Top 10 Most Violent Sports

Most brutal sports to play. Please vote and comment on why yours should be number one.
The Top Ten
1 Ice Hockey Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice, usually in a rink, in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent's net to score points.

By far, ice hockey is more dangerous than any other sport. People often wonder why hockey doesn't have as many players as other sports, such as soccer. It's because of how dangerous it is. Not everyone can handle being hit at really fast speeds. That's why they opt for easier sports such as basketball, soccer, football - you name it. I can already tell people are going to say, "No, football is way harder!" If football is way harder, then how about you try standing on a thin blade of metal while skating around much faster than you could ever run in football, all while trying to get a small piece of rubber into a net almost the same size as the goalie.

2 Mixed Martial Arts Mixed martial arts is a full-contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, from a variety of other combat sports and martial arts.

As a guy who enjoys combat sports, I have to say MMA is one of the most dangerous sports I have ever played. Getting kicked in the ankle during a soccer practice? What about getting kicked in the head, then proceeding to be punched in the face multiple times while you're down on the ground? Got tackled in a football game? Well, what about being lifted up in the air and landing on your neck, then having your arm almost torn off and locked in an armbar? Unlike boxing, MMA is all about those martial arts being mixed into one: Muay Thai, boxing, kickboxing, judo, karate, wrestling. It's a pretty tough game.

3 Rugby Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, league, rugby or football , is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field.

I've played rugby for several years and have to agree it's the most brutal sport. I've had several broken bones, dislocations, and lacerations to the face.

It is a more brutal game than American football in that, much like boxing, you have to carry on after each hit. Sure, the hits in American football are huge, and injuries are commonplace, but in rugby, after a huge hit, you're quite likely to get trampled on by the studs of a 220-pound beast. You've then got to get straight back up and do it all over again. This is brutal on the body and the mind. You need balls of steel and to be extremely fit.

4 Boxing Boxing is a martial art and combat sport in which two people wearing protective gloves throw punches at each other for a predetermined set of time in a boxing ring..

I would consider death the most serious injury. In hockey, in NHL history, only one player has died from an on-ice injury. Twenty-two boxers died from their sport in 1953 alone. For frequency of traumatic head injuries, no major sport can match its unfortunate statistics.

Since inception, you get annual deaths from the sport. Statistically, it is the most dangerous.

It is the only sport where you see plenty of its participants develop slurred speech while still active. MMA is catching up, though.

This is the most grueling sport in the world. You can get some damaging punches early on and still have to fight another 10 rounds. Boxing tests an athlete's mental will more than any sport.

5 Wheelchair Rugby
6 American Football

American football is by far the most violent sport on the planet. Why? The pads. The evolution of American football has seen technologically advanced padding, which professional football players have in turn used to their advantage by using themselves as weapons.

The speed of the game is insane. When you look at the bulk of the padding, it's on their helmets and shoulders. Defensive players are now using themselves essentially as missiles, driving into chests, waists, and knees. Concussions are also super common, with players using their helmets to hit each other. No other game is full-contact with "pads." Padding makes the game much more fast-paced and violent.

7 Wrestling Wrestling is a combat sport involving grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds.

I think it is very dangerous. A family member of mine plays. God, you don't know how bad it is. You guys just watch it on TV, but you don't know when he comes back from his practice. I told him not to do this, but he is so into it that he doesn't listen to anybody.

In my opinion, I think that wrestling is a very violent and dangerous game or sport. It is harmful, and injuries (physical injuries) like bruises, blood, breaking a bone, and even brain damage are common.

I don't think wrestling is a great game or sport to play. A lot of people say that wrestling is fake...but is it?

8 Water Polo

I play water polo and let me just say, even though this is my first year, I have already almost broken three or four bones. Anything is fair game underwater, and I mean anything.

I've been groped, and if you grope someone, it gets you a good punch in the head. Even though all we wear is two pieces of plastic over our ears and our Speedos, it is by far the most difficult sport I have ever done.

Very violent sport. I play at the national level, and the amount of injuries I've had due to rough play from not only boys but the girls too is significant.

Clawed and scratched...punched and kicked in places where it hurts (the nuts). Also, being hit in the throat makes it hard to breathe. And when you have great big men pushing and pulling you under, it makes it so hard to play.

9 Lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played between two teams using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick.

Lacrosse should be far higher on the list. I guess it is lower because it is not among the most popular or well-known sports.

In my opinion, lacrosse is either the most dangerous team sport or perhaps on par with hockey. It's probably the fastest team sport on foot. I can't think of any other sport where it is legal to take someone out with a 6-foot lump of titanium. Getting hit with a wound-up shot lacrosse ball at over 100 mph (the fastest shot ever currently stands at 116 mph) can certainly do some damage, even with pads. The balls are pretty dense. In addition to this, brawls are common.

Without pads, you would get deaths in this sport. That being said, it is so much fun to play!

10 Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players each. It is played with a spherical ball. The objective is to score the ball in the other teams goal.

Soccer is about as violent as it gets without full-body pads. You are constantly trying to do anything to get the ball. Not to mention, most refs will allow elbows here and there, as they prefer to let the game play out. As for those that say soccer is full of "floppers", they do not know how much it hurts to be bowled over by a person running full speed. Also, soccer has the inherent risk of knee injury because of the constant stop-and-go action. Most soccer players will blow out a knee sometime in their life.

