In just another example of why I do not like telling people where I am from, my home city of Philadelphia has given the world just one more reason to celebrate: Combat Zone Wrestling! Combat Zone Wrestling is an extremely violent spectacle, though the Philadelphia Inquirer notes that many young people attend the monthly shows. The official website of the organization itself makes no attempt to hide its emphasis on bloodshed, with the tagline being “Let’s get ultra-violent!”

I am not sure exactly what it is that disturbs me so much about these events, as objectively I do not think I have the right to judge what other people find entertaining. After all, one could hardly say that my obsession with “What Not to Wear” has any educational value. That being said, something about organizations such as Combat Zone Wrestling does not reflect well on American society as a whole.

I’ll give Combat Zone Wrestling this much, at least it does not claim to be a professional sport, like the WWF does. “Professional” wrestling implies that there is fair and honest competition at this level, something that is absent from wrestling. It is akin to the thankfully now-defunct XFL, a disgusting and sexist take on football. Calling these sports is an insult to all the real professional athletes out there. If Combat Zone Wrestling just claims to be entertainment for now, it will at least retain some sense of decency. Rather, it won’t further tarnish the legitimacy of professional sports in America today.