Kids Slug it Out for Fun

March 26, 2006 — -- During their lunch break in Junction City, Ore., teenagers are pummeling each other for sport while their friends cheer them on and videotape them from the sidelines.

Cops say these impromptu fight clubs are out of control.

"Somebody's temper starts going because they get the bad end of the deal -- and all the sudden, there could be multiple people fighting," one local police officer said.

Fight clubs are popping up across the country. Kids are taking their cue from Hollywood and from movies like "Fight Club" with Brad Pitt.

Web Fights

The violence has even found its way onto the Internet, where teenagers brag about their violent exploits and post video of their fights.

Parents and experts are still trying to figure out what's driving this growing phenomenon.

"This is very scary, very scary," one parent said. "I just wouldn't want that to happen to my daughter, and to find out that she's looking at this."

Lumberton, N.J., Police Chief Marc Sano offered another theory about what's behind one fight posted on the Web.

"I believe that they were showing off actually," he said. "Maybe this was their 15 minutes of fame that they wanted to be on the Internet."