History Main / BloodSport

** See also the planet of Solaris VII, which is known across the galaxy for commercial [[HumongousMecha BattleMech]] fights. However, deaths in Solaris matches are relatively rare due to the ubiquitous [[EjectionSeat ejection system]] in virtually every mech ([[ArmoredCoffins Except the Spider]]) - deaths in the arena are generally only caused by sympathetic ammunition explosions, [[SnipingTheCockpit cockpit destruction]], or ejection system failure. Gladiatorial combat in the Periphery worlds is much more violent.

* Blood sports are (naturally) one of the entertainments on offer in ChinaMieville's ''[[Literature/{{Bas-LagCycle}} Bas-Lag]]'' novels, with one of the protagonists in ''PerdidoStreetStation'' being a veteran of the city of New Crobuzon's not-exactly-legal underground arena circuit.

** These days concussions are a big topic in American football. Brain damage is believed to play a role in multiple suicides of ex-NFL players.

*** It's implied that fallen vehicles are recovered in mid-air, and there's probably some form of beaming safeguard to remove the driver from a burning vehicle. All done by a trio of [[SonicTheHedgehog Chao]] in a small ufo.

In TheFuture, [[AnyoneCanDie life is cheap]]. Apparently, mankind forgot the whole thing about the sanctity of life somewhere [[Main/TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture in the past nineteen minutes]] simply for the sake of [[BreadAndCircuses mindless entertainment]]. No better way to show that than with some good old-fashioned violent spectator sports, where fatalities are a very real possibility every single game, [[CrapsackWorld if not the major selling point]]. Essentially, a BloodSport is a DeadlyGame version of a modern spectator sport.

* Motorball from ''BattleAngelAlita'' and spinoff ''Ashen Victor'' may not be intentionally lethal to participants, but some of the players certainly make it so. Also, a prime example of controlling the underclass by giving them a ''BloodSport'' to keep them occupied.

* The Air Treks of ''Manga/AirGear'' initially began as a worldwide fad that was supposed to be inline skating taken UpToEleven. It turned into the BloodSport it is today right around the time people discovered you could use the skates to make RazorWind, [[WhipItGood Thorn Whips]], [[ShockAndAwe Electrical]] [[RazorFloss Spider Webs]], [[MakeMeWannaShout Sound Barriers]], [[ShockwaveStomp Shockwave Stomps]], [[TimeMaster Time Manipulation]], and FrickinLaserBeams.

* ''DeadmanWonderland'' is a prison where the prisoners are forced to do insanely dangerous "events" like an obstacle race where you can be cut to ribbons, fall to your death or just fall into a pit of spikes. To make matters worse, the audiences watch and believe it is all "special effects". And then there's the Carnival of Corpses; where prisoners with [[BloodyMurder Branches of Sin powers]] fight each other and sometimes are cheered to kill their defeated opponents. Oh, and the loser (if they live) gets a randomly selected body part (ranging from hair to [[EyeScream eyes]] to entire organs or limbs) removed while they're awake. If you don't participate and are on "Death Row", then you are killed by poison after 72 hours and can only buy antidote to keep living for another 72 hours with Cast Points; earned by surviving and winning the BloodSport games.

* In ''ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'' Jared and his Gyarados Mr. Fish were kicked out of the Franchise/{{Pokemon}} League because he assumed Pokemon battling was a BloodSport and let Mr. Fish ''eat'' his opponents.

** Compare CliveBarker's "In the Hills, the Cities."

* Used a couple of times in the ''StarWars'' films: the podrace in ''ThePhantomMenace'' and the gladiator-style arena execution in ''Film/AttackOfTheClones''. Part of the appeal of podracing is how dangerous it is; of the 18 entrants in the Boonta Eve Classic, 12 crashed and 2 died.

[[caption-width-right:331:Skates beat Motorcycle every time.[[hottip:*:alternately, [[Wrestling/RandyOrton RKO OUT OF NOWHERE]]]]

[[caption-width-right:331:Skates beat Motorcycle every time.]]

