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I attempted. I gave this silly sport an opportunity. Now, three weeks in, I can not consider that is nonetheless one thing being promoted and aired on tv. Wednesday evening marked the third week of Energy Slap, and the third straight week I tuned in to try to perceive its attraction, then turning it off earlier than the top.
For the uninitiated, Energy Slap is simply what it says on the tin. Two rivals stand a desk width aside, one being the slapper, the opposite the slappee — they usually take turns making an attempt to slap one another into submission. On the floor this may appear wonderful. I believe most individuals had an off-the-cuff, cartoonish concept of what a slap constituted, however actuality is way from creativeness. I strive to not be judgemental, however I’ll decide: It’s a must to be a fairly sick particular person to get pleasure from watching this.
Energy Slap’s personal Twitter account loves leaning into the barbarism. Not solely is the competitor receiving the slap compelled to place their fingers behind their again, however will be disqualified in the event that they flinch, tuck their chin, or try and keep away from the slap in any manner. Guidelines are designed to make one particular person as defenseless as potential — primarily turning the game right into a contest of who could cause traumatic mind damage quickest.
That isn’t hyperbole both. Energy Slap celebrates folks getting knocked out, most of the time displaying a “fencing response.” That is when an individual’s physique seems locked up, with their arms taking over an unnatural place. A 2009 examine famous that the fencing response is an observational marker than can discern between a light mind damage, and a reasonable one — positing that this is also the distinction between non permanent harm, and a everlasting traumatic mind damage (TBI).
Chris Nowinski, a former skilled wrestler and now head of the “Concussion Legacy Basis” has been outspoken in his condemnation of Energy Slap, significantly with reference to athletes exhibiting the fencing response.
He’s not alone both. Dr. Nikos Evangelou, a neurologist at Nottingham College Hospital within the U.Ok. spoke to Sky Sports activities about Energy Slap and referred to as it a “recipe for catastrophe.”
“Any motion which may scale back the impact of the blow to the pinnacle is penalised. Affect to the pinnacle, from an angle, could cause rotational forces on the mind. It’s all a matter of time earlier than we see extra critical mind damage from a dissection.”
Evengelou went on to say that due to the rotational forces utilized on the mind by a slap, and since it applies a twisting pressure to the pinnacle, Energy Slap is way extra harmful than different fight sports activities in terms of traumatic mind damage. There’s a a lot higher likelihood for an artery to be break up, inflicting immediate demise.
Energy Slap isn’t the primary sport of its sort, it’s simply the primary to be extensively marketed in the US. Slap preventing has existed in some type because the early 2000s, with its web reputation within the U.S. taking an enormous bounce up to now three years, precipitating Dana White’s involvement. White serves because the producer of Energy Slap and naturally its staunchest defender — primarily calling folks cowards who don’t get pleasure from watching senseless barbarism.
“In Slap, they take three-to-five slaps per occasion. Fighters in boxing take 300-400 punches per combat. And guess what: you already know what my reply to that’s? For those who don’t f***** prefer it, don’t watch it! No person’s asking you to look at this. Oh, you’re disgusted by it? Watch The Voice.”
White is aware of that is intentionally deceptive, as a result of the 300-400 punches in a boxing match aren’t all unprotected pictures to the pinnacle thrown at most pressure with an opponent making no try and keep away from them. Additionally, when he says that “no one is asking you to look at this,” effectively, Dana White is asking you to … usually.
At this level it’s clear White is anxious with the criticism. Any dialogue of the hazards or barbarism of Energy Slap represents an existential risk to his funding within the sport. One, it ought to be famous, actually isn’t paying off for these concerned but. Energy Slap has routinely been pulling mediocre scores for TBS — regardless of claims it’s wildly profitable. The Jan twenty fifth cable scores (the latest Wednesday evening obtainable) had Energy Slap ranked thirtieth within the scores on the evening, effectively behind an outdated re-run out Home Hunters on HGTV.
Nonetheless, White is urgent on, determined to make his neanderthal mind smack present a hit — with gleeful sycophants boasting about its TikTok views and social media following. Energy Slap introduced its first pay-per-view, set to happen on March 11 after a UFC Combat Night time.
The irony of Energy Slap is that it’s the whole lot individuals who didn’t perceive MMA used to say in regards to the sport White labored so laborious on popularizing. It performs completely into the brutality of individuals getting knocked out, with none of the ability, coaching, or athleticism behind it. If the evolution of MMA made folks extra clever and knowledgable followers of fight sports activities, Energy Slap exists to attraction to the bottom frequent denominator who identical to watching folks get damage.
The game is a ticking time bomb. Each week we’re seeing folks undergo traumatic mind accidents, and it’s solely going to worsen till folks lastly lose curiosity with the senseless stupidity. Till then we are able to query how lengthy networks will maintain letting this go on, and the way the hell the Nevada Athletic Fee determined to license this as a sport.
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