Attribution: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin
Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0
Image: Ice Hockey - Prone to Rough Play (here)
N for Nastiness and Niceties in ABC of Sports
In a competition there is a winner and a loser
Presence of a referee to ensure all play by the rule
Gentlemanly conduct is very much expected
But it may just be for some while before
the heat of the moment can turn out to be nasty
Sadly contact games offer lots of opportunities
Ice hockey the most deadly in terms of injuries
Being elbowed or stepped on with impunity
But there should not be too much niceties either
As it will dampen the sting of the killer instinct
To render the fight ineffective
How then to be nasty yet not to be
over indulgent with niceties
How then to maintain a balance of sportsmanship
"How then to maintain a balance of sportsmanship
ReplyDeletenot at the expense of weakening the will to win!"
Interesting question you're asking in this. I think it's in the tenor of the sport itself: think boxing vs swimming. And I also think it's in the rules of the game: think soccer with its red cards and no arguments with the ref allowed to American football with its pads and helmets and replays.
Ah...you've got me thinking here! And isn't that the "stuff" of poetry and good writing? Nice to see you over my morning cup!
oh I think that there are those spectators that crave gladiotors on the arenas... Hockey is played so differently here in Sweden than in North America... actually a little bit less of blood does not decrease the willingness to win. One thing i have noticed here, is that the more violence among the athletes the less between the spectators.
ReplyDeleteVery good subject Hank, In any game of sport there has to winners and losers ......a bit like life really. My son who now lives in Spain was a pro soccer player until someone kick his ankle instead of the football.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your week-end.
Yvonne.
nice post
ReplyDeleteCan sure lead to many injuries, but the fans eat it up
ReplyDeleteLOL, nastiness shows up in more places than just contact sports. It's on all the competitive shows, Survivor, Big Brother, etc. I used to enjoy the shows, but when the nasty folks became the most talked about, or desired. I quit. I prefer nice people, I've had enough nastiness in my lifetime! :)
ReplyDeleteSadly contact games offer lots of opportunities
ReplyDeleteIce hockey the most deadly in terms of injuries
I absolutely agree..! Excellent write.
Its part of the game and you know sometimes the crowd loves it ~ I think its nasty, alright ~
ReplyDeleteThey take the word "contact" to new highs, or lows. Thanks for a different perspective
ReplyDeleteyou said it so well Hank, I regret I missed the challenge this year, I wanted to join in but then I wanted to do all
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes the nastiness overshadows the finesse in sports--especially in hockey. Great post. Thanks for sharing.http://mhsusannematthews.wordpress.com/
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Hank, and well told. Naughty and nice. Sometimes, even in sports the naughtiness gets carried away and it will be a crime (criminal, battery) or a civil cause of action (sue for damages of the tort of assault).
ReplyDelete..
When I watch these sports, I cringe at what some of these players are going suffer in the future. Doctors are late to reveal the extent head injuries in U.S. football have caused permanent brain damage.
ReplyDeleteThanks for finding my blog and leaving a comment. Hope you'll return. Enjoy your Sunday with no alphabet.
Not a sports fan Hank but you hit the nail on the head. My father was a wrestler so I do know what competing is all about I watched him being the good and sometimes bad guy. My dad would come out of the ring bleeding sometimes and I was young then so it used to freak me out. You made some good points about it.
ReplyDeleteLike Lee: thanks for finding my blog and enjoy your Sunday off -- but with no nasty sports head trauma!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Hank. I nursed one of the 4 Horsemen of Notre Dame (College Football) in his declining years and he was wracked with pain, could barely get out of bed. He played back in the days when they wore very little protective gear. But balance is needed. Sometimes it feels like they call penalties for the least little thing and the reality is, these are contact sports.
ReplyDeleteI was given a seadon ticket to the Phillie Flyers I went to two games and gave my pass away. It seems the crowd and the players fed off each other. But these are contact sports and not parlor games. Still....interest poem and points.
ReplyDelete