* MaryGentle's novel ''Literature/{{Grunts}}'' features [[BloodBowl Orcball]] a game strongly resembling AmericanFootball and / or Rugby and played with the severed head of a fallen enemy. Or sometimes, when you want a game and there's a paucity of fallen enemies...

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats 2011}}'' Thundera's GladiatorGames in their [[TheThunderdome Thunderdome]]: A racing ChaseFight between two [[{{Catfolk}} Cat]] competitors climbing, swinging, jumping and running up a giant tree to to ring a bell at its top, where violent kicking and punching in order to knock a competitor out of the tree are entirely acceptable methods of getting ahead.

** The bull always dies; even if the matador fails to kill it, the bull is led out of the ring and slaughtered [[hottip:*:Certain sources claim the best performing bulls ''can'' be rewarded with being left alive; it's called "[[http://www.mundo-taurino.org/toro_faq.html indulto"]]. This is because a bull that was allowed to fight more than once would mangle every matador that faced it; fighting bulls learn quickly[[hottip:*:The whole bullfighting strategy is based on the fact that the bull doesn't understand the man should be attacked instead of the piece of fabric. This is a situation which lasts 20 minutes or so, at which point the fight is cut short]]. There are some illegal bullfights where amateur, inexperienced, or hard-luck matadors fight bulls that, in violation of the law, were not killed after being in a bullfight. These tend to end bloodily for the matadors.

* ''TheCondemned'' is basically ''TheMostDangerousGame'' [[XMeetsY meets]] ''Film/BattleRoyale'' with cameras, or ''Film/DeathRace'' (the recent one) sans racing.

* ''{{Speedball}}'', that Amiga classic, and it's sequel ''Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe'' - american football + rugby [[Main/XMeetsY meets]] real tennis + pinball. The result? A game where you score as many points for goals as you do for incapacitating the opposition.

* One of the protagonists in ''RevelationSpace'' by AlastairReynolds is a former assassin for "Shadowplay", a company that lets people order hits on ''themselves''- usually the clients are people so bored by their extreme longevity that attempting to escape the assassin is one of the few things that they still find exciting.

Not to be confused with ''Film/{{Bloodsport}}'', the Jean-Claude van Damme film, though the eponymous tournament definitely is one.

* ''Videogame/MechWarrior'', being in the same setting as ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'', features the [[HumongousMecha BattleMech]] arenas of Solaris VII in some games. In ''Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries'', the player can travel to Solaris for free to enter themselves in arena battles, in one of three stages (with 4 weight classes in each), while [[AnnouncerChatter Duncan Fisher]] blathers on about his past in the arena and about the current combatants. It's an easy way to make loads of money, [[DiscOneNuke very early in the game]], and a good way to boost your reputation with the Steiners or the Davions in the CivilWar. In ''Mechwarrior Living Legends'', Solaris Arena is the game's free-for-fall deathmatch mode, and is even more of a spectator sport than in ''Mercenaries'' - laser pointers highlight mechs, [[AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield massive fireworks displays light up the sky]], and [[AnnouncerChatter Duncan Fisher]] is just as annoying as ever, often criticizing player's asset choices - take a [[FragileSpeedster Harasser]] and Fisher will say "''Uhh.... What is THAT?''" - while praising his favorites, like the [[JackOfAllTrades Bushwacker]].

** See also the planet of Solaris VII, which is known across the galaxy for commercial mech-fights.

* In ancient China Dragon boats are a lot more brutal than today. The opposing boats would fight each other in the race, and when some fell of the boat, no one would try to save them, if they drowned then they are considered as sacrificed to the Dragon Deity.

* Spinball, from the notorious ''Action'' comic. Played only by {{Condemned Contestant}}s. Rollerball on ice with giant pinball pins as targets. Really.

* TwistedMetal is a demolation derby game with armed cars.

** Deathrolling, described as "skateboarding, except half the time somebody dies", is popular among the lawless pre-teen bandit tribes of Los Angeles.