... on How Other Sports Could Learn Wrestling
The flagrant misconduct rule in wrestling is truly the panacea for correcting gross negative behavior in all sports. Why won’t other sports follow suit? I think I know why, but first allow me the opportunity to explain this wrestling regulation.
A wrestler who commits an act such as fighting, verbal vulgarity, biting, excessive unnecessary roughness, or obscene gestures of any kind will be:
Shaler High School went from third place to fifth place, losing the opportunity to take home a team trophy. It’s the first time I personally saw this occurrence in the mat sport since the rule was enacted in the early 1990s. Why?...because of the consequences described above.
Other athletic events could learn from wrestling. Consider the following make-believe rule changes to check outrageous behavior in a number of high-profile sports:
1) A baseball pitcher is removed from the game for intentionally hitting the batter.
Penalty: A deduction of one run. (If there is no score, minus one run.).
2) A basketball player is ejected who obnoxiously offers one of his rivals an obscene gesture.
Penalty: The team loses all the points he scored during
the game.
3) A football player is removed from the stadium for kicking an opponent lying on the ground.
Penalty: A deduction of seven team points, equivalent
to a touchdown and extra point. (If the team has not scored yet, minus seven points.)
4) Hockey players who fight or commit other flagrant acts of misconduct should always be ejected from the premises.
Penalty: The deduction of one team point. (If the team
has not scored yet, minus one point.)
No question about it, unsportsmanlike behavior would definitely be kept to a minimum. So why don’t other athletic contests follow wrestling’s example to eliminate improper deeds. The answer is quite simple: the mind-set of fanatical sports fans and greed.
Let’s face it, the majority of spectators enjoy the violence of less than civilized behavior from athletes. Since it is so gratifying to them, the powers to be will not institute stricter regulations. Their primary concern is the number of tickets sold at the door.
I, for one, will not spend a penny to watch poor behavior inadequately punished on the playing field, ice rink, or gym floor -- and profane, lewd behavior in the stands. What tremendous role models these athletes and onlookers (often parents) are for our young athletes!
Of course, I am in the extreme minority. But I like it that way, especially when I am on the side of right. Still, the next time you watch one of the sporting events mentioned above (and profoundly think about what I have emphasized), you’ll better understand where I am coming from.
Though amateur wrestling is undoubtedly one of the most physically grueling sports contrived by man, it’s code of ethics epitomizes the highest standards of mutual respect among athletic adversaries!
MAT MESSAGE
The principal mark of genius is not perfection
but originality, the opening of new frontiers.
-- Arthur Koestler