Did Violence add to the spectator’s enjoyment of the games?
This is true to a quite a large extent, due to many reasons, quite a prominent one of which is that, what was known as the ‘king of all sports’ were the Equestrian events; which were some of the bloodiest and extreme instances in the entirety of the Olympics. The main place of the trach, in which the most injuries had occurred were the turning posts, on each end of the track. This is where the spectators had occasionally sat whilst watching events like the chariot races. Another example of violence adding to the enjoyment of the spectators can be shown through many of the events focusing on combat; quite a prominent example being that of Boxing. Boxing in the times of the ancient Olympics had lacked many rules and guidelines which enable optimum safety which apply today. This can be shown through the fact that such events had often resulted in severe injuries; which many spectators were completely fine with.
Despite many reasons for the violence present in the Olympic Games adding to the enjoyment of watching it, there are still some reasons suggesting otherwise; an outlying one being the many of the non-violent events. The foot races were often seen as some of the most import...
