Lack of Sportsmanship - Or Mental Toughness?

[CincySportsFan]

Reading the post about the postgame handshake shenanigans and how it relates to sportsmanship got me thinking about a situation relayed to me by a friend on Facebook. In her instance, the sport was actually soccer...but I've seen it done in football as well.

 

The situation was that two players collided and one went down "hard", and was obviously injured and in pain. The official stopped the game to let the coaches come out and attend to them. Evidently it took awhile to get the player up and off the field. What my friend was upset about was the fact that the opposing team just stood around. There was no "taking a knee" (the way we've all seen happen many times) or giving the injured player and their staff "some room". (Where the officials were on the latter point, I have no idea.)

 

One of her friends (who had a son on the other team) appologized for the instance, but said that came straight from the head coach. Apparently according to him, taking a knee shows that you "care" too much for the other team...and that's not condusive to winning. She said he calls it being "mentally tough". Personally, I think it shows you've got a jerk for a head coach...but, that's just me.

 

Now I know you don't need to take a knee everytime somebody comes down with a case of leg cramps, but if there's a helmet-to-helmet collision, and they're bringing out a neck brace for the player on the other team...that's a different story.

 

So, am I too old fashioned, or just not mentally tough enough?

[Clyde]

I've never gotten the "take a knee" thing. Get out of the way and let the athletic trainers and/or doctor attend to the injured player. Use the delay as a free timeout. Taking a knee does nothing and it shows nothing IMO.

[thenamerobdigity]

It has nothing to do with mental toughness, I just don't think taking a knee is protocol.

[doubledeuce]

I do not get the take a knee thing. I think it all started in soccer when one coach is coaching 15 kids and one gets hurt. The coach says " take a knee" so all the kids will stop running around when he cannot see them. I dont think taking a knee means you are a showing good sportsmanship; nor does not taking one show bad sportsmanship.

[All Tell]

I don't get the whole take a knee thing either and really don't know where or when it all started.

 

A couple of years ago Trinity took some heat on this board because their players *GASP* huddled with their coaches ON THE SIDELINE while an injured opponent was tended to on the field.

 

Then in the now famous 44-0 drubbing of an infamous team on this board their fans chanted TAKE A KNEE while one of their players was attended to. IMVHO that showed much more "disrespect" (a much overused word in my opinion) to the injured player then anything the opponents players did.

[nky_harry]

The first time I ever saw the "take a knee" thing was my son's soccer teams about ten years ago. Playing little league and high school football 30+ years ago, we never took a knee during an injury time out. To us it was just another time out - a chance to rest, get some water and listen to the coach. No disrespect was meant, it was just another part of the game.

 

It's kind of funny how things are today compared to the "old days." When I played, we looked at the other team as the enemy and our coaches made us hate them. BUT, we always played clean and were good sports. So while there was no before or after game fraternization, and we rarely helped the other guy up, we would not take cheap shots. Seems today, there are more cheap shots, but there's this veil of political correctness where they go through the approved motions to show they are good sports. Just my .02...

[bigbluefan02]

When I played football (graduated in 87) we would usually huddle up on the sideline and use it has a timeout almost. I can remember times when our HC would come out to us, but times have changed. And lke other members have posted the "take a knee" shows nothing in my opinion.

[PepRock01]

I don't get the whole take a knee thing either and really don't know where or when it all started.

 

A couple of years ago Trinity took some heat on this board because their players *GASP* huddled with their coaches ON THE SIDELINE while an injured opponent was tended to on the field.

 

Then in the now famous 44-0 drubbing of an infamous team on this board their fans chanted TAKE A KNEE while one of their players was attended to. IMVHO that showed much more "disrespect" (a much overused word in my opinion) to the injured player then anything the opponents players did.

 

48-0 actually.

[bjaynes]

My daughter plays lacrosse up in Michigan. They were at an away game when an opposing player went down and my daughter's coach ordered them to take a knee. It was on "real" grass and one my daughters teammates knelt in a pile of dog ........... thank you, we will stand from now on.

[Henry521]

Don't get the taking a knee thing, yet again I don't think they should line up and shake hands after the game either. Would really like to know when that all started and why and who decided. Heck, when we grew up the winning team fans ran onto the field to congratulate the team and the little kids would ask their favorite player for his chin strap. Awwwww the good ole days.

[Fishhead]

As others have mentioned, this is just something that came out of kiddy soccer. It makes sense there because no coach wants a bunch of little kids running all over the place unsupervised while attention is diverted elsewhere. It has no place in high school football. As for the handshake, the last thing I want to do if I'm on the losing team is congratulate the winners. Sorry, but I prefer the Tanner Boyle approach.

[All Tell]

48-0 actually.

 

My bad

[dd734]

I think it is a show of respect for the injured player. I see some NFL players doing it when a player goes down. No coach tells them to do it. It's out of respect. Using an injury time out just to coach your team with the freebie, at anothers expense, I'd take a knee. As a parent of a player who was knocked out with a blow to the head and carrier off the field on a board with a neck brace and put in an ambulance. I appreciated the gesture.

[Clyde]

I think it is a show of respect for the injured player. I see some NFL players doing it when a player goes down. No coach tells them to do it. It's out of respect. Using an injury time out just to coach your team with the freebie, at anothers expense, I'd take a knee. As a parent of a player who was knocked out with a blow to the head and carrier off the field on a board with a neck brace and put in an ambulance. I appreciated the gesture.

 

Would you have looked negatively towards the other team had they cleared space for the EMTs by going to the sideline and while there talking to their coaches?

[rockmom]

I think it is a show of respect for the injured player. I see some NFL players doing it when a player goes down. No coach tells them to do it. It's out of respect. Using an injury time out just to coach your team with the freebie, at anothers expense, I'd take a knee. As a parent of a player who was knocked out with a blow to the head and carrier off the field on a board with a neck brace and put in an ambulance. I appreciated the gesture.

 

I also was the parent of a player hurt and taken off the field on a board in an ambulance. I honestly could not tell you what any player was doing on the other team, or even our team. All I remember is the seemingly interminable time between realizing he was down and not getting up, and the moment the kid came to get me from the stands. In that time I remember arguing with the parents that it was my kid on the field, not the other #80, and wondering if I should walk across the field uninvited. After that, all I remember is what my son was going through.