cockfight

 

sport of pitting gamecocks against one other. Though popular in ancient Greece, Persia, and Rome, cockfighting has been long opposed by clergy and humane groups. Massachusetts passed (1836) the first law in the United States forbidding cockfighting; England banned it in 1849. Cockfighting jousts take place in a small circular pit into which the gamecocks—specially bred and trained for fighting—are placed beak to beak by their handlers and then released. A combatant wins when its opponent is unable to fight, or is killed. Metal spurs, occasionally attached to the fowl's natural spurs, make action deadlier. The sport is still popular in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and the Middle East, and—despite its illegality—parts of the United States. It is nearly always the focus of frenzied gambling, as anthropologist Clifford Geertz noted in his famous study on the Balinese cockfight (1973).

A cockfight is a blood sport between two specially trained roosters held in a ring called a cockpit.

Cockfighting is a blood sport wherein the combatants, known as gamecocks or cocks, are specially bred birds, conditioned for increased stamina and strength. The comb and wattle are cut off in order to meet show standards of the American Gamefowl Society and the Old English Game Club and to prevent freezing in colder climates. Cocks possess congenital aggression toward all males of the same species. Cocks are given the best of care until near the age of two years old. They are conditioned, much like professional athletes prior to events or shows. Wagers are often made on the outcome of the match. While not all fights are to the death, they may result in the death of both birds, however, this is the exception, not the rule. Cockfighting, was at one time considered to be an accepted, traditional sporting event in the United States. In many other areas around the world, cockfighting is still practiced as a mainstream event and is viewed as the national sport in some countries where it is Government controlled and a large amount of revenue for the state is raised.

Regional variations

In some regional variations, the birds are equipped with either gaffs or knives tied to the leg in the area where the bird's natural spur has been partially removed. A cockspur is a bracelet (often made of leather) with a curved, sharp spike which is attached to the leg of the bird. The spikes typically range in length from "short spurs" of just over an inch to "long spurs" almost two and a half inches long. In the highest levels of seventeenth century English cockfighting, the spikes were made of silver. In the "naked heel" variation, the bird's natural spurs are left intact and sharpened: fighting is done without gaffs or taping, particularly in India (especially in Tamil Nadu) There it is mostly fought naked heel and either three rounds of twenty minutes with a gap of again twenty minutes or four rounds of fifteen minutes each and a gap of fifteen minutes between them. [2]

Nicaragua, Venezuela, Belgium, Colombia, France, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Italy, Philippines, Peru, Puerto Rico, Canary Islands and Guam have well-established arenas with seats or bleachers for spectators surrounding the ring, similar to a wrestling or boxing arena, and fights may be held all throughout the day. In many countries, the spectacle of cockfighting draws whole families, and in some countries, cockfighting is as popular as baseball and football are in the United States. Among the competitors who raise fighting cocks, there is great pride in the prowess of their birds and in winning a championship.

Legal issues

In many places, cockfights and other animal fights have been outlawed based on opposition to gambling or animal cruelty. It may also be illegal to possess, raise, train, advertise, or trade cocks or accoutrements that could be used for cockfighting. Also, participating in a cockfight in any manner may be illegal: advertising, transporting participants or spectators, placing wagers, hosting an event, etc. It is common for law enforcement to impound property associated with any cockfighting activity ^[1]. Despite the bans, cockfights are long standing traditions which are a part of many peoples' cultures across the globe and, thus, cockfighting continues to be legal in some areas.

Europe

Britain

Cockfighting was banned outright in England, Wales and the British overseas territories with the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 and in Scotland in 1895.

France

Holding cockfights is a crime in France, but there is an exemption under subparagraph 3 of article 521-1 of the French penal code for cockfights and bullfights in locales where an uninterrupted tradition exists for them. Thus, cockfighting is allowed in the Nord-Pas de Calais region, in Metropolitan France where it takes place in a small number of towns including Raimbeaucourt, La Bistade [3] and other villages around Lille. [4] On Réunion Island there are 5 officially authorized gallodromes (i.e. cockfighting arenas).

