History Main / CripplingTheCompetition

* During a basketball game in ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'' the opposing team's coach instructed one of his players to injure Dave on the knee that had already been injured to take him out. Unfortunately for them, Dave (who for some context wore a visor and headphones at this point of his life) had recorded the whole conversation. Once he and Samantha exposed it, both player and coach got kicked out of the sport, with the coach having to pay damages to Dave as well. The injury didn't keep Dave out too long, but it contributed to the weakening of his ligaments, leading to the end of his NBA dreams when they finally snapped (while he scored the NCAA championship-winning point for Havens U, no less). He would eventually make a career in Europe.

* In ''Film/TheHustler'', "Fast Eddie" Felson has his thumbs broken by a pool shark who doesn't like being hustled.

* ''Film/TheHarderTheyFall'': When one of Toro's opponents balks at ThrowingTheFight and looks like he's going to beat Toro, his coach puts a chemical in his towel that disables him and allows Toro to win.

** Anime episode 28. During the fight between Uryu Ishida and the Soul Reaper Jirobo Ikkanzaka, Uryu fires an arrow into Jirobo in such a way as to prevent him from using spiritual pressure and thus making it impossible to continue as a Soul Reaper.
** Anime episode 156. Uryu Ishida does the same thing to the arrancar Cirucci Sanderwicci, firing an arrow into her chest to seal off her power.

-->-- '''Music/WeirdAlYankovic''', "Headline News" (see the Real Life folder for the incident that inspired this)

Not to be confused with BlastingItOutOfTheirHands. If the person being crippled attempts to compete or fight anyway, this may lead to YouCanBarelyStand.

* In ''Anime/YuGiOh'', before reaching Pegasus's island. Insector Haga throws Yugi's Exodia cards off the ship to sabotage his chances of winning. He also does this to Joey, in the Battle City arc.

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[[caption-width-right:350:"[[Film/TheBigLebowski This is bowling.]] There are ''no'' rules."]]

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[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Fingore}} ''Power is a fragile thing. It tolerates no threat. Defiance must be met with an example of the wages of defiance.'']]]]

* ''ComicBook/CombatKellyAndHidDeadlydozen'': When Kelly refuses to throw his fight against the Nazi champion in #3, the Nazis rough him up and break his ribs, giving their boxer an easy target to aim for during the bout.

* Inverted in ''VideoGame/GoldenSun2001'', where instead of using Psynergy to preemptively defeat Colosso competitors, you use it to give Isaac an unfair advantage by using non-combat abilities to make the obstacle course section easier (such as moving a log to form a bridge, creating a vine ladder, blocking a conveyor belt mechanism, etc.).

* ''Manga/{{Major}}'': Happens a few times in flashbacks, with players who intentionally injure their rivals in practice matches to get the titular spots. Protagonist Goro Shigeno finds himself on the receiving end when Egashira orders his players to intentionally injure him during the Kaido vs. Seishuu match, as revenge for Goro not accepting to be Kaido's star like he wanted. [[spoiler:While Kaido wins the match, Egashira is [[EngineeredPublicConfession recorded gloating about it]] [[LaserGuidedKarma and gets fired for it]]]].

* A famous example of this backfiring was in the 1989 [[UsefulNotes/AustralianRulesFootball VFL]] Grand Final. At the start of the game, Geelong's Mark Yeates charged Hawthorn's Dermott Brereton, knocking him down and puncturing his lung, in what Geelong coach Malcolm Blight later admitted was editated plan. However, Brereton ''[[MadeOfIron got back up]] [[{{Determinator}} and played on]]'', inspiring his team. Hawthorn ended up winning.

a prem* A famous example of this backfiring was in the 1989 [[UsefulNotes/AustralianRulesFootball VFL]] Grand Final. At the start of the game, Geelong's Mark Yeates charged Hawthorn's Dermott Brereton, knocking him down and puncturing his lung, in what Geelong coach Malcolm Blight later admitted was editated plan. However, Brereton ''[[MadeOfIron got back up]] [[{{Determinator}} and played on]]'', inspiring his team. Hawthorn ended up winning.

Sometimes, the opponent to the crippled competition isn't actually the one who did the deed and said opponent may not even have desired it. In these cases, the person responsible for crippling the competition generally is either [[UnwantedAssistance a misguided fan trying to help]], or a third party that stands to gain from a certain outcome of the match.

* In ''Anime/CaroleAndTuesday'', while preparing backstage for the ''Mars Brightest'' semi-final, Tuesday is sent a package that turns out to contain liquid nitrogen, freeze-burning her hands and preventing her from playing her guitar. Angela suspects her assistant sent the package in an attempt at this trope, and fires her. Subverted when the culprit (who wasn't Angela's assistant) turns out to have sent the package for reasons [[NotGoodWithRejection entirely unrelated]] [[{{Yandere}} to the competition]].

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S1E3MrDentonOnDoomsday Mr. Denton on Doomsday]]", the title character Al Denton, a washed up RetiredGunfighter faces off against a young wannabee named Pete Grant in a duel, both using a potion granting quick draw abilities. Both men manage to inflict hand injuries preventing each other from ever using guns again. Denton sees this as a blessing, as it will prevent either from engaging in any more reckless duels.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Priscilla Rich (ComicBook/{{Cheetah}}) enters a race held on Paradise Island in disguise, when she realizes Mala is catching up to her she messes with an obstacle to trip Mala as she passes by.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'': In "Delicate", a ballerina is suffering the lingering effects of an injury she sustained from a shard of broken glass in her shoe. It eventually turns out that the glass was put there deliberately by another girl in the class who was [[{{Yandere}} obsessed with]] the dancer's rival. (The rival herself had no idea about any of this until after it happened and was horrified, though not so much so that she reported it.)

* ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'': In "Delicate", a ballerina is suffering the lingering effects of an injury she sustained from a shard of broken glass in her shoe. It eventually turns out that the glass was put there deliberately by another girl in the class who was [[{{Yandere}} obsessed with]] the dancer's rival.