Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
There's an old saying - "I went to a fight & a hockey game broke out." Well nowadays it's not just hockey. It is spreading to other professional sports, as well as amateur college sports.
The recent Pacers-Pistons NBA game climaxed in a free-for-all between players. Players also charged into the stands & fought fans. Order was eventually restored & 4 players have been suspended indefinitely. The Clemson-South Carolina football game today erupted into a free-for-all brawl among players on the field.
We see the fights in hockey, basketball, football, baseball & soccer. It is just a matter of time until we see a melee in that most sedate of sports, golf, with players wildly swinging their 5 irons at each other.
But it's not just the players. The fans riot after a game, especially when their team wins an important game or championship. We saw it most recently in Boston when the Red Sox won the American League championship. Maybe losing might warrant a tad of released frustration, but winning?!
In professional sports many players who fisticuff their way through a game are getting millions of dollars. They are bouncing or hitting a ball while their $10,000 dollar gold necklaces dangle from their necks. What is their problem? They should thank God they have the ability to get the salary they do. There is no need for the street fighting, especially going after fans. Sportsmanship is going out the window quickly. You see more examples of bad sportsmanship now than good sportsmanship. These players are the role models for many of our youth. A fine example these clowns of the court & field make for our youth. It is time for severe league sanctions if there is any hope in stopping this madness. A $20,000 fine or a 4 game suspension is nothing for a million dollar player. Professional hockey could have stopped most fights years ago with sanctions, but the fans love the boxing on ice so nothing is done. Until these leagues really get tough, expect it to continue.
The fans are another issue altogether. It speaks volumes about a society whereby rioting & burning cars & destroying property is a justification for celebrating a win or venting a loss. Fans who are arrested in these celebratory riots need to be punished severely.
Mens sports have become too testosterone driven by the players & the fans. It is time to nip it in the bud, so to speak. Anyone for a Eunuch League?
UPDATE: The NBA has suspended 1 player for a year, 1 for 25 games, 1 for 30 games, & 6 others for a handful of games each. We are glad the NBA has taken this incident seriously. It is long overdue.
....from sea to shining sea