The Sport Of Kings

Note the spur on the rooster's leg

 

Cockfighting is an ancient blood sport which is similar to bear-baiting, dog fighting and bullfighting.   Blood sports have deep roots in many parts of the world including northwestern Europe and the British Isles.  In England, beginning in the 1500s, the status of cockfighting grew thanks to the patronage of Henry VIII and James I.  America’s early colonial settlers had a working knowledge of blood sports which they brought with them when they sailed for the “New World.”

This sport, which is now illegal] in most of the states in the United States because serious injury or death occurs to the animals involved, quickly spread throughout North and South America as well as the Caribbean.  Though illegal, cockfighting is still practiced in more remote or mountainous areas of  the South.

While illegal, cockfighting still continues in some parts of the South.  Motorists driving through our more mountainous areas still see game fowl being raised in plain sight of the highway. Usually the very colorful roosters are tethered to their own small A-frame coop or horizontal barrel.  Due to the bird’s very aggressive nature, they are tethered so that they cannot reach each other.  Breeders make the distinction between raising the birds which is legal and fighting them, which is illegal.

Game cocks are specifically bred, with breeders keeping genetic records to improve bloodlines. Cocks are smaller than roosters of most domestic food breeds. Their brilliant plumage is inherited from their jungle fowl ancestors.

Japanese Rooster with beautiful plumage

 Bred and trained for aggressiveness and naturally equipped with dangerous spurs, fighting cocks often have metal knives or gaffs attached to their legs in preparation of a fight. The birds attack by flying into each other, slashing or gouging until one is killed or unable to continue. A majority of the losers die as a result of injuries sustained in a fight.

Pits may be elaborate arenas, modified barns, or even portable set-ups. The actual fighting pit is above-ground and enclosed to contain the combatants.  It is usually surrounded by bleacher-style seats.  Once the birds are placed in the arena to fight, they are said to have been ‘‘pitted.’’ The most common type of cockfight  is the derby, where several birds are entered and fight in pairs until one triumphs over all the others. The bouts are closely organized, with competing cocks weighed and carefully matched. If a bout drags on inconclusively, the weakening birds may be rotated to a secondary pit while a fresh pair are started in the main cockpit. 

Owners pay to enter their birds in a derby, with the winner typically taking the entire pot. Gambling is pervasive among owners and spectators, often for sizable amounts.

---

[1] A bear was chained to a post in the ring.  It was able to move about the post, but could not escape. Dogs would then be set upon the bear. Spectators would bet on whether the dogs or the bear would survive the ensuing  vicious fight.  Some of the bears were unfortunate enough to have long and bloody careers, becoming stars in their own right. “Sackerson” was one such animal and was immortalized in Shakespeare's "Merry Wives of Windsor."

[2] In Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma, cockfighting is a billion dollar-a-year industry.

[3] Photo: Wanny from nl [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], from Wikimedia Commons.