Sportsmanship

The recent Super Bowl was yet another reminder of the decline of sportsmanship in the sports world.  I rarely watch football, but when I do I am disheartened by the endless, mean-spirited displays of poor sportsmanship that occur after almost every tackle, reception, interception, sack or touchdown. Taunting, mocking, grandstanding and rubbing your opponents nose in his or her defeat are standard behavior in most sporting events these days. The gracious victor, the humble sportsman is almost extinct.  Instead, most contests are spectacles of trash-talking and in-your-face confrontations, expressions of the worst in human nature.  How has it come to this?

I suppose it all ties back to money and the business of entertainment.  Television has always reached out to the lowest common denominator, and once it was discovered that people who sit mindlessly watching hours of sports on TV enjoy seeing crass behavior there was no holding it back.

It may be entertaining for fans to see someone perform a dance in the end zone after scoring a touchdown for their team.  But I would argue that it is appealing to our baser instincts.  We know that the opposition is already disappointed.  Why do we want to make them feel worse?  Our own joy and satisfaction are already assured.  Do we really need to revel sadistically in the face of the opposing team and fans?

Worse still is the fact that this type of behavior has become expected entertainment for viewers.  Trash talking and victory dances have become a type of art form that is encouraged by fans and the media.  Of course the only ones delighting in each instance are the fans of the mockers and the grandstanders.  The opposing teams fans are grinding their teeth in bitter frustration and perhaps even fury.

One may argue that this form of entertainment is harmless, just boys (or girls) being boys and having a little fun.  But I don’t view it as harmless.  It sets an example for everyone in terms of acceptable behavior.  It erodes the general civility of our society and of sports in particular.  It has all of the classic characteristics of a cheap thrill – momentarily titillating, but insidiously damaging in the long run.

The other justification that might be raised for this type of behavior is that it is a clever strategy to throw one’s opponent off his or her game - to deal a psychological blow – and therefore an acceptable tactic.  But I find this specious reasoning.  Following this line of argument could make any ploy acceptable, including purposely injuring an opponent, which, sadly, in many sports is also increasingly utilized to win at all costs.

With so much money at stake in professional and college athletics, it is not surprising that such despicable behavior has become the norm.  But this behavior trickles down to impact every sports contest, and we are the poorer for its dissemination.