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When being competitive is not good
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 — We have all witnessed this scene at some point in the stands of a game in Stanly County.
Two fans from opposite sides of the game screaming directly at each other.
I have found myself smack dab in the middle of arguments between parents of kids tossing accusations of crooked referees and dirty play in 15 years as an announcer.
It makes my ears hurt.
One of the problems that we all face in sports is the possibility of being too competitive.
Personally, I get competitive when I find myself in front of the TV with a Wii remote in my hand.
Video games are something that I really enjoy and I admit to playing to win and not being too happy when I lose.
However, maybe we all need to worry about winning a lot less.
I like the idea behind some of the local youth-league soccer matches where sportsmanship and fun are listed as two of the ideals of the league.
I am still haunted by the scene of a mother at a youth baseball game years ago that I was at screaming at her young son for missing the ball behind the plate.
I remember her flopping back into her folding chair with frustration while the kid did nothing wrong except to miss catching a pitch during warmups.
You see people all the time that do nothing but sit and complain at the referees, the coaches, and sometimes no one in particular.
I’m glad that most schools now do not serve drinks in cups anymore.
A fan that I knew when I was in high school would buy a fountain drink, punch out the bottom of the cup when it was empty, and use the cup like a megaphone.
The sad thing was that he was a really nice person when you talked to him somewhere other than during a game.
If the only image of this person that people had was at the game, then clearly they did not know that person.
Fan behavior has become progressively worse, so much so that leagues like the NBA and NFL now monitor the decibel level of music played and the types of sound effects as well.
For example, you are not supposed to put up a message on the Jumbotron in the NFL that says “Make Noise” or “Get Loud”.
NBA franchises like the Bobcats are not allowed to make fun of the opposition when they missed a free throw.
I used to love the old Hornets’ games when someone would miss a free throw for the other team and Samuel L. Jackson’s “did I break your concentration?” clip from “Pulp Fiction” would play.
After the Indiana-Detroit brawl, though, maybe it was time to tone things down a bit.
We should worry much less about competition and more about the good fun that sports is supposed to represent.
Contact Charles Curcio at (704) 982-2121 ext. 12 or email at charles@stanlynewspress.com.
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