As Americans Debate the Merits of MMA, Brits Enjoy Shin Kicking Championships

I wonder how all the people who wring their hands at the thought of mixed martial arts on American television would feel about the British Shin Kicking Championships:

Here's some info on shin kicking:

The sport of shin kicking has been practiced on Dover's Hill since the early 17th Century. It was a popular part of the original games established by Robert Dover in 1612, and continues to draw the crowds from near and far.

While the painful pastime was so dangerous it died out in Britain by the early 1900s, the sport was re-kindled in Chipping Campden in 1951 – where it continues to be practiced as a far less aggressive version than in earlier years, when players were said to have hardened their shins using hammers and competitors were allowed to wear iron-capped boots.

I'll take an elbow to the head from James Thompson over a kick to the shins with an iron-capped boot any day.