Bad sports, good sports: word costs California high school a state Track and Field title

Posted on June 13th, 2011 by Alan Spoll

For a country that prides itself on the fact that its citizens enjoy freedom of speech, there seem to be a lot of instances where speech seems far less than free. In the world of sports, we are regularly reminded of the fact that speaking one’s mind can have all kinds of consequences. Whether it is criticizing refs, celebrating touchdowns with a bit too much gusto, or throwing gay slurs at fans, there are many different ways that an athlete can end up on the dark side of this basic freedom. Occasionally, the penalty for one of these violations has a direct result on the outcome of the event, which really puts a focus on the fairness (or lack thereof) of the punishment. Last week, Loyola High School, from Los Angeles, was competing in the California state track and field finals. Evan Barr, a pole vaulter, missed a key vault that would have won his school the state championship. As he landed, he yelled out a word that the meet’s officials clearly wished he hadn’t, as they immediately disqualified him. His team got zero points for that event, rather than the points they would have gotten for what would have been his third place finish. Those lost points cost them the title.

I totally disagree with the decision to disqualify Barr. He did not direct what he said at a particular person, and what he said was not a term that is insulting to any individual or group. He merely said what most of us would have at least thought had we been in his position. It was said out of frustration and out of passion. Passion is what makes sports great. I truly believe that an athlete has no shot to be great if he or she does not possess the kind of inner drive and intensity that leads to an outburst like the one let loose by young Mister Barr. I understand the desire to keep celebrations from becoming choreographed sideshows, and I get why Kobe Bryant was fined in a big way after his recent foray into David Stern’s doghouse. I do not understand why a flag gets thrown when a player drops to his knees after scoring a touchdown, and I am mystified at the idea that an anguished cry of the F word can cost an entire team a championship.

I realize that there were likely rules of conduct for this meet. The officials were probably just enforcing the rules as they were written. If that’s the case, it’s the rules themselves that are stupid. There are people who will tell me that this offense was particularly bad because it was a high school event. Is there anyone who believes that high school kids don’t say and hear that word very regularly? How many of the people backing this sort of regulation don’t actually use that word, or words like it, on a fairly regular basis? Does it hurt anyone? Again, there are words that are acutely painful to certain people for many reasons. If Barr had used one of those words, or had even directed what he said at a specific person, I would not be writing this particular column. He hadn’t, though. He had simply expressed his acute pain at having fallen short of his lofty goal. Without that passion, he had no shot to achieve what he set out to do. We should not penalize him for that.

Bad sports, continued:

2) Former Met and Phillie Lenny Dykstra, who led my beloved Phillies to the brink of a World Series title in 1993, has seen it all come apart in the last few years. He is now facing charges of drug possession and auto theft in California after allegedly falsifying lease applications and then having cocaine in his house when he was arrested.

3) Nathan Horton, a forward for the Boston Bruins, was knocked out of the Stanley Cup finals when he was blindsided by Aaron Rome of the Vancouver Canucks with a hit that Rome left the ground to deliver. The league suspended Rome for the remainder of the series.

4) Tiger Woods announced this week that he will be unable to participate in the upcoming U.S. Open due to his injury. I know at least one person who is far less likely to be watching, after that news.

5) There was a spectacular crash early in the 24 Hours of LeMans race on Saturday. Allen McNish, an Audi driver, made contact with a Ferrari and it sent him skidding into the outside wall, where his car flew into the air, spraying debris into a crowd of people that were standing just beyond the barrier. Shockingly, no one was seriously hurt.

6) College football’s Bowl Championship Series has decided that the USC Trojans are no longer the owners of the 2004 national championship. USC was penalized by the NCAA for violations involving running back Reggie Bush taking money from program boosters. Pete Carroll, the current head coach of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and the coach of USC at the time of the title in question, was asked about the decision this week. True to his slimy past, Carroll simply stated that, essentially, everyone knows who won it all that year. OK, that’s true, but it’s a pretty classless answer. I can’t say I am surprised by that.

Good sports:

1) Although the jury is still out on the Michael Vick rehabilitation project, any good that can come from that train wreck of a situation is worth calling out, from my perspective. This week, while speaking at the commencement ceremony of a group of Philadelphia alternative high schools, Vick presented surprise scholarships to two of the graduates. He reportedly plans to make this an annual occurrence.

2) Dillon Gee, a first-year pitcher for the New York Mets, is having quite a season. Not only is he 7-0 after beating the Pirates on Friday, he also made a spectacular behind-the-back grab of a hard-hit ball during the game.

3) The Dallas Mavericks completed their series victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday night to win the NBA Championship. I am not a big Dallas fan, but I loved watching the Heat lose a series that everyone assumed they would win. Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh may yet win one or many championships. They did not, however, win this one.

Bad sports, good sports appears every Monday

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02