March 18, 2014

Recently, the Evil Empire of Sports Programming, otherwise known as ESPN, aired a program, hosted by Bob Ley dealing with the obnoxious behavior by a bunch of smart-arse basketball fans/students at the University of Missouri.  Apparently, these students feel they have the right to yell all kinds of nasty things to the players on the opposing team.  The justification of the students is that their behavior helps their favorite team.  According to the legal experts, these students have that right as protected under the United States Bill of Rights.

The question we must answer is what motivates a person to act in such a manner.

The answer, as always, is money and power.

The face of athletics today is burned into our minds every time we watch a sporting event-high school, college or professional.  We see players screaming with mouths wide open, pounding their chests with their fists like a gorilla, pounding chests with their teammates, pointing a fist in the air, gesturing with the arms crossed in front of their bodies with a smug look on their face, running around in their street-thug baggy shorts, etc. etc. etc.

The University of Michigan’s fab five comes to mind.

Who among us over the age of 50 can watch even more than a few minutes of any sports event?  I certainly cannot.

All this gesticulating could stop in a heartbeat.  All you need is one coach, or one athletic director, or one school president, or one professional team owner, or one commissioner, to say he will not allow his players to act in such a manner.  Sadly, we do not have that type of leadership in sports or America or the world today.  We live in a Greed is good (as well as god) world.  The more outrageous I act, the more noise I make, the more deviant I allow my players to act, allows me to win more games and thus keep my job.  People in stands feel if they act the same way, they will help their team.

The great mahatma of Duke University basketball, Mike Krzyzewski, has been promoting this type of behavior for decades with his Cameron Crazies.  One would think that a person like Krzyzewski would have the ethical and moral fiber to say this is wrong and yet he never has as far as I know.  It is a natural progression.  Other coaches think if Krzyzewski can get away with it, why shouldn’t they be able to as well.  And the snowball keeps rolling.

Who/What is the face of sports today?  You see athletes acting as prima donnas.  You see more tattoos than skin.  You see all sorts of abhorrent behavior.  You see the chest pounding. You see the screaming. You see commissioners like Roger Goodell sell their souls by claiming that repeated concussions do not cause brain damage.

Think of past athletes who, by way of their athletic achievement, could have celebrated on the court or field or ice.  Can you remember Pete Maravich ever doing so?  Or Oscar Robertson or Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain?  Jerry West is the logo of the NBA.  He is depicted dribbling a basketball-not performing a slam-dunk with his mouth wide open and the Nike swoosh blaring off his sneakers.

When John Unitas threw a touchdown pass, did you ever see him run into the end zone and head bump Raymond Berry?  When Lance Alworth caught a pass and ran into the end zone with the most beautiful running stride God ever created, did you ever see him get down on one knee and point with his finger gesturing a first down?  Did you ever see Jim Brown acting foolish?

Did you ever see Wayne Gretzky scream, yell and incite the people in the stands to do the same?

Where is the stately elegance of a Bob Gibson or a Sandy Koufax?  Hank Aaron hit 755 career home runs.  Did you ever see him run around the bases showboating?  No, you did not.  Never.  You saw him run with those elbows back is that beautiful royal stride of his.

I know I am an old fart.  I acknowledge that, but isn’t there anyone left in coaching or team management or ownership or a college president or a commissioner who has the foresight to see that the only thing all this showboating does is promote more outrageous acts.

I said many times I love sports but I hate what sport has become.  I have not been to a sporting event in years.  Athlete and crowd behavior sickens me.  It will not surprise me when we have a soccer type riot on a college basketball court some day.   I hope I am wrong but the odds are quintillion times better than winning Warren Buffett’s March madness challenge.      

George Sarkisian