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Submitted by Al Boo Boo on Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 3:16 AM EST
 Yes, here we are again. A bit late, but still awesome. Today’s column might not really belong on the internet. That’s simply because I didn’t write it as a column. I wrote this paper for a writing class I’m taking. The assignment was a “persuasive essay” and my topic was “Is Pro-Wrestling a Sport?”. This was my final draft. So… sit back, read… and enjoy my final senior year essay. Sport of Kings? Or Glorified Soap Opera? Through all the colorful tights, larger-than-life personalities, cage matches, and well-oiled pectorals lives one common goal. If asked, any wrestler would happily proclaim this as their main motivation for what they do. That goal is to entertain the fans who gave up their money to view these wrestlers work. And though a wrestler would love to win their match, in the end, that decision isn’t up to them and doesn’t depend on their physical capabilities. Therefore, professional wrestling cannot be seen as a legitimate sport but a very entertaining activity that takes much athleticism. I had many doubts myself, as I used to once believe that wrestling could be viewed as a “sport”. I was actually one of the biggest supporters of this belief. I believed that on Tuesdays when I flip on ESPN or open up to the sports page – I should be able to read what happened last night on Monday Night Raw- just like I can read about what happened to the San Francisco Giants or Warriors. I believed it ranked right up there with the rest of the sports – but then a big realization hit me that honestly – hadn’t before. These men are competing. Many will argue that this is untrue and that wrestlers are constantly competing for the love (or hate) of the crowd and must constantly play politics in order to get a better spot in the company. But to say that this type of competition is the same as any other kind of professional sport is preposterous. Lawyers at law firms compete for partnerships – but they can’t be considered athletes – and law isn’t a sport. All real competition from pro-wrestling got sucked out of it when Abe Lincoln stopped wrestling bears and began putting on matches to impress his cabinet (no really). However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t view these men who pout their body on the line as merely actors. No, they are so much more than that. You see, though wrestling is not a sport – these men are athletes of the highest variety. Just look at the statistics – wrestlers put their bodies through the same pain if not more than athletes who play “real” sports. The list of wrestlers who died before their fifties while in, what seemed to be, perfectly healthy conditions is astonishing. “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig (44), “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith (39), Andre the Giant (46), Yokozuna (34), and my personal favorite wrestler of all time – Eddie Guerrero at the age of 38. All these men died of heart conditions or massive heart attacks. Some due to overuse of painkillers and steroids, others because their bodies just took too much stress from the constant torture they put themselves through. Wrestlers are athletes, but as I’ve stated before, they’re profession is not a sport. As a fan of wrestling for all of my known life, this almost pains me to say. I grew up in a family that was infatuated by these superstars, and thus, became hooked myself. From my youngest memories I can pull wrestling matches or events and explain to you how they shook me. For example – my childhood favorite was Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Every time this man would walk to the ring, he would pull of his super-cool pink sunglasses and hand them to a child sitting in the front row. For years, I dreamed about being that child and getting those sunglasses. This is exactly the kind of emotion this business can evoke. You see, wrestling can be something very special if you allow it to be. Me? I have no doubt in my mind that this business is one of my passions. Wrestling is an art-form. It’s a billion-dollar business. It’s one of the toughest things in the world to do and do well. It provides a spectacle like no other sport or tv show can do. These days, wrestling is an odd concoction of soap opera, adventure novel, hero’s tale, body building, and sport-like competition. When all of this is mixed together – it provides quite the interesting sensation to the viewer. You see, to the viewer – wrestling to be seen as a legitimate competition. It is made to seem as if these two men are actually duking it out for the championship belt (and to the performer – it may feel that way). But at the same time, it provides the emotion that a TV show provides. You care for these characters – you want to see what happens to them next. You want them to win that big match and take home the championship belt. Or, if it’s a bad guy, you want his head to get smashed by a steel chair. You see, though as I said earlier I’m not holding my breath to see pro-wrestling covered on ESPN or in the sports page – I’m contempt. Though I don’t believe it gets the respect it should receive, at the same time, I know that it is making strides to get that respect. Though it may not be seen as a legit sport – it’s a dangerous and athletic accomplishment to pull of a decent and safe match. And as I said before - the performers are fantastic athletes. But the conclusion comes with one fact - Wrestling cannot be viewed as nothing more but a very entertaining activity. ----------------------------- Thanks for reading, people. I'm sure some will disagree with what i'm saying just as i'm sure some will agree. If you do either - hit me up with some feedback. FridayNightWrite@yahoo.com Or sign on to LOPForums.com and leave me some feedback in my thread. Thanks for reading, everyone. Good write, good night. >>*PLAY NOW*<< Fun, FREE, WWE Online Games! Fight Cena, Kick Hogan, TONS MORE! 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