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October 24, 2007

VALVANO: Tales of sports gone bad

By BOB VALVANO

We are used to seeing angry posts on sports Web sites. This, above all, seems to be the modus operandi of sports and sports coverage now.

It must be in-your-face, provoke-an-argument posturing, particularly when you post on the opposition’s sites. There are countless fans who, instead of having a life, go to Web sites where a group of people root for a team and simply make posts to try and anger them.

I guess we all need a hobby.

So this post after the U of L football game Saturday should come as no surprise.

It concerns a play many of you probably saw, where a UConn player falsely signaled for a fair catch on a punt and, when the players on both teams stopped playing, ran it back for the tying touchdown.

Here is what the post said:

“Despicable is the only word for both player and coach. I am embarrassed for the Huskies ...”

Must be a U of L fan who is angry at the loss, right? Well here is the rest of the post:

“...and ashamed to call them my alma mater. I apologize.”

It is such a blatant attempt at cheating that even the fans of the team involved are embarrassed.

So I should be celebrating this as an example of how sportsmanship is not completely dead, right?

I mean here is a fan who still gets it, sensing that this crossed the line of gamesmanship into an act that even he, as a supporter of the team, finds embarrassing.

Why then is this the latest example of my seemingly-endless string of nauseating acts by people who should know better simply turning a blind eye to decency and sportsmanship?

Because after the game, UConn coach Randy Edsall gave the kid who ran the punt back a game ball.

Anyone who has played or followed football knows that a game ball is a big honor. It is a reward for outstanding performance. And this embarrassing act (it was called as much by the Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese) is being rewarded by the man who is supposed to be setting the tone for his team’s conduct.

I think we make the end result of one game into too much too often.

As Dean Smith said, “Winning and losing a basketball game is not life and death. If it were, we would all be dead a lot.”

But this goes beyond even that. This says not only is blatantly cheating not bad, it is rewardable. Something to be honored.

Is it any wonder that hardly a weekend goes by where I don’t see examples of this behavior at the youngest levels?

This past weekend, I watched a 12-year-old hockey player hold the entire game up while he threw a temper tantrum on the ice, threw his stick, rolled around on the ice in disgust, then (and here is the kicker) berated the kid playing the same position as he from the bench during the championship game.

Right in front of the coach.

Why does he allow it?

The young temper king’s parents have refused to allow the coach to talk to their son. And this is considered a normal development for our youth.

Here’s another example of the same thing, different team.

Too many penalties result in the head coach being banned from the ensuing championship game.

No problem. Simply pretend that the scorekeeper is the head coach for the last game and let him sit it out.

Don’t feel too sorry for the team they played, however. That squad had a bye to the finals, scheduled at 5 p.m. After seeing the team I described above win a semifinal game that ended at 2:30 p.m., they informed the tournament director that they had to get the starting time moved up to make a 6 p.m. flight.

They moved the final up to 3:15, giving their opponents barely 45 minutes rest. Not having played at all yet that day, they wore their beleaguered opponent down to win the title.

As they were leaving the ice, their players were boasting that there really was no flight that they had to catch. Just a ruse to make the opponent have to play earlier.

If it weren’t young people’s lives that we were talking about shaping, maybe it would be funny.

But it is sad..

And I contend that even if it were not young people, it would still be tragic.

I think that’s why fans are so upset about steroids in baseball, or were outraged at the cheating referee in the NBA. Because sports used to be the one place in this crazy world — one that gets more complicated every day — that people felt they could find release in.

Level playing field. Play by the rules. No matter your race, color or creed. Let the best man or woman win.

Do your best. Shake hands.

Enjoy the win, learn from the loss. Grow. Repeat.

Does that sound anything like the episodes described above?

Sad.

Bob Valvano lives in Sellersburg and can be reached via e-mail at bobvshow@yahoo.com. He is a former college basketball coach and current radio show host on ESPN Radio.

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