Disclaimer: Football is my third sport, behind Baseball and Hockey. I’d classify myself as a Giants fan, and a bandwagon one at that. (I thought I was rooting for New England and perfection because I found the Dolphins attitude towards their perfect season pompous. When the Super Bowl started though, I found I was rooting for the Giants. So I wouldn’t say I jumped on the bandwagon so much as got dragged under by it, but it’s too late now. I’m a Giants fan, and I don’t switch allegiances easily.) I’ve written about this topic before, under the title of the Unwritten Rules of Sports.
One of the oft-repeated stories of this week is people’s reactions to Bret Favre and his scoring the extra touchdown at the end of the game against the Cowboys. This is one of the reasons I like baseball, there is never a point before the game is over that the game is over. In football you get situations like the Vikings game the other day where they are up by so much with so little that it’s impossible, barring something completely stupid on the Vikings part, for the game to be decided any other way.
Favre ran up the score, but I say, “So what?” It’s a football game, and that’s what you do when you’re a Quarterback on offense; you try to score. If the clock is still ticking, then the game is still live and I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t play with the same goal as the rest of the game. Why should teams turn it off just because the other team is playing badly? By standing on the field you are saying you are going to play football. As they say, “If you don’t like it, stop them.” Maybe they should just call the game when it gets obvious that it’s over. Why go through the motions if it’s a done deal? Maybe the defense shouldn’t take the field. Just declare it over and go into the clubhouse. These are all absurd options, which is exactly what being upset that the opposing team played football against you is.
This is similar to the debate in Baseball about styling after hitting a home run. If you’ve got a problem with how someone behaves after hitting a home run, don’t give one up! If you’re upset Joba Chamberlain is pumping his fist after he strikes you out, make contact next time! If you don’t want Brett Favre throwing a touchdown pass, block it! Complaining about the other team is just one way of complaining about losing.
In competitive sports, there is never a reason to get upset when your opponent is behaving competitively. Everyone goes into each game as equals, and if you have a problem with how the other team is behaving, you have every opportunity to shut them up and win the game yourself. As I see it a team can behave however they want, and score as much as they want. If it’s legal within the rules of the game, then it’s fine by me. Don’t worry about how the other team plays or acts, that should be reserved for yourself, or your own team.
