To honor Muhammad Ali, we should stop profiting from brain injury

To the editor: George Skelton’s column (“Should barbaric boxing be KOd?” June 13) reminded me of my dad, who was glued to the TV watching the Thursday night fights. Maybe he felt like the underdog.

When in Rome I visited the Coliseum and wondered who was the animal. Man is driven by competition and profit. For example, war creates jobs and benefits corporate America. New San Diego and Los Angeles football stadiums will provide more private boxes for wealthy attendees at taxpayer expense, yet considering the injury risks of the sport, a plan like this is brain dead.

Would capitalism collapse if men refused to kill or injure each other on the battlefield, on the football field or in the boxing ring? Maybe it’s time to think new. When I think about it, I can only conclude that the brain is too valuable to be beaten to a pulp.

Roger Newell, San Diego

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To the editor: The best tribute and memorial to Muhammad Ali, the late boxing champion, would be to outlaw professional boxing.

This is a brutal public spectacle in which two athletes fight to inflict a disabling brain concussion, called a “knock out,” on each other. It may have caused Ali the loss of his health for nearly half his life and hastened his death at the age of 74.

Ricardo Nicol, San Clemente

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