Today the animals are still very involved in the sports and entertainment industry. Whether they are traditions or activities invented from scratch, their use is subject to controversy and discussion.

We can talk of Spanish bullfighting, a popular sport considered by many to be equivalent to watching a football match. In Spanish culture it has been a symbolic and respected event that only in recent decades has entered a crisis of legitimation. The matador, the man who fights against the bull, jokes and eventually kills him. Is it an acceptable form of sports entertainment?

There are also dog races. In the United Kingdom, greyhounds are extremely popular and many people bet money on which dog will win. Is it right that we submit animals to races where their lives are at stake? Because if the dog does not run enough is discarded and his fate becomes uncertain.

Others only humiliating think of the donkey races, certainly not a manifestation of nobility, power or virility, but a sort of gregarious domination over weak.

Then there are the rodeos, which involve horses and cattle. Difficult to think that those animals have fun in the show. More likely to be stressed or experience the suffering associated with their sacrifice for that sport.

Equestrian sports offer a very varied range of activities, not all honestly respectful of the horse.

Don't forget the fights between roosters, or other animals, and hunting for leisure or for sports ... where you kill animals not to eat them, but to have fun and bring home as trophy.

Then there are the circuses, where every kind of animal, even the exotic ones, performs to live. In some nations of the world, circuses with animals have been banned, in other countries, only circuses with exotic animals are forbidden.

Unfortunately, this gives us a bleak picture of some methods of training animals for entertainment or sports: from electric shocks, to food deprivation, to containment systems with high density of stress and suffering, to a whole series of instruments of torture intended to bend the will of the animal to the desire of the human.

As a consequence, some people think that the use of animals in sports should be banned because unlike humans, animals can not choose whether they want to participate or not. Not to mention the risks of injury to which animals are subject in some of the sports.

However, other people believe that, if better laws were applied to ensure the correct treatment of animals, many of the activities listed could be not only lawful, but even become a way to show that an active, peaceful and collaborative relationship between human beings and the animals are possible.

What do you Think???

Extreme Sports / discussion

Should Animals be Used in Sports???

Should Animals be Used in Sports???

Should Animals be Used in Sports???