This post is coming on the heels…or hooves…of recent events in this year’s Kentucky Derby, but bubbles up from months of frustration as a sports fan. The technological advances both surrounding and within athletic events are not only a thief of a the joy of sport, but also a sad reflection of the direction society has gone.
I watched the Kentucky Derby at a bar, thus, did not hear any of the commentary involved during the objection and overruling of the results of the race. I’m assuming that it’s not ok for a horse to cut-off other horses…(even though it seems like a completely instinctual move, not simply a product of the frontal cortex…though the blinders…anyway)…so I understand that if that was the penalty, so be it. (See: what used to be a Playoff foul in the NBA vs what’s now a week long investigation into criminal action). A few things concerned me, watching soundlessly as the decision unfolded. First was that War of Will (ironically the horse I had picked to win) was nowhere to be seen or heard from during the review. From a novice perspective, that was the horse that was cut-off, so, shouldn’t they be the ones most upset? Second was the coy look of the Plaintiff…just yuck. Third, after the overruling of the actual results of the contest, the new-”winning” jockey tore handfuls of roses off the rose-blanket (which I believe is the horse’s reward) and tossed them up in the air. Maybe this is a tradition I’m not familiar with, but if it isn't, again, yuck.
Shifting gears, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament this year involved so…many…replays. The first two rounds were riddled with stoppages and non-floortime impacts. I understand protecting players, especially from tie-ups…elbows and such…but they began reviewing every time someone lifted their hands above their own shoulders to find out if someone may have been grazed. Then, in the penultimate game of all that competition and joy, it was brought up and replayed…over and over…that there should have been a double-dribble called, which could have directly affected the outcome of the game.
Why do we have human officials? If we are going to now teach them to hesitate, and go against professional instinct, to wait to allow the appropriate amount of time to pass so that we may then second-guess them on national tv “the right way”…then why not just get rid of them? We could have the players themselves call their own fouls and penalties, and use camera replay to either confirm or deny, then penalize them if they were lying. We could have the games played and recorded, and then just broadcast the final, edited, 100% accurate results. We could just play the game with a suggestion of rules, and let the game reveal the true character of the players in the spirit of competition as it unfolds in real-time, subject only to each of our allegiances and opinions.
What we are all being cheated out of is good, old-fashioned excitement; pure, unadulterated joy, pain, anxiety…the columns of sport spectating. Pick your most memorable sports-viewing experience. Now imagine watching a deliberation and lengthy video-review and then EITHER having it overturned, or having someone confirm that your excitement was warranted. How sour is that feeling? Whose right is it to take that away from us? I know something about reserved exhilaration while awaiting results. It isn’t fair.
We live in a society where everyone feels entitled to their side of the story. Children believe they have a say in all matters and adults believe it just takes time, pesterance, and/or money to get their own way. Being upset is close to being associated with someone caring. I’ve cheered for teams, I’ve played on teams, and I’ve coached teams that have lost with human officiating error being a factor, (notice I’m not even saying a major answer). You learn to deal with it. You learn to have perspective on the things you could control. You learn that it isn’t the end of the world, and that not everyone is perfect all the time. Rather valuable life lessons, would you agree? Sports are meant to be a microcosm of Life, and an advantage of learning to all of those who participate. If we allow sports to go the way of society, we are all doomed.
I’m ok being upset. I’m ok losing (only as a natural potential consequence of entering into competition). I’m not ok with replay. I’m not ok with entitlement. I’m not ok with asterisks. I’m ok with excitement, with sitting on the edge of my seat and either being knocked back or propelled upward with emotion. I’m ok with men and women making mistakes in their job, (especially if there is an in-house consequence after). I’m ok with humans. I’m ok with accountability. I’m ok with sport and everything it used to be. I’m ok with competition and everything it used to be. I’m ok with taking things back that direction.
Come with me. Grab a friend.
Own Your I