Whatever happened to being good sports? There was a time when competition between two teams resulted in one team winning and the losers shaking hands and congratulating the winners. The losers would go on to practice harder and do their best to improve their game and create a need for another matchup to determine the best team.
Even after the best of whatever number of games, the eventual losers would congratulate the winners and be happy with second best.
In today’s fiercely competitive playing fields, the winners may be shot in the parking lot as police are dispatched to keep the peace and attempt to maintain control. They need to protect their squad cars and property of the players.
These types of encounters not only take place in major leagues but in sporting events from Little League on up. I have witnessed parents of youngsters display appalling actions after their kids lost a game. I’ve even seen a parent hit an official after a game because they disagreed about a call made. I observed a local judge who disagreed with an umpire verbally express his displeasure with how the umpire was doing his job.
Some cities literally erupt after games and fans burn down buildings and ransack stores simply because an event they attended did not turn out as they may have preferred.
Sometimes they demonstrate in unruly fashion when a game is won!
What kind of examples are being set by allowing rioting after a sporting event or fist fights after a race? Is it any wonder our youth fail to display good sportsmanship when they observe such adult behavior?
College sports contests bring out increasingly poor sportsmanship and professional sports bring out even worse. It appears as you move up to become superior athletes, you have to demonstrate what you learned about bad behavior.
I used to enjoy attending sporting events, from Little League to high school football games and lots of professional games. One or two a year is about all I can handle now. I just don’t find it enjoyable to be forced to listen to fans; men and women, all colors, cussing and screaming as they splash their drinks all over. This may be why game attendance for some teams has fallen off and TV coverage is preferred by many of us.
An exception to the description I put forth are major golf outings. The “gallery” as they call the spectators of such events still have a great respect for the participants and the sportsmanship displayed. There are of course the shouters who call out Baba-Booey for no discernable reason. Golf however, unlike other sports, has marshals with signs saying; “HUSH, Y’ALL” and if you don’t, you’re ejected.
As I see it, better policing, using marshals or whomever to control major events and removal of persons who insist upon making fools of themselves and ruin everyone else’s good time is long overdue. If those who yell, scream and use foul language were removed, those who are hesitating to attend because of them may return.
Sporting events are not the only events that suffer from obnoxious behavior on the part of attendees. Concerts and many outdoor gatherings also are being spoiled by the few fools who insist upon drawing attention to themselves. Removal would work in these cases also.
If you observe closely those who are causing problems you will see ignorance is their excuse and they display single-mindedness, that being: I am the only important person in attendance. It’s really too bad most of society has to suffer because of a few, but there is a solution: throw them out. For those who cause damage, arrest them, lock them up and make them make restitution for their destructive behavior. This may actually alter that impulse.