Like many others, I sat in awe over the weekend as I stumbled upon my friend's television screen in the midst of the Indiana Pacers' and Detroit Pistons' now infamous "Friday Night Fight."
As I stared at the screen attempting to figure out exactly what had just happened I developed this odd, adrenaline-flowing feeling inside of me that was saying "Wow - this kicks ass."
Soon after said statement, that proverbial ass was literally getting kicked by a six-foot, seven-inch 246 pound Indiana forward... and one's personal excitement soon turned to disgust. Onward through the weekend, faces continued to turn at the sight of the fight on news and sports networks locally and nationally.
It did not stop there, though. College football fans will notice the overshadowed bout between South Carolina and Clemson that took place at Clemson's Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Another fight, another bout of uncontrolled aggression and another problem for the media to hit on.
Two separate incidents tied together by one common factor.
Immaturity.
Somehow, this concept of unsportsmanlike conduct has become a big trend in the sports world over recent years. Players are becoming role playing thugs instead of American role models. Fans are seemingly as detrimental to the game as they are supportive of it. And with all of the athletic drug, rape, alcohol and similar charges constantly crawling across the bottom of our television screens, it is easy to confuse today's athletic contests with some sort of demented media-attention contests.
Blame Dennis Rodman, if you want.
We would hope that era in sports was over. Long gone. Forgotten.
Apparently we were mistaken.
In regards to the "Friday Night Fight," it is shameful to say that the Pacers players involved represent the state in which we live. They are a horrid representation of our state, our attitude and our values. Sure, when the numbers break down they may be mighty fine players, but if their ability to behave in an appropriate matter is flawed... maybe they really should not have a place on our team.
The same can be said of the fans that brought the brawl to the stands. Their lacking character and inability to comprehend that "it is just a game," brought them a mouthful of consequences. Although the players' response was inappropriate, the "fans" deserved every last bit of what they got.
If not more.
Besides -- that's mighty expensive beer.
Elsewhere, irony exists in the lawsuits and fines the Federal Communications Commission have slapped on networks over the last year, most recently for a "questionable" bare back women appearing before a Monday Night Football game on ABC.
Yet, when two sports teams decide to beat this living game out of each other, this is perfectly acceptable?
Now, this is not to say the FCC should fine NBC for its game coverage, after all it was a live event that it had little-to-no control over. But, it is funny that society has come to a point where such behavior is acceptable to show on television again and again, but a nipple is completely and utterly unacceptable.
May it be said: that nipple never hurt anybody.
In the end, sports authorities world wide can step up their intolerance to such issues, but the real change will have to come from within the athletes themselves. Spectators, meanwhile, just need to learn to mind their own business.
And above everything else, remember that it is just a game.
With all of this fighting madness, we are not going to have any reason to miss hockey season.
Write to Dave at heydave@bewilderedsociety.com
visit http://www.bewilderedsociety.com
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