Read the debate intro and Babe Ruthless’ argument that it is good to run up the score on a game well in hand.
There are rules of etiquette in competition. In poker, for example, you shake the hand of the person that knocked you out of the game. In a boxing or an MMA fight, no matter how ugly the pre-fight trash talking may get, you always “hug it out” after a bout. Likewise, you should NEVER run up the score on an opponent who is clearly beaten. Reasons for this type of good sportsmanship abound. Whether you subscribe to karma, believe in respecting the honor of a gentleman’s game, or simply prefer not to be an a-hole, it is important to remember those rules of etiquette.
Football games are played to determine a winner. They are not about demoralizing an opponent, showboating, or proving who has the bigger, umm, let’s just say ego. You get no brownie-points for making the other team cry, you just look like a bully… and nobody likes a bully.
America LOVES the Underdog
Despite all of the wrongs that Babe Ruthless stands for, those of us who live in a CIVILIZED society will always have a soft-spot in our hearts for the underdog. We are a nation built by underdogs, and we humbly welcome the world’s tired, poor, and huddled masses with open arms. Our heroes are thusly appointed because they help and defend those who cannot help themselves, and the “bad guy” is always the person who seeks to exploit others for their own personal gain.
In sports, just as in all aspects of our lives, we appreciate the joy of victory, and we understand survival of the fittest. But, we have no tolerance for kicking the little-guy when he is down.
You Reap What You Sow
Pete Carroll is learning a very difficult lesson right now.
For the past seven years, Carroll and the USC Trojans have enjoyed seemingly uncontested success within the Pac-10 Conference. Since 2002, the Trojans have been at least co-champion of the Pac-10 every single season. During that time, Carroll has not shown much consideration for his colleagues within the conference.
There have been many instances where Carroll has run the score up against his opponents. Last season, for example, Carroll and the Trojans had no qualms about crushing Virginia (52-7), Oregon (44-10), Washington State (69-0), or Washington (56-0). It was during the Oregon game of that season, however, when Carroll committed his most blatant and transparent attempt to run the score up. With 1:50 remaining in the game and a 37-10 lead over the Ducks, most coaches would simply work to run out the clock, but not Pete Carroll. On a third down from his own 41 yard line, Carroll decided to take a time out. That’s right, rather than simply try to run for the first down, allowing time to tick off the clock and end the game, Carroll actually STOPPED THE CLOCK. Following the time out, USC took the field, and quarterback Mitch Mustain threw a 59 yard bomb that was caught for a touchdown, unnecessarily inflating the score by a meaningless seven points.
The only thing that Carroll gained as a result of that play was the animosity of the players, coaches and fans around the country. That touchdown had no bearing on USC’s national ranking, and it was not the difference-maker in whether or not USC would win the game. Instead, it just made Pete Carroll look like a pompous jerk who was trying to rub salt in Oregon’s wound.
This season, however, Carroll’s arrogance is beginning to catch up with him. And, not surprisingly, he doesn’t like it. Like all good things, USC’s reign at the top of the Pac-10 came to an end in 2009, and after all those years of torturing and humiliating his opponents on the field, a couple have actually gotten the chance for a little payback. Stanford’s head coach, Jim Harbaugh, was more than happy to take a shot at piling on during their 55-21 drubbing of Carroll’s Trojans three weeks ago. Harbaugh, after scoring a touchdown that gave the Cardinal a 48-21 lead with only six minutes remaining in the game, decided he wanted to go for two points instead of settling for one. At the close of the game, Carroll approached Harbaugh and pointedly asked him, “What’s your deal?” to challenge Harbaugh’s decision to try for two points. It seems that Carroll was not satisfied with how his own medicine tasted.
The reason you should show mercy to your opponent, rather than run up the score against them, is because you will most likely find yourself in a position one day where it is you who are begging for mercy. People will always remember how you treated them, and will almost always repay that treatment in kind. If you show no regard for the dignity of others, do not expect them to show regard for you. Pete Carroll is learning this lesson the hard way.
Compassion and respect in victory are far more admirable than humility in defeat. True dominance is not destroying your opponent. Instead, it is knowing that you COULD destroy your opponent, but choosing not to.
Mercy is for the weak!