Talk:Illegal sports

Globalize
Perhaps this article should be titled "Illegal sports in the United States" because that's primarily what it deals with. Joefromrandb (talk) 17:40, 10 January 2012 (UTC)

Boxing
It should be mentioned that Boxing has also been banned in some countries, including Iceland. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 猿香蕉 (talk • contribs) 23:00, 16 April 2018 (UTC)

Self-referent definition
The introduction to this article essentially says An illegal sport is any sport that is illegal ..., which is self referential. There appears to be no cited research that explains the term "Illegal sport" so the term itself, and its current definition could be considered original research, so needs a citation. My expectation is that the definition should discuss that the sport is proscribed or prohibited by legislation, or in common law, in a particular jurisdiction. Often the "sporting" behaviour is regulated by legislation, or even by the rules of the game, in a way that makes it illegal to participate in a sport in certain ways or at certain times.

Of the examples given, animal fighting is also made illegal not only for animal cruelty while fighting but also because the matches are often organised by criminals and illegal gambling takes place too. Additionally, animal theft, as well as cruel animal training techniques are often used to obtain, train or breed inherently dangerous animals that are difficult to control outside the fighting context.

For the other sports mentioned, I think that neither street racing nor BASE jumping are inherently illegal, rather such adventure sports are regulated and can be undertaken provided the prevailing rules, regulations and laws are followed. For example, one can participate in a "Street race" but this usually involves closing the streets to ordinary traffic and erecting a race course with suitable crash barriers and other infrastructure to keep non-participants safe. What is illegal is not taking such precautions and ignoring such rules and laws, which usually results in participants breaking other laws, such as speed limits, too. Yet it is possible to have a street "race" such as seeing who can race the fastest between two points while consuming the least amount of fuel or energy and obeying all the road rules.

Also, the reason BASE jumping is often considered illegal is not necessarily the act of jumping but the appropriate permission and approvals are not sought by the participants, first. This omission exposes building and property owners to a form of vicarious liability that they do not wished to be exposed to. Again, the participants are arrested not because they performed a BASE jump, but because they broke various laws before, during or after the BASE jump. Bungee jumping, for example, could also fall into this category, yet it is now a commercial activity with rigorous safety standards. Also, Paragliding and similar extreme sports are differentiated from illegal sports by adherence to applicable safety standards and health and safety laws.

Just because somebody is arrested because they participated in a somewhat dangerous sporting activity does necessarily not make the sport illegal, only the act that the arrestees participated in. One needs to examine this act to understand the circumstances of the particular case. Did the participants take short-cuts, fail to follow correct procedures, or fail to obtain the correct permissions and not follow the correct safety protocols? - Cameron Dewe (talk) 02:10, 27 June 2021 (UTC)