West Indies batsman suspended for ball-tampering

As a matter of principle, I am against professional competitive sports. Sports for recreation and promoting fitness is good; but the moment sports become competitive and commercial (professional), all its benefits vanish and its harmful effects start pouring in. Sportspersons take drugs and other illegal performance enhancement drugs, or resort to unfair means to defeat their competitors.

Recently, West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran has been handed a four-match suspension on charges of ball-tampering. The punishment was given to him after video footage showed him scratching the surface of the ball with his thumbnail in the game which West Indies won by five wickets at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium on Monday. Pooran admitted the offence on Tuesday and accepted the sanction. (Source of news)

I hope that one day, society will be able to recognize harmful effect of professional sports and would discourage more people from getting into it.

Australian Boxer Dies after a Training Session

In a tragic turn of events, Australian middleweight boxer Dwight Ritchie collapsed and died after taking a body shot while training with Michael Zerefa on Saturday, 9th of November 2019.

Dwight Ritchie died at the age of only 27 years. He was a father of 3 children.

Ritchie is the fourth boxer in 2019 to have died in the ring. Less than a month ago, an American boxer Patrick Day died after losing to Charles Conwell in Chicago due to brain injury.

Argentina’s Hugo Santillan died in July following a bout in San Nicolas while two days prior to his death, Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev also passed away due to injuries he sustained during a bout.

You can read more about it here, or at other sources: https://www.india.com/sports/australian-boxer-dwight-ritchie-dies-while-sparring-3837552/

I have a belief that commercial competitive sports does more harm to the world than benefit. I support sports for the overall health and fitness benefits but the competitive sports where young folks are trained mercilessly from childhood just to play and win against others, it reminds me of animal kingdom rather than a thing of the civilized world.

Boxing is one of the most brutal games and I am completely against it. I hope at some point of time in our civilized history, we shall stop hurting each other in the name of sports.