WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Part 2: Mixed Martial Arts - Sport or Spectacle?
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Savannah, GA(WTOC) While many people love Mixed Martial Arts, not everyone's giving it a seal of approval. Some worry the children, who are part of this audience, could get seriously hurt.
They also worry about the violent message the sport could be sending them. The Academy of Pediatrics Sports Medicine Division condemns Mixed Martial Arts for kids and so does Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician Dr. Doris Greenberg.
For millions of fans, there's nothing more exciting than Mixed Martial Arts. Some of the smallest fans are not only spectators, but they're also taking classes. Critics are concerned around the country, those children are taking what they learn to the streets.
"It's like sending in a pit bull who could tear up a kid," explains Dr. Doris Greenberg. "That's the instinct that's placed in them from frequent practice. I do think they could get carried away."
Many of those kids are also competing and that has many critics very worried about the long term effects. "Are we teaching kids to be street fighters? Is that what we want them to learn?" asks Dr. Greenberg.
When those kids put what they have learned in class to the test, doctors believe there is a high probability of injuries. As the sport has become more popular with kids, reports of fractured fingers and wrists are increasing, keeping emergency room doctors busy.
"Here's the problem you have a child with an injured wrist for example and you break it at the growth plate, you're going to have a kid with one hand longer than the other one side, won't grow or you have children who are going to get orthopedic injuries," says Dr. Greenberg.
But, Dr Greenberg says that's minor compared to what can happen to their heads. Fighters don't always wear helmets. It's not unusual to see them punching each other in the head, leaving them vulnerable to those head injuries.
"The fact is you have a heavy head on a rather unstable neck. You can snap that neck and cause death or quadraplegia. It is not at all an unlikely occurrence when they get into a match and there is a lot of fervor behind it. Put these kids in a cage and a match and it may very well go wrong," says Dr. Greenberg.
Like a child getting a concussion, knocked out. Dr. Greenberg warns that each time that happens, there could be swelling in the brain and long term damage. "A teenager who gets concussed and amnesic may very well have permanent brain damage," says Dr. Greenberg.
Those injuries could lead to Alzheimer's Disease as these children get older. In fact, some studies have already found that to be true in professional athletes. Still others say Mixed Martial Arts teaches discipline and has actually helped their kids become more focused.
Doctors and many critics say there are many other activities that can teach kids those same lessons without causing them pain or injury.
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