I suspect that the fans who are getting sick of seeing star athletes strut their stuff must now number in the millions.
I don't know exactly how or where it started, but it has become a bit ridiculous in recent times. It's become so prevalent in sports that you can hardly watch a contest of any kind without witnessing some stupid demonstration of bravado from one or more of the players.
It even happened in the Olympics. American runners were seen taunting their opponents during preliminary races, and after winning gold medals, the members of the American 4 x 100 relay team made fools of themselves by stripping to the waist and dancing crudely in front of 110,000 people.
"We were just entertaining the crowd," said one of the runners.
"Look at those ugly Americans," said one Australian news commentator.
In the view of most of the world, it was undignified and unnecessary. It was arrogant and unbecoming, and to attempt to pass it off as "entertainment" is feeble justification. This "in your face" behavior is damaging the dignity of sports, and it should be stopped.
Who can stop it? The coaches? In my opinion, any coach who allows his or her athletes to shamelessly demonstrate their prowess is not a very good coach. I can't imagine Tom Landry or Vince Lombardi allowing such antics. Much of sports is emotional and psychological, but this behavior does nothing to improve performance. It does, however, affect the opposition. It makes them want to beat you even more than they already do. No one likes a showoff.
I'm sure there are people out there who think this is much ado about nothing. They probably are entertained by this behavior. And there are certainly athletes who just don't get it. They think they have a right to express their selfish emotions.
They do have that right; enthusiasm is good. But if they cross the line into intimidation or taunting, then that is going too far, and coaches have an obligation to stop it, especially in team sports.
Recently, in an NFL game played at Texas Stadium, a San Francisco 49ers receiver ran 50 yards after scoring a touchdown to stand in the middle of the Dallas Cowboys' star painted at midfield. When he got there, he raised his arms as if to say, Look at me, I'm better than you.
Needless to say, the Dallas Cowboys and their fans didn't like his little demonstration, and the next time the Cowboys scored, the running back scoring the touchdown ran to midfield and slammed the ball on the star and stared at the 49ers' bench. He was defending his team's honor, and that should have been the end of it.
This "in your face" behavior is damaging the dignity of sports,
and it should be stopped.
But it wasn't. The same receiver who started it all ran to the same spot after scoring his next touchdown. This time, one of the Cowboys followed and knocked him off his feet at midfield. The referees ejected the Cowboy from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct.
To his credit, the 49ers coach called his team together and ordered them to stop. The next day, he announced that the player who caused the problem was suspended for one week without pay, costing him about $25,000. I wonder if this player still thinks it was worth it.
The NFL soon announced a new penalty that would be enforced for excessive demonstrations.
I say "Hooray!" for the 49ers coach. He is a strong leader, and he successfully turned a negative into a positive. His team (hopefully) learned a valuable lesson, and (hopefully) coaches, athletes, and kids everywhere also paid attention.
There is no place in real sports for this Worldwide Wresting Federation (WWF) mentality. Athletes can entertain without becoming idiots. They can entertain with outstanding performance, and they can do it with dignity. If you are one of those people who need this kind of stuff, watch the WWF or a Hollywood movie like Dumb and Dumber or Kingpin.
And for those league and team owners and managers and coaches who think they must allow this behavior, think again. Do you want to risk losing a large portion or your fan base just to attract a younger (and dumber) audience? Or do you have an obligation and duty to educate these younger viewers and explain the difference between winning at all costs or winning with dignity and class?
Because it has been allowed and encouraged for so long, it won't be easy to get this under control. Some coaches who try to stop it will get pressure from their bosses who will say this is what the television networks want. You can't watch an NBA, NFL, or college game without seeing it. Even big linemen dance around when they simply make a good block or a sack.
In bowling, most of the antics occur at the collegiate level. In the recent "Rockin' Bowl" show on TNN, the college bowlers were encouraged to act silly and entertain the audience. That led to some running around, break dancing on the approach, and a lot of outrageous behavior. It also ruined any chance of having the real sport part of the show taken seriously.
In the pro ranks, even the PBA has been guilty of encouraging this behavior in recent times. Thinking it would attract a younger crowd, they asked fans to clap and yell and chant during the TV matches. It got to the point where they had fans sitting shirtless in the stands (a la the NFL) and jumping up and down screaming.
At the end of one of these contests, a PBA bowler took off his shirt and tossed it to the fans and promptly was fined by the PBA. How hypocritical!
In PBA's defense, they have seen some of the negatives of this and have made efforts to tone down the outrageous behavior of players and fans. It's a tough call because you want players to be animated, but there is a thin line between animated and moronic.
In a recent press conference, new PBA owner Chris Peters was asked about this subject and said: "We won't allow the PBA to become like the WWF. We have too much respect for the sport for that to happen." I hope he means what he says.
Respect—that's really what it is all about. As an athlete, if you can win while earning the respect of your teammates, coaches, fans, and your opponents, you probably are headed to the Hall of Fame.
Jim Goodwin, a BWAA director and PWBA’s regional program director, is the award-winning editor/publisher of Stars & Strikes, in which the preceding originally appeared. Subscription rates are $20 for one year, $32/$48 for two/three years (Pin Point Publishing, 2850 Red Valley Run, Rockwall, Texas 75087 ... Voice/fax: 972/771-0069).