The "Combat Sport" Delusion. An essay by =>

pretty much.

that is one of the reasons why I dislike Cena.his characters whole attitude of laughing at his opponents and failing to take them seriously destroys one of the most important roots of pro wrestling for me........the suspension of disbelief.

I realise that.I was replying in specific to Bash's post.

College athletics.

You're associating the word 'amateur' with skill level when that's not the case in sports.

The term "Amateur" is defined as follows & I quote:
"A person who engages in a practice for pleasure rather than financial compensation.". This shows that it is in fact, a secondary definition in use as the preface.

What does it mean to be an amateur when being a professional isn't an option?

You're right. There is an option to be paid if you win an Olympic Medal, however there is no option to be a member of a professional league & earn a living as an authentic wrestler. This simply furthers my concern over the sport's identity.

However, this whole sub-point wasn't the primary concern of the article. I'll post the second half tonight after proofreading.

Considering I am a journalist, yes, yes I have. This isn't journalism. This is posting a topic on a message board. The purpose of message boards are discussion. If you don't want anyone to reply until you post the whole article, then don't post until you have the whole article. Even if this was a published series of articles, no journalist would add "by the way, no one write to me about the article! I'm not done yet!"

I suppose I misspoke about posting rebuttals.
I just genuinely wanted everyone to think through everything presented.

Your first remarks for example were prefaced the phrase "To me Wrestling is ____". That's your perception, but at what point do you consider the difference between your perception of something & it's actual state of existence?

Wrestling is a dramatic portrayal, but what is it actually portraying? How many variations or sub-genres are there? And if these questions are valid, then how do we reeducate society to distinguish these sub-genres for the purpose of proper judgement?

See where I'm going with this?

One: you have a very impressive resume, & would love it if you sent me some links to your work on the Layfield Report. I mentioned earlier that people perceive things differently than they actually are. I suppose my interpretation of journalism is no exception.
It just feels so dull & mechanical for the work of someone who allegedly loves language.

Moving on. I am a wrestler! I'm probably the purest grappler on this entire forum. I've studied freestyle since the age of seven. I've wrestled in carnivals, took on adult challengers, trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since thirteen, & started practicing catch wrestling at fifteenth year, I've earned money by wrestling since before I could drive.

I admit I only recently entered the storytelling craft, but dreamed of it for the majority of my childhood.


Allow me to shed some light on something for everyone who has ever read my posts....


I don't now, never have, & barely remember how to use a bloody, God-forsaken thesaurus! I simply have an idiosyncrasy that if I don't have to use the same word twice within close proximity, I don't.

Language is for two things, if nothing else.
Creating art, & knowledge, & wooing women.
Two activities in which apathy simply shall not do.

By the way, thank you for the constructive criticism.
Though I don't see why a writer can't call literary composition their art, as well as the art of everyone else who writes. I'm not stealing your favorite red ,toy car.
I'm calling the sun that gives life to our planet "my sun".
It's a matter of endearment, not singular possessiveness.

Here's another thing, why has no one enjoyed the passage itself? I appreciate the assistance, but there's no way a genuine wrestler or enthusiast of the craft can fail to enjoy the aforementioned dialogue.

You can certainly call the composition your art, but I meant what you are writing on cannot be called YOUR art. But as you said you are a wrestler, it is a moot point as it would make it your art.