NBA Player Says Refs Should Allow Fights Like Hockey

One of the oldest jokes about hockey is the phrase 'I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.' Heck, they even made a movie about that recently in 'Goon' with Sean Patrick Scott playing a guy hired by a minor league team strictly to fight others. I mean, it makes hockey that much more interesting to watch.

So that begs the question, would it benefit other sports to allow their players to fight? One NBA player says the league should allow fights.

Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat says he wouldn't mind players settling their problems on the court with fist, referencing how hockey permits such a thing, in an interview with ESPN's Kyle Weidie:

I would loosen up a little bit the rules about the fighting fines. That’s what I would loosen up. Because today you go to an ice hockey game, and the one thing they’re waiting for is a fight, you know what I’m saying?

During the game. Quick, 15-20 seconds, throw a few punches, then referees jump in and break this thing up. I think the game … these two guys, they resolved their problem. They’re both suspended and they’re leaving. But end of the day, they fix the problem between each other, fans are super excited, and I think that would be a pretty cool idea.

Gortat goes on to say they would need bigger, younger refs to help break up the fights though looking at how some of the refs are 50+ in age and way smaller than the players.

As with any talk about allowing or not allowing something in a sport, there's a counter. ProBasketballTalk's Dan Feldman:

Fighting is a problem hockey should address, not encourage. Players get seriously hurt over something that has nothing to do with the sport, and that’s a shame.

On the plus side, there'd be less chances of guys pretending to be fouled we suppose.

[Bleacher Report]