The Contenders
11 Australian Football

Aussie rules footy should be in the top 3, if not number one. It is a full-contact sport without any pads or protective gear, with the exception of a mouthguard. If you watch any of the AFL hardest hits videos, it'll send a shiver down your spine. They are running straight at each other at full speed and hip-and-shouldering each other. You can get hit straight to the ground even if you aren't holding or having possession of the ball. Personally, I think it deserves a higher place over the likes of the NFL, where they go over the top with pads, and it's only about 5 seconds of action before they break.

12 Muay Thai

The "science of eight limbs" in Muay Thai, where the whole body is used to powerfully strike the opponent's body with bone-crushing techniques, is a combat sport like no other.

Much more violent than any other sport on this list. It's like kickboxing on steroids.

I do Thai boxing, and I think it is much more aggressive than boxing because you can punch, kick, knee, and elbow. It can cause a lot more damage than the others I've seen on the list.

13 Hurling

I'm afraid that anyone who doesn't think hurling belongs in the top three at least needs to watch it. The ball moves at 120 mph, body checking is legal, and concussions, broken bones, and serious body-breaking tackles are the norm.

Add to that the incredible skills and the fact that it's played by amateurs who train harder than most professionals, and you have the fastest, hardest, and most exciting sport in the world.

The ball is like a super-fast rock flying around. The sticks can break bones and, incredibly, there's next to no protection! Americans really need to watch this sport.

14 Handball

This list is definitely made by an American. Handball is way more violent than American football. It's extremely fast and physical without wearing any protection, plus it has the most diverse injuries, which it is often used in medical research projects.

Handball is one, if not the most brutal sport with a ball that you can play. It's fast and very physical, way more than American football. You wear zero to little protection, and massive injuries are very common.

Handball should be at least in the top five. This game destroyed my complete body, but I still love it.

15 Calcio Storico

Calcio storico is a brutal sport. It is a sort of huge street fight mixed with a sort of soccer and rugby. It is played just once a year in Florence and isn't on top just because almost anyone knows it outside of Italy.

Calcio storico has been played for over 500 years, and there is no other sport on earth that is as violent as this. In every match, several players get their teeth knocked out or suffer broken bones.

Well, I had to look this up online, and it is basically a gang rumble with no weapons. Not much of a skill sport, that's for sure. Hockey and football are like ballet compared to this.

16 Roller Derby

Hurts so bad. You get pummeled, thrown, and knocked down. Broken bones, bruises, and fights are legal, like hockey.

17 Bull Riding Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider.American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." To receive a score, the rider must stay atop the bull for eight... read more

Umm, do you want to be thrown around and possibly mauled by an up to over 2,000-pound animal with giant hooves and horns that could tear you to shreds? It's common for hands to get stuck in the wrap and arms to be dislocated or broken.

This often leads to a mauling, and it's common to get broken bones, concussions, and knocked-out teeth. I know someone with a metal plate in his head because of this sport.

Bull riding - you can die. This should be number one. You could get kicked in the head, stabbed with their horns, or fallen on by a 2,000-pound animal.

18 Basketball Basketball is a sport played by two teams of five players on a rectangular court. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high mounted to a backboard at each end.

Basketball is a "non-contact" sport. But it can get pretty contact, especially if you're a post player. You use your elbows and body to gain an advantage. I myself have given several girls broken bones or bloody noses, and I wasn't even playing dirty.

Basketball is a very high-contact sport, pushing and muscling your way around (especially in the key) is allowed, without being excessive. Playing in college had much higher contact than high school.

I've been hit in the face with a basketball.

19 Auto Racing

Violent when you crash. I fail to see why rugby is the most violent. Most dangerous team sport, yes... but violent?

At least 330 racers have been killed since auto racing started on April 28, 1887. This number goes up yearly.

20 Cagefighting

This is one of the most rough sports because it's MMA, kickboxing, or boxing but in a metal cage where you are allowed to slam your opponent into the cold metal sides! Also, it's just you and your opponents.

21 Armored Combat

This sport is gaining fans and recognition worldwide. It's essentially like knights in armor in the Middle Ages fighting, except they have made it a bit safer by blunting the swords. The Eastern Europeans, and particularly Russians, have the strongest teams.

22 Horseback Riding Horseback riding (or Equestrian) is one of the most intense sports known to man. Not only because it's physically challenging, but it takes more than athleticism. Horseback riding takes commitment, time, patience, and most importantly building a bond with your horse. If you don't have a good relationship... read more

My sister tore her ACL doing this, and I have hurt myself doing it too. Lots of people die doing this wonderful sport. How is it not first?

23 Field Hockey Field Hockey is a team sport played on a grass or turf field, involving two teams of 11 players each. The objective is to use a curved stick to hit a small, hard ball into the opponent's goal. Originating in the British Isles, the sport has gained global popularity and is especially well-known in regions... read more

If you want a dangerous sport, go play field hockey. I once played a game and got hit in the shins seven times. Not one free hit. If you fall over, just get up and deal with it.

Half my team was out with injuries. One girl from the opposing team took out three of our players in one game... No penalty. They don't care if you get hurt. This sport isn't for wimps.

If you want to be hit by a wooden stick or a ball that feels like concrete, field hockey is for you. We play with little to no gear.

24 Fencing
25 Gaelic Football

So football is 29 but you break someone's bone with a well placed shoulder and he away with it. But in so car which is placed higher than both gaa sports you breath on someone they dive you get a red piss off

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