Ultraviolence of viral games knocks sports safety back centuries

Created in Australia, Run It Straight is a new, ultraviolent combat sport. Across a 20m x 4m grassed “battlefield”, two players charge at full speed towards one another. Alternating between carrying the ball (ball runner) and defending (tackler), victory is awarded via a knockout (a competitor cannot continue), or a judge’s decision based on an athlete’s dominance during the collisions.

Despite neuroscientists issuing grave warnings about the brutal sport’s risks, Run It Straight’s viral popularity on social media, including its endorsement among high-profile athletes, is accelerating.

https://youtu.be/Nba-GfarEBE?si=hnU6_j4rADGprj2c

Melbourne hosted the inaugural “Runit Championship League” event at the beginning of May. Footage showed some participants convulsing after their collisions as the winner celebrated, surrounded by children.

Drawing hundreds of spectators and millions of online views, the full-speed collision challenge is already turning its violence and social media footprint into commercial success abroad, securing interest in the US.

The sport held some events in New Zealand in the week of 19 May, but one was halted by the Auckland city council because of safety concerns and the failure to secure necessary permits.

A history of sport and violence

In ancient times, symbolic cultural displays of power and physical dominance featured in combat sports such as wrestling, boxing, pankration (a mixed martial art combining boxing and wrestling) and even armoured foot races.

This brutal entertainment is reflected in contemporary collision sports such as the National Rugby League (NRL) in Australia and New Zealand, and the Australian Football League (AFL).

In recent decades, however, the danger of concussion has resulted in most contact sports changing rules and regulations to protect athletes from head injuries. Various measures have been implemented to mitigate, eliminate and treat head trauma.

The Australian government has been exerting influence and committing material resources to support athletes living with brain issues such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Considering this multipronged effort to make contact sports safer, the violence of Run It Straight is jarring.

Robert Trujillo (right) and Dakota McGregor meet on the mat for a bout of Power Slap at Fontaine Bleu in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo: Louis Grasse / PXimages / © xLouisxGrassex)

Why are these new sports so popular?

With its origins as a social media challenge, Run It Straight is perfect content for short-form social media platforms: an entire competition can be distilled into a 30-second highlight.

Compared with many collision sports that have complex rules and strategies, which can be a barrier to interest, engagement and commercial returns, the accessible and minimalist format of Run It Straight also makes it attractive to fans.

Run It Straight and other emerging violent sports such as Power Slap – a fight sport where contestants slap each other so hard they can be knocked unconscious – are simplistic and brutal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YFuO0cYTlo

Athletes in most traditional collision sports use their physical ability and skill to evade contact. Similarly, boxing is not just about strikes to the head – it is also about evading punches, supreme physical fitness and scoring points.

But the visual spectacle and shock of two people running towards one another for an inevitable collision is a form of violence that appeals to an increasing number of fans.

Risks and possible remedies

Run It Straight is a new sport, and to our knowledge there is no empirical peer-reviewed research focusing on it.

But many neurologists have expressed concerns about its total disregard for scientific evidence showing that repeated head trauma damages brain health.

With Run It Straight appearing to lack the medical resources and infrastructure of professional sports organisations, and the competition’s expressed intent to have participants collide at high speed, the risk of significant injury is high.

Power Slap, though, has been the subject of empirical research. A 2024 study reported that many of the sport’s combatants showed visible signs of concussion (motor incoordination, slowness to get up and blank and vacant looks during bouts).

Opportunity for ‘traditional’ sports?

The rise of Run It Straight and Power Slap creates a unique opportunity for the governing bodies of contact codes such as the AFL, NRL and rugby union to highlight what sets them apart.

Key to this is athlete safety. For years, governing bodies in these codes have invested time and resources to implement concussion management protocols at professional and community levels.

The tournament-based format for individual adult participants allows Run It Straight to operate without the broader governance responsibilities of football codes.

However, it is because of those governance responsibilities that the football codes can amplify their athlete wellbeing credentials to reassure participants and parents who may be nervous about concussion risks.

Second, the football codes are organised team sports played with multiple players on a team, facilitating skill acquisition, teamwork, mental wellbeing and physical fitness. Although there appears to be a degree of camaraderie during Run It Straight events, it is evidently a one-on-one competition.

Ultimately, the rise and evident popularity of Run It Straight and Power Slap provides a stark reminder there will always be a section of society that is drawn to high-risk behaviours.

In turn, the football codes should look to highlight the value of balance and their athlete wellbeing credentials. DM

First published by The Conversation.

Christopher Yorke is a lecturer in sport management at Western Sydney University; Michelle O’Shea is a senior lecturer in the School of Business at Western Sydney University; Jeremy Sleiman is a lecturer in sport management at the Australian College of Physical Education and a research assistant at Western Sydney University.

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.