Sports Failures

Photo is of Reggie Bush, former Trojan running back, with his Heisman Trophy. He recently gave the award back after the NCAA found he had received benefits (i.e. a house for his family to live in) from a USC booster while he played football there.

I enjoy college football. I'm a huge fan, and in the first weeks of the season, I'll watch any good game on TV. But once in a while, things happen that really just turn my stomach. Here are a few things that really ruin sports for me.

(1) Coaches berating college players. I don't mind as much when professional players mess up and the coach goes ballistic. They are paid millions and they are doing a job. When they screw up, it's about more than just a game. But this past weekend, Nick Saban launched into back-up quarterback McCarron relentlessly, and he even hit him - on the butt, but still. Yes, AJ McCarron, adult and college football quarterback, got spanked by his coach on TV. He walked next to him for more than 30 seconds screaming in his face. What exactly is this type of humiliation supposed to accomplish?

Nick apologized to everyone when he used the word "shit" in his press conference a few weeks ago. But honestly, he can swear all he wants, IMO. I am much more offended by the disrespectful way he treated this young man. And Coach Saban is not alone. Many coaches have engaged in this method of coaching. I agree that sometimes a raised voice and some negative reinforcement can help train and teach, but what was the point of humiliating that young man on national TV?

(2) The sight of Cam Newton (or any player) praying at the goal post prior to the game. The individual hypocrisy of Mr. Newton's behavior aside, I am so over the whole "giving God the glory for my football performance" and "thanking Jesus for helping me score a touchdown." Is there anything more crass than invoking religion in a sporting competition? (OK, yes, thanking Jesus for winning an Adult Film Award might be worse.) Want to pray that everyone stays safe and healthy? Fine. But PLEASE SPARE US YOUR SANCTIMONY WHEN YOU SCORE A TOUCHDOWN! Also, people might actually get hurt less IF YOU STOPPED TRYING TO HURT THEM! Which transitions nicely to my next point -

(3) Football players trying to hurt opposing players. There is nothing wrong with a good, legal hit, and sometimes people do get hurt. Football is a rough game. But this weekend, I saw a quarterback essentially punch a defender in the head (no flag), a defensive player spear a quarterback in the back after the ball was gone (flag thrown), and numerous other defensive players in numerous games trying to knock players unconscious by blindsiding them. Is that what this game has become? Is it so much about winning that we no longer care about following the rules? Just win at any cost, no matter how many rules you break, no matter how viciously you hurt someone? If this is true, it is no longer football. It has become Ultimate Fighting.

(4) Finally, I want to address the Cam Newton situation. As an Alabama fan, I have no love for Cam Newton, Auburn's quarterback. But as a sports fan, I was happy to see him find a place and do well. His story was a really good one. I enjoyed watching him run all over people and jump up smiling into the arms of his teammates, even though I was not excited about what he will likely do to my team. (Maybe I can be more objective than some Bama fans since I live in Utah.) I had the same mixed feelings about Tim Tebow. I really got sick of hearing about him, but he seemed like a genuinely nice guy, a great competitor, and a very talented athlete. All of these things seemed to apply to Cam Newton. I even went so far as to question the objectivity of the Florida coaching staff, wondering why Tebow was elevated to star prior to arriving on campus while Newton, who seems to be even better that Tebow, was essentially anonymous. I wondered if it was the result of racism since I had never heard of him prior to his appearance at Auburn this year.

I have to apologize to Florida coaches and fans for my accusing thoughts and give Urban Meyer credit for putting character over winning. Florida fans probably find that small consolation as they watch South Carolina pack their bags for the trip to Atlanta and the SEC Championship, but Coach Meyer at Florida got an eye-full of the real Cam Newton, and he did little if anything to stop him from leaving.

Some of my Facebook friends who are Auburn fans have made a lot of jokes about this situation. The one about the cruelty to animals was particularly funny - Cam accused of beating tigers, bulldogs, hogs, etc. Very amusing. But is it funny that he was about 30 seconds from being expelled from Florida for "academic fraud?" (Most of us call that cheating.) Or that he purchased a stolen notebook computer (or may have even stolen it himself)? And is it really funny that his father demanded a six-figure sum from Mississippi State for Cam to play there instead of Auburn?

I am aware of no evidence that any Auburn supporter paid Cam to attend Auburn and I assume that it didn't happen. But the facts that are supported by evidence are enough to make both him and his father (who is a pastor, BTW) look really, really dishonest. In summary, they appear to be cheaters.

I guess if I was an Auburn fan, I would hope that at least Auburn's program did nothing wrong. Also, I'd prefer to lose with him on the bench or off the team rather than be known as the school that played him and won, despite knowing about his "character issues." Bama has had violations in the past that involved players receiving benefits from boosters, etc., and has taken their lumps for them. But even aside from sanctions, I enjoy the sport more when the rules are being followed.

I predict Cam will be booed a lot in Tuscaloosa. Bama fans do boo opponents (though I wish they wouldn't), especially Auburn, but usually do not single out particular players. I suspect this will be an exception. No one likes a cheater, except the fans wearing his colors.

Cam Newton may be too good of an athlete for Alabama to stop. But as a fan and a human being, I think those so-called important lessons learned from participating in team sports really have more meaning when the players actually play by the rules. Because ultimately, whether your team wins or loses - a game, a championship, or a trophy - character is all you have that really matters. I feel sorry for players, coaches and fans of all teams who don't get that. Not because of a sense of moral superiority, but because the beauty of sports is the integrity of following the rules and competing within the bounds. People who accept cheating as part of the game simply don't get to experience that kind of beauty.

Addendum: Just read online that Tony Dorsett called the investigation of Cam Newton a "modern day lynching."

I am really sick of this phrase. I think it really cheapens the suffering of real people who were actually lynched out of hateful racism. Moreover, Cecil Newton has admitted to soliciting money from MSU in a pay-to-play scheme, so there actually is something here to investigate.

There is racism in this country, and people are sometimes oppressed, attacked, and harmed because of their race, but to suggest that racial hatred is behind this investigation is both irresponsible and incredible. I have heard no evidence or accusation of such a motive by any party involved. But hey, Tony Dorsett got a headline, so I guess it was worth something to him to say it, evidence by damned.