South/East Asia

Cockfighting is rampant in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. [5]

Pakistan

Cockfighting is legal and very popular all over Pakistan.^{[citation needed]}

Philippines

Cockfighting is called sabong in Tagalog and is usually held every day of the week and holidays especially in the provinces. In the Philippines, curved blades that extend to as long as three inches are attached to one or both legs of the roosters. The blades are usually made from high quality steel. Cockfighting is a national pastime in the Philippines and is in fact written about by José Rizal in his novel Noli Me Tangere.

India

Cockfighting (Vetrukkaal seval porr in Tamil which means "naked heel cock fight") (Kodi Pandem in Telugu) (Kori katta in Tulu) is favourite sport of people living in the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka, India. Three or four inch blades (Bal in Tulu) are attached to the cocks' legs. Knockout fights to the death are widely practised in Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu, the winner is decided after three or four rounds. People watch with intense interest surrounding the cocks. The sport has gradually become a gambling sport, where bets are laid on cocks.

Tamil Nadu

Cockfighting in Tamil Nadu is mentioned in ancient literature like Manu Needhi Sastiram, Kattu Seval Sastiram, and other sangam-age literature, 2,000 years old. It is referred to as the favourite past-time for Maravars or the warriors of Tamil Country. It is acknowledged as one of the 64 "arts" widely spoken by the scholars and mastered by the ancestors/scholars of this part of the world. In earlier days they were fighting with the jungle fowl and its variants later, due to the naval expeditions to Java and Malay by the Pandian Rulers the local poultry of that land might have found its way to Tamil Nadu and a new strain/breed started its development in here which later spread to many places such as India. The newer breeds which are known now are The "Reja" (which is a short Variety),"Sonatol","Calcutta Asil","Madras ASil","Kalkatiya" (Also known as "Kadhar" synonymous to Black Asils),The Reds (Also known locally as "Yakuth"),The Yellow Variants (Also known as The "Peela" Asil),The Grey is known locally as "Java" and its variants reddish grey as "Dummer". Also they have a "henny" variety cock known locally as "Pettai Madhiri" the literal meaning is "it looks like a hen", though this variety is said to have come from "Singala Island", or Sri Lanka.

United States

Cockfighting has a very long tradition in American culture and history. Many of the founding fathers participated in the sport of cockfighting including Washington and Jefferson. [6] First the British and then the Irish brought in their favorite breeds of fighting roosters. These breeds make up most of the modern American breeds.^{[citation needed]} With the influx of immigrants from Central America and Asia, they have each added new forms of cockfighting.

In the United States cockfighting is illegal in Washington, D.C. and all states but Louisiana. On June 27, 2007, the Louisiana legislature voted to ban cockfighting in the state. A spokeswoman for Governor Kathleen Blanco says, pending a thorough review of the bill, the governor intends to sign it into law. The ban will take effect in August 2008 [7]. It is legal in the United States Territories of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have made cockfighting a felony however, in most places, it is legal to possess roosters. It is illegal in 40 states and D.C. to be a spectator at cockfights. Animal welfare activists continue to lobby for a ban on the sport.

On May 3, 2007 President Bush signed into law the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, which criminalizes the transferral of cockfighting implements across state or national borders, and increases the penalty for violations of federal animal fighting laws to three years imprisonment. [8]

In 2006 the United States Virgin Islands passed a bill which outlaws the use of artificial spurs. Thus far the bill has not been enforced.

