Good guys vs. bad guys. White hats vs. black hats. In an essay titled End Game, Pete Hamill talks about the disappearance of civility in our culture, from politics to sports and everything in between, and notes that nothing short of annihilating our opponents has become the American way. Everybody seems infected by the virus of argument and the need for triumph, Hamill observes. No football player can score a touchdown without following up with some taunting dance in the end zone.
Baseball players can t endure a knockdown pitch without charging the mound in retaliation.
In all sports, grace is treated like a character flaw. Miami Heat and former Laker Coach Pat Riley fines his players for helping an opponent off the floor. Hearing boos directed at college athletes really rankles me. My perception is that most boo-birds are unhappy in their daily lives and look to release some nastiness at the ball game. Sure, people take out their everyday frustrations at a game, no question, confirms Dr. William Parham, chief psychologist with UCLA s athletic department.