The Game

So I went to another Cleveland Indians game with my mom and sister tonight (or rather last night). We once again had a great time, too bad the Tribe lost the game. Seriously, who intentionally walks a batter with two on in extra innings? Well anyways we did get really cool 70’s style trucker hats as a freebie.

CONTINUATION:

Now that I’m not dead on my feet tired, I can actually think to write a little more.

In all the game was fun. My mom, sister and I always seem to manage to have a good time together. The one moment of the game that my sister claims is her favorite moment, happened during the only successful wave of the game. Earlier in the evening my mom commented to my sister that it would really suck if one of the guys behind us spilled his beer down one of our backs. Well during the wave the guy sitting behind and to the right of me had just picked up his full glass of beer. Instead of putting it down before he joined in he did the wave with beer in hand, causing it to slosh out of his glass all over the empty seat next to me, and getting part of my back and the guy sitting two seats down from me. That guy was pissed. I mean come on, it happens. I on the other hand laughed it off… both my cameras were dry, no harm done. The guy who did the spilling was apologizing over and over and I just kept on telling him it was no problem. I mean it’s not like the first time someone has spilled on me and I know I’ve spilled on people in the past. It happens, no need to be an asshole about it. Ah the good times to be had at the ballpark.

What Happened to Sportsmanship?

For those of you who follow baseball you’ve undoubtedly heard about the Red Sox  and Rays brawl that happened last week. This among other recent events have got me thinking, what has happened to sportsmanship? What happened in Boston is simply unacceptable for America’s Pastime. There used to be some class to the sport, but it seems to have vanished. When I was a young girl I played slow pitch softball. The whole point of the youth leagues were supposedly to build confidence in the kids, teach them about teamwork and sportsmanship, and to basically have fun. Sure whoever won the game would have a little celebration, but only after they won the game. And it was always a tradition of the “Good Game” line up at the end of every game. Where did we go wrong?

Last month while my favorite baseball team was playing a series against the Yankees, Joba Chamberlain did a double fist pump and yelled after striking out David Dellucci of the Cleveland Indians (see one of the many articles on this event here).  The Yankees see nothing wrong with what Chamberlain did, but is that truly sportsmanlike behavior. Is charging the mound after being hit by a pitch sportsmanlike? (Yes, the throw was intentional, but you’d think someone showing true sportsmanship would have risen above something like that) It’s not, plain and simple. Manny Ramirez’s habit of standing at home plate for a brief period of time after hitting a home run is also unacceptable. Run your bases and go receive the congratulations of your teammates after that. The fans already appreciate what you’ve done.

So where has sportsmanship gone? Personally I think it’s been killed by the win at all costs, you’re nothing if you don’t win, winning is all there is mentalities that are now being instilled in children by their parents. We’ve taken the fun out of sports. The basics of youth sports programs have been replaced by the idea that the only reason why your child is out on the field (whatever type of field it may be) is to be the best. No longer is it “Win or lose, it’s how you played the game.” or ” Go out there and have fun.” I think that’s sad. The chances of a child ever becoming a pro athlete are very slim, so why shouldn’t they just go out there and have fun. And like it or not pro athletes are role models for kids. Kids idolize their favorite players, so what they do on the field sets the tone for how these children behave.

I say to the adults show some maturity and set a good example. Children learn from example, and if we as adults are telling them life is only about winning and making an ass of yourself, I really don’t want to see what the future holds.