Sportsmanship Rant

Many are accusing the coaches of USC and UCLA of poor sportsmanship. I would argue that there are greater problems that extend way beyond the field of play. We are part of a culture that celebrates dominance and demands more than a victory. Winning is not enough, we want our teams to pound their opponents into submission. The BCS system has created "style points" for teams seeking higher rankings and fans, acknowledging this system, encourage their teams to continuing acting in this manner. Additionally, teams are vilified if they accept defeat at any point. So a sign of mercy (taking a knee in a decided contest) is flagrantly rejected and the presumed victor decides that pounding the opposition into submission is the only way to end the game.

Worse still, players on both sides were not content with the results on the field, they were looking for a real fight. My greatest problem with that is players having enough left in the tank to engage in a brawl. What ever happened to "leaving it all out on the field?" There is no way the men in the trenches should have energy like that with 40 seconds left in the game. If I were the UCLA coach and I saw my star linebacker run over the umpire with such ease, I would want to know why he didn't play the entire game with the same gusto.

I am an admitted USC fan and I have no problem with how things worked out on the field. In the end, fans have no one to blame but themselves. The radio annoucers on both sides decried the actions of the coaches. They should look in the mirror.