Cockfighting has a higher level of social acceptance in Puerto Rico than in Louisiana. It also has a much larger human population and pool of fighting cocks than the Virgin Islands or Guam. Metal spurs causes a high mortality of birds. With the interstate transport ban Puerto Rico is likely to be the last holdout. The United States Virgin Islands government is trying to move the sport towards Gamecock Boxing. ^{[citation needed]}

Cocke County, Tennessee arrests

On June 11, 2005 a number of law enforcement agents raided a cockfighting pit in Del Rio, Tennessee [9]. Authorities claim this was one of the largest and oldest cockfighting operations in the United States. The agents arrested 144 people, killed over 300 roosters, and confiscated $40,000 in cash. One owner stated he lost 20 chickens valued at $150 each during the raid. The 144 people arrested were booked on charges of being spectators at a cockfight, a misdemeanor. In Tennessee, defendants found guilty of those charges face up to eleven months and twenty-nine days in jail, plus fines up to $2,500 [10].

Guam

Cockfighting events in Guam are held during village fiesta's where a patron saint of that village is celebrated. With a influx of Filipino immigrants to the island before and after World War II, the sport has been accepted as a tradition. Imported roosters and hens from the U.S. fetch a heavy price and many residents believe that with the bans enforced in the U.S., people may breed chickens.

Venezuela

Very acceptable in Apure and is common.

Cockfighting in popular culture

• The 1965 film The Cincinnati Kid features a cockfighting scene.
• Seinfeld episode no. 145 "The Little Jerry" revolves around a cockfight, with "Little Jerry" referring to a rooster named after Jerry Seinfeld.
• The Alex Haley novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family and the miniseries based on it feature cockfighting and the character Chicken George.
• Film Director Monte Hellman made a movie in 1974 called Cockfighter, based on the novel of the same name by Charles Willeford.
• University of South Carolina's mascot is a game cock.
• The 1980 film, Heaven's Gate, starring Kris Kristofferson and Christopher Walken, features a full-length scene of cockfighting.
• The 2006 videogame Scarface: The World is Yours features cockfights the player can bet on.
• The House episode "Humpty Dumpty" (episode 25, third of season 2) features a cockfighting scene.
• In the Drawn Together episode "Mexican't Buy Me Love", Ling-Ling disguises himself as a chicken in order to win money cockfighting, which is, according to this episode, a common form of Mexican entertainment.
• In the Kings of Leon song Four Kicks it says, "We'll take to the yard like a cock fight".
• The Brazilian film Cidade Baixa features an intense cockfighting scene
• TV personality Stephen Colbert has referenced his passion for cockfighting multiple times on his Comedy Central program, The Colbert Report.
• During one of the early episodes of Celebrity Deathmatch, a fight between Ron Jeremy and Tommy Lee was shown to represent a cockfight by having both fighters actually wear chicken suits. Of course, this fight was intended to be an obvious Double-entendre relating to the male reproductive organ.
• Wilford Brimley is an avid supporter of cockfighting.^[2]
• Bob Dylan song "Cry a while" line "Feel like a fighting rooster"
• In the Simpsons episode "Kamp Krusty", Krusty the Clown takes the kids to a cockfight in Tijuana, Mexico.
• In the Simpsons episode "Dog of Death", a game cock is treated at a veterinarian.
• The mascot of London football team Tottenham Hotspur is a fighting cock, and the teams nickname "Spurs" refers to this.

See also

• Blood sport
• Gamecock
• Shamo

References

• US Cockfighting Community
• Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight

External links

• LiveCockFights.com - Educational Website About Cock Fighting
• Irish Council Against Blood Sports Video
• Sabong - Cockfighting & GameFowl in the Philippines
• The History of Cockfighting
• Criminal Code of Canada-- prohibition on keeping a cockfighting pit
• Should cockfighting be banned in Oklahoma? Nov. 26, 2002
• Cockfighting at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
• Bill proposed to Ban Cockfighting in Louisiana by 2010
• Louisiana State House passes Cockfighting ban
• Louisiana Tape Boxing Association (LTBA)

Bloodsports
Baiting • Betta-fighting • Bullfighting • Cockfighting • Dog fighting • Falconry • Sport fishing • Fox hunting • Gladiator • Hare coursing • Hunting • Insect fighting • Pigsticking

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