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Fights that Occur at Baseball Games

Baseball fights, like the fights in any other sporting event, always seem to draw much attention and enthusiasm. Although it seems slightly malevolent and morbid to sit and wait for a fight, that is exactly what some people do, believing that baseball fights are the most exciting part of the game. The truth is that, though they are not a positive aspect of the game, baseball fights are completely expectable because there is so much energy and emotion involved when competing in any sport. As any player or athlete will tell you, to win requires a certain intensity and drive that pushes logic, rationality and physical issues out of the mind; the only thing that can remain--if one is to be unstoppably competitive--is an all-consuming focus on obtaining the goal, proving your skill, and winning the game.

Reasons for Baseball Fights

Although fights are somewhat common in most sports, baseball fights seem to be occur even more frequently than some others. One of the reasons why baseball fights are so common is because of the extreme importance and role of umpires. Umpires essentially control the outcome of the game, and the slower speed of baseball games possibly allows more time for umpire rulings to be disputed or argued than in other sports. If an umpire calls an out when a player or team believes the call to be erroneous or unfair, emotions can quickly escalate, resulting in a fight or scuffle.

Although umpire-player fights are some of the more common conflicts, they are not the only baseball fights that occur. Baseball is a sport with intense rivalries, so it is common that competing players and teams will have something to prove during a game, both within the confines of the game and its rules and outside of them. The fans of the game can become equally crazy and unruly, too, because sometimes it seems that fans are more involved in the team rivalries than the players themselves. There have been cases where fans have attacked players or rushed the field to get involved in a fight.

Although there is no definite conclusion regarding the reason why so many baseball fights happen, lately there has been some speculation about the role that increasing steroid use among baseball players may have. Steroids are not allowed according to baseball rules and regulations, but there have been numerous cases of players using the drugs to boost performance, speed and power. Because one of the side effects of steroid use is increased levels of testosterone and aggression, it is completely plausible that steroids are contributing to the incidences of baseball fights.

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