Gladiator 2.0

Back in the mid-90s, when almost all internet access was dial-up, I was invited by AOL to be a Beta tester.  I'm not sure why I was selected, but I gleefully embraced my job, which really just entailed downloading the test software, occasionally answering short surveys, and, in an age when you paid by the hour, more online time than I could ever use. 

I thought about those days this evening, when the NYTimes notified me that I needed to update my beta version of their audio app, which I was also selected to pilot. I'm not sure if I am the ideal candidate for this job; their content has substantial competition from my other audio feeds, a combination of podcasts, audio books, and NPR, but I must say that I am impressed and enjoy whenever I listen to one of their productions. Many are feature articles recorded by the reporter, and they combine solid journalism with excellent writing and an authentic voice. Nothing to complain about, there.

Last week I listened to a trilogy of articles about the history, culture, and puffins (!) of Iceland, which made me feel closer to my nephew who is living there for a few years, and tonight I heard a story about the doctors who sit ringside during mixed martial arts competitions. Like the Iceland pieces, I chose this one because of personal connection. One of my former students, both homeroom and English, is a rising star in MMA.

It just so happens that one of our assistant principals is a former marine and devotee of the sport, and it was he that shared Sam's Instagram account with me. After a bit of hesitation, I followed him, and I was happy when he acknowledged my support. Most of his posts are training and weigh-ins, but there is definitely footage from his fights.

In the Times piece, they focused on the ethical dilemma of physicians who participate in a sport where the object is to harm your opponent. Some doctors wonder if their presence legitimizes actions which contradict the oath they take to do no harm, but others rationalize their role. "We're like pulmonologists who treat smokers," says one. "We don't condone smoking, but people have free will."

I wondered, on a much smaller scale, about my own culpability in supporting Sam. I remember responding to an email from his mother when he was in sixth grade about his irritability and lack of focus. She told me then it was because he wasn't eating so that he could cut weight to make his wrestling class. "Oh no!" I wrote, "We don't encourage that in middle school competition." But I was wrong. I found out later that the wrestling coaches did tell their athletes to skip meals before competition days. 

It was clear then that the sport was counterproductive, if not harmful, to Sam. I can't say what his situation is now: he's very successful, but according to the article, unless they suffer a career ending injury, most MMA fighters suffer traumatic brain injury later in life. That's not surprising, given that the object of the competition is to physically disable your opponent. Of course the athletes are playing the odds, testing the system, sure that they will be the exception who comes out on top and unscathed.

Our society is forever evolving. I left AOL behind decades ago, and I know that part of the NYT Audio app is in response to print media's adapt or die mode. But blood sports? The only beta testers there are the athletes themselves.