As the cult of personality continues to dominate the American
sports scene, elbowing out the concepts of team achievement and
fairplay as basic tenets of athletic competition, the effects are
being felt at every level.
As the cult of personality continues to dominate the American sports scene, elbowing out the concepts of team achievement and fairplay as basic tenets of athletic competition, the effects are being felt at every level.
From the professional and collegiate ranks to high school and youth sports, there is a pervasive attitude among athletes, coaches and fans that winning at all costs and confrontational antics are more important than class, good sportsmanship and team play. It has become more important to defend one’s “rep” than to preserve one’s own dignity in the modern sports world.
You see it everywhere.
In the NBA, the NFL and Major League Baseball, it’s all about who can upstage whom. Who can celebrate more extravagantly after a seemingly minor play. Who can get more face time on camera. Who can get away with an obscene gesture at the opposing team’s dugout, assault an elderly coach, insult the other team’s players and the like — all in the name of competition.
It seems like players and fans get involved in altercations at pro sporting events with increasing frequency.
And, if you think that the demise of couth and basic decency is only a product of professional sports, think again.
Last week’s brawl between the Hollister and Salinas boys soccer teams was a perfect example of what’s wrong with sports these days. Apparently, a Salinas player taunted the Hollister goalie after scoring a penalty goal late in the game, with Hollister leading 4-1. Words were exchanged, players and fans rushed onto the field and the police had to be called in. The game was called and both teams had to forfeit their final league games this week as a result.
It was soccer “hooliganism” at its worst.
Ironically, there was some uncertainty as to whether any of the players involved in the brawl were even given a red card or suspended for their actions, and there was reportedly no officials’ report received by the schools about the incident. There were also no reports of any arrests made involving fans who went onto the field.
Apparently, it was the school officials who decided to forfeit the final games.
What kind of a message does it send to the players and fans involved in the brawl that the only punishment they receive is a final game suspension? The players involved in the brawl, including those who ran onto the field, should have been suspended from all sports for the rest of the year. And, the fans who joined the fray should be prosecuted.
If you haven’t attended a high school sporting event, or even a youth sports event for that matter, you might be surprised at the level of enmity and aggressiveness that pervades the stands. And, if you don’t think that leaks onto the field and affects the perceptions of those young athletes, you’re bonkers.
There’s no excuse for this kind of behaviour and stricter measures should be taken to stem the tide of such anti-social conduct.
On the other end of the spectrum, the league finale between TCAL rivals Gilroy and Live Oak ended in a thrilling 2-2 tie and, even more importantly, a hug between the Mustangs’ Alfonso Motagalvan and the Acorns’ A.J. Battel.
Though Gilroy stole traditional TCAL powerhouse Live Oak’s thunder this season and claimed the league title, and the two teams had played two highly competitive and emotionally charged matches in the last three weeks, the two players found the time and the heart to congratulate each other as only opponents can.
It was a moment of sportsmanship that transcended any accomplishment either player had acheived on the field.
I just hope the other players, the fans and all the little kids who will grow up to play high school soccer themselves saw that moment and appreciated its significance.
Jim Johnson is the Sports Editor at the Morgan Hill Times. Call him at (408) 779-4106 or e-mail him at
ji**@mo*************.com
