Perhaps as early as the 3rd millennium B.C.E., evidence suggests, bare-fisted, hand-to-hand combat was taking shape as a sport in Egypt — albeit one played to the death. This early form of boxing was later taken up by the Greeks and incorporated into the Olympic Games circa 688 B.C.E. While the contenders wrapped leather around their fists to protect their knuckles, they still fought to the death (or inability to continue). The Romans co-opted the sport around 400 B.C.E. and added metal-studded gloves to the mix. (Death was still very much a factor, as you can imagine.) By the 17th century C.E., the bare-knuckle revival was in full swing, and the first “rules” were introduced in the mid-1700s. (Death: no longer a requirement!) In 1867, the introduction of padded gloves, three-minute rounds and the 10-second knockdown established modern boxing as we know it. A few decades previously, British sportswriter Pierce Egan described it as “the sweet science of bruising,” and many still refer to boxing as “the sweet science” to this day. I’ll let you draw your own parallels to this year’s legislative session, but suffice it to say that at some point, the gloves come off. The AIA Government Affairs Committee (GAC) has the charge “to promote and enhance the health and safety of all Utahans in the built environment through relationship building, and lobbying of government officials.” It’s a “sweet science” all its own, albeit of a different sort. For the past year, the GAC has been working hand in hand with industry professionals, organizations, lobbyists and lawmakers to improve and occasionally protect the more public professional ecosystem and enhance the private aspects of daily life. Where we’re able, we carefully evaluate 2026 Legislative Recap: The Sweet Science BY SHAWN BENJAMIN BOARD LIAISON, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, AIA UTAH 20 REFLEXION
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