Josh, it is with certainty that violence is regarded as part of the game; thus, barbaric behavior takes a back seat to what would be felony assault and battery outside the arena. It is expected that sports is aggressive however, the real question is, What is the boundary where an injury is the result of honest play turn into an injury as a result of excessive, intentional use of force subjecting the player to criminal liability? In regards to the case you mentioned between Benson and Abdul-Jabbar, in my opinion Abdul-Jabbar definitely crossed the line for he deliberately assaulted Benson with malicious intent. In our society, it is interesting that many sports celebrities (and most of their fans) appear to feel they are entitled to immunity
