Pro Wrestling And It's Affect On Children

In the past few years, these two shows ratings shot through the roof. Millions of people tune in every Monday and Thursday night to watch these shows. Even on Sunday nights, millions of fans cough up thirty to fifty dollars just to watch their special “pay per views”. The WWF’s Monday Night Raw is the number one rated show on syndicated cable television (Rosellini). They achieve this goal by using three things; sex, violence, and profanity. A fad gaining popularity over the last decade, wrestling has proven it is a force to be reckoned with. Even though wrestling is just a show, it could be sending a negati

The wrestling industry has fought back by asking, “Where are the parents?” Both of the WWF’s prime time shows and WCW’s also, have a TV-14 rating, which means that parental discretion is advised. Vince McMahon, founder and CEO of World Wrestling Federation, responds to critics with this statement about children watching his controversial television shows, “It’s the job of the parents, not myself, to monitor what kids watch on TV” (Rosellini). Not only does the WWF rate its shows appropriately, it also broadcasts public service announcements that warn that wrestling moves should not be imitated at home (Beaman). "Vince is first and foremost an entertainer, he says, and it’s the job of parents and not himself- to monitor what kids watch on television. “ Raw is TV- 14,” he says, referring to the content rating. “If parents are concerned about content, they should insist their kids watch the toned- down version Saturday and Sunday morning, which is more youth friendly” (Rosellini).

Wrestling has stimulated hundreds of children to start their own wrestling program in their own backyards. Some parents are proud that their kids are out in the backyard practicing wrestling moves on each other, and other parents are outraged that their kids are inventing a wrestler (Fonda). “Last year in Dallas, a three-year old boy was killed when his seven year- old brother stiff armed him in the throat, copying a move he’d seen on TV (Fonda).” This probably isn’t the first time a small child will be killed by a older kid practicing a wrestling move, and rest assured it won’t be the last. There have been several hundred injuries that have been reported in hospitals throughout the country that has been “backyard wrestling” related. These kids do anything from jumping off the roof onto a friend, to breaking light bulbs on each other�

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