Save Boxing, It's a Worthy Fight

The American Academy of Pediatrics last month came close to recommending a ban on boxing for children and teenagers altogether, putting the sport at risk like never before. But ending boxing would be a shame, writes Gordon Marino in the Wall Streeet Journal, who believes the payoffs of pugilism are worth the potential price. "As Aristotle taught, in order to develop courage, we need drills in dealing with fear," writes Marino. "And there is no better workshop than boxing for getting that practice."

Simply put, no two children are alike, and some have a "fury and fear" inside of them that non-contact sports like swimming or tennis simply cannot address. "In a society that obsesses about risk, we need to understand that there is a danger in being too risk-averse," he writes. "But the gains in character and self-control that can accrue from finding a place in a well-supervised boxing gym are well worth the risk." (More boxing stories.)