Point of Divergence ... During the time of the Romans, gladiator fights were all the rage. The gore, the blood, and the torture that was seen on the arena floor could be considered, in some ways, tame compared to some of the entertainment we see on television now. Yet the gladiator fights died out around the time of the 5th Century, never to be seen in their brilliant bloody glory again, except in the imagination of modern man and occasionally on the big screen.
Lets for arguments' sake say that gladiator fights somehow survived Ancient Rome and made it to the modern era. My thought is that many countries in the world have their own arena, with the most well known arenas existing in Rome, Beijing, New York, London, and Johannesburg. Criminals and political prisoners number among those who are forced into the arena to compete. Those who manage to come out on top will compete for glory in the Olympic Games once every four years, where death or gold silver and bronze await them. How does the world change as a result of this?
Lets for arguments' sake say that gladiator fights somehow survived Ancient Rome and made it to the modern era. My thought is that many countries in the world have their own arena, with the most well known arenas existing in Rome, Beijing, New York, London, and Johannesburg. Criminals and political prisoners number among those who are forced into the arena to compete. Those who manage to come out on top will compete for glory in the Olympic Games once every four years, where death or gold silver and bronze await them. How does the world change as a result of this?