Sport
–noun
1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

Not considering fighting games in the "sports" genre is a absolute farce in this gamer's opinion.

In addition to the definition of the word -- an athletic activity requiring skill of physical prowess and often of a competitive nature -- for proof one has to look no further than a Hollywood blockbuster released in 1988. You see, if you actually break down every fighting video game that has been released since the beginning of time, you notice one prevailing theme. Fighters from around the globe (or alternate dimension) compete in a tournament in hopes of becoming grand champion while defeating evil or taking over the universe in the process. Sound familiar? Heck yeah it does, ever seen the Jean-Claude Van Damme classic Bloodsport?


Okay, deep breath, now think about the name of the movie I just referenced.

The name of the movie is Bloodsport. Not Blood Fighting, not Blood Boxing, not Blood Mixed Martial Arts, not Blood Wrestling -- Bloodsport. The movie's plot is so closely mimicked in games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter that not classifying these two games as sports titles is downright criminal.

Is a man, or woman or some sort of half-dragon-half-man creature not an athlete? Do they not all bring a certain skill set -- even if it might be magically aided -- or martial-arts discipline to the ring, street corner or dimension that they fight in? If we consider MMA and boxing sports, why wouldn't we consider non-sanctioned martial-arts battles where humanity's future hangs in the balance sports as well?


If anything, I consider a martial-arts battle to save humanity from ultimate destruction more of a sport than what boxing has become. Did anyone even watch the Pacquiao/Mosley fight?

Throughout the course of history, epic man-on-man combat has entertained the masses. In ancient Rome, the gladiator fights were the NFL of the day. Men battled to the death all in the name of entertainment, utilizing all different forms of fighting styles in an effort to survive. These gladiatorial battles were the ultimate mix of modern-day sports -- chariot racing, MMA, fencing and boat racing -- all capped off by eliminating the loser from further competition. And you think March Madness is intense!

Gladiator fights are really no different than today's MMA -- minus the weapons and fighting to the death, of course. Two men enter a ring, use a variety of combat moves to incapacitate the other, and one becomes the victor. The crowd cheers as the loser's head is bashed in, and everyone goes home happy. I had a very similar experience the other night while playing the new Mortal Kombat reboot. Utilizing all of Baraka's martial-arts skills, I managed to defeat a very well trained Liu Kang. Sure, I ended Kang's career at the end of the fight by severing his body in half, but those five minutes in a haunted forest amounted to nothing more than two highly trained athletes working on their craft.


So where's the argument that fighting games are not sports games? Is it because of the heavy fantasy elements in many fighting games, i.e. something like a hadouken blast? Ever play the Baseball Simulator games? Is it because of the over-the-top characters? Ever play a pro-wrestling game?

I just don't understand the hate. Fighting games, no matter how ridiculous they might be, are sports games to me. I'll even come halfway for the fighting-game detractors and consider some of the more whimsical fighters (i.e. Smash Brothers) a sub-genre of traditional combat sports games. Regardless, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat deserve a place at the dinner table with Fight Night and UFC Undisputed any day of the week.

If games such as The Bigs, WWE All-Stars and Burnout can be considered "arcade" adaptations of their respective sports, I see absolutely no reason why Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter and Soul Caliber can not be considered the same.

Just as Van Damme's character Frank Dux had to overcome odds that were not in his favor during the tournament in Bloodsport, fighting games in general will have to fight an uphill battle to be recognized officially as sports titles. So the next time you pick up a fighting game, don't be so quick to judge. There's a reason why Bloodsport is one of the greatest movies of all time, and it's the same reason why MMA is one of the fastest growing sports in the world; fighting is the oldest sport in human society, and people love organized combat.

Plus, I'd take Zangief over Brock Lesnar any day.


Christian McLeod is a senior staff writer here at Operation Sports. Bullied as a youth, he has trained extensively with Tanaka in hopes of becoming the ultimate champion of the Kumite by defeating Chong Li. Make sure to follow his quest on Twitter @Bumble14_OS, on our forums as Bumble14 and challenge him to a fighting game online via XBL/PSN name Bumble14.