away.

On one hand I would never want to trivialize the fact that someone died. However, at the same time, MMA is far from most dangerous sport. Auto racing, downhill skiing, horse racing and many others are much more dangerous than MMA. After all, getting kicked or punched kinda pales in comparison to crashing into a wall at 200 MPH, going end-over-end down a mountain or getting trampled by a 1500 lb animal.

Most people have a innate visceral association between "aggressive" or "violent" and "dangerous", even though reality does not always agree.

I've heard water sports are by far the most dangerous recreational activity there is - one of the top google hits was Colorado, which bears that out: http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hs/Briefs/recdths.pdf

"It is better to have wrestled and lost than played basketball."

MY HS team had those T-shirts. :)

I think serious mountaineering hiking is one of the most dangerous (where you go up things like Everest). Way worse than what you think of as dangerous (rock climbing, skydiving, etc.)

This article seems to capture the more popular ones but doesn't hit anything more extreme than BASE jumping.
http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/ ... ports.html

I would think Everst attempts and speed record attempts to be fairly dangerous, especially when it has to do with high speeds on the water.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_speed_record
With an approximate fatality rate of 85% since 1940, the record is one of the sporting world's most hazardous competitions.

I think fighting bears barehanded (pun intended) is perhaps the world's most dangerous sport.

In MMA, boxing, or whichever contact sport you choose, the damage is being inflicted by another human being which makes it more 'personal'. That is the distinction that people feel uncomfortable with, not the number of deaths per se.

Agree, and that's an issue with the psychology of the complainers, not an issue with the sport.

Naval aviation is pretty bad. Was dating a gal whose brother died in a helo crash at sea.

That's a sport?

"It is better to have wrestled and lost than played basketball."

Nice.