Gladiator Games

50,000 spectators at Rome's Colosseum, which initially opened in 80 CE, either praised the gladiators as heroes or mocked them as losers. On the days of the gladiatorial contests, the city would be empty, but the night before the combat, the streets would be alive with chatter. When two men confronted each other with swords drawn, they knew that one of them was going to die.

The most popular and eagerly awaited sporting events in ancient Rome were gladiatorial contests. On sweltering summer days, the crowd would shout and yell as the swordsmen tossed more than just dirt into the arena. The swords would clash, slash, and outperform one another. The defeated would be ruthlessly executed if the audience did not enjoy his performance; else, he would be spared another day. In Rome, enjoying death was a form of entertainment.

Roman gladiators were acquired slaves, POWs, or criminals who were occasionally forced into savage killing in order to gain freedom. Occasionally, women offered to fight as gladiators in order to gain freedom. It was not just for fun; it was also a political ploy to bind the popular mandate. The Roman emperor demanded the highest level of allegiance from the populace in exchange for giving them what they wanted. Thus, gladiator games were more nuanced than merely a morbid obsession.