why should we ban violent sports if people enjoy them so much? you may well ask. the answer is simple: they are uncivilized. for centuries man has been trying to improve himself spiritually emotionally—admittedly with little success. but at least we no longer tolerate the sight madmen cooped up in cages, or public floggings or any of the countless other barbaric practices which were common in the past. prisons are no longer the grim forbidding places they used to be. social welfare systems are in operation in many parts of the world. big efforts are being made to distribute wealth fairly. these changes have come about not because human beings have suddenly and unaccountably improved, but because positive steps were taken to change the law. the law is the biggest instrument of social change that we have and it may exert great civilizing influence. if we banned dangerous and violent sports, we would be moving one step further to improving mankind. we would recognize that violence is degrading and unworthy of human beings.