OH AND THIS TOO

I played lacrosse in high school but I wasn't very good. This meant I spent a lot of time on the sidelines watching rather than always playing in practice. And in games, too, for that matter, but I digress. A fun way to keep the mind and body active during inactivity in practice was for us not-very-gooders to take turns hitting each other full on in the face. Facemask, that is, with a gloved lacrosse hand. It hurt like a mother, jerked your neck back and made your head ring, but no blood/no foul = no problem, right? All fun until Coach makes you stop, which happened when Simon Lassel and Justin Flynn took it too seriously and had to be pulled off of one another. Being so creative, we called the non-violent-Simon-and-Flynn-version "helmetboxing."

I learned today that what I thought was pure chemical-free enterainment back in 1997 is a "dangerous new craze for teens" in 2007.

Behold!

From the story, by CBS-2 in New York City:

Helmet boxing is an underground sport that's just beginning to surface, especially on Internet video sites such as YouTube. To play, each individual dons a helmet with a face mask, along with a pair of gloves, and then each hits each other in the head until someone passes out, a helmet gets knocked off, or someone simply throws in the towel.

Fearless journalism, this.

While the American Academy of Pediatrics has no "official stance" on helmet boxing, (Doctor Guy They Used For the Story Doctor) Gregory said they do consider it to be on the "same playing field as regular boxing," which has been deemed unsafe for "young children with developing brains."

Blah blah, right? Well, not exactly. I found this on YouTube (and it looks a little bit too much like BC for comfort):



These dudes are too serious to be helmet boxers. These animals are more helmt pit fighters, methinks.

There was also a YouTube made by some 13 year olds, with entrance music and etc., about their fights but it's kind of sickening to watch "BRADY, 5'3, 100 LBS" do battle with "KEITH, 5'4, 95 lbs."

Forget helmet boxing. I think YouTube is the dangerous new craze.