The Art of Cock Fighting- 2005-03-11

Cock fighting enthusiasts will now be able to place wagers online for big cock fighting events like the World Slasher Cup. According to the Philippine Star the state-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) has announced the approval of the country's first Internet-based cockfight betting system. Dubbed TeleSabong, it is the latest online betting game offered by Pagcor.

Cockfighting is a tradition that dates back several centuries and spans several cultures and has always been the focus of frenzied gambling. Small fortunes have been won or lost in the ring. Seeing as I didn’t know much about this blood sport I thought it would be interesting to write a little article on the history of cock fighting. In short this is what I learned.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF COCK FIGHTING

The sport was popular in ancient times in India, China, Persia and other eastern countries, and was introduced into Greece in the time of Themistocles. The Romans then adopted this tradition from the Greek then spread cocking northwards into Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Spain and eventually their colonies. (source: www.1911encyclopedia.org)

These are not just regular roosters they are specially bred and trained for fighting. Like in horse breeding, rooster breeders take great care in creating champion breeds. The ultimate goal of the breeder is to create the ultimate fighting rooster. From an early age these super roosters are put on strict diets of whole grains, milk, ground meat, fresh vegetables, and vitamin supplements making them bigger and stronger than regular roosters. The training of a cock for the pit lasts from ten days to a month or more, during which time the bird is subjected to a rigid diet and exercise in running and sparring.

Before each bout, Razor-sharp knives called gaffs, ranging from ½ inch up to 3 1/2 inches long, are strapped to the birds’ legs. Often doped up on stimulants in order to increase their endurance and aggressiveness the birds are tormented into anger by being held beak-to-beak and are then dropped into a small circular or rectangular pit to fight. A winner is crowned when its opponent is unable to fight, or is killed. While banned in Canada and most US states the sport is still popular in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and the Middle East, and parts of the United States (New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Louisiana).

It was only a matter of time before online books started taking bets on cock fighting, they already accept every other type of bet.

The Guru

Links:
Raging Rooster
Sabong

Refer a Friend