“Oh, mercy!” was the headline for the centerpiece feature in Wednesday’s Oregonian sports page. The Oregon School Activities Association, according to the article, is discussing whether it should implement state-wide mercy rules for high school sporting contests that become lopsided.
Yep, they’re trying to destroy the good ol’ American sporting pastime of making a person somebody’s female dog (I would have used another term, but Russell Simmons and Oprah told me not to, and I don’t want to meet the fate of Don Imus). Some prep leagues around the state already have mercy rules implemented for football games, like ending a game at half-time if there is a 45-point deficit. But now the state may spread such regulations to football, soccer and beyond to protect “high school athletes from potential psychological harm of blowout losses.”
Oh, cry me a river, OSAA. What would be worse for the psyche of a teen athlete, riding out a gut-busting loss to the end like a strong, independent male or female, or adding to the embarrassment by making mommy or daddy escort the athlete off the field by hand before the clock hits zero?
The Oregonian’s story listed examples of recent dominating performances like last month’s 64-0 game in a Washington prep softball game and several 70-plus point wins by the Jefferson High School girls basketball team this season, including a 95-point win.
These beatings are nothing compared to a football game between two small Reno County football teams on Nov. 16, 1927. Haven High School defeated Sylvia High School, 256-0, scoring 38 touchdowns and kicking 28 extra points along the way. Haven running back and kicker Elvin McCoy scored 90 points alone, 13 touchdowns and 12 extra kicks, to lead the way.
Now that is what I call a serious ass whooping.
Jefferson’s coach, Michael Bontemps, defended the lopsided wins by his team by saying that it had championship aspirations and set goals to always improve its fundamentals, which led to the eighth-highest average offensive output in girls high school basketball history, according to The Oregonian article. “In terms of a mercy rule, I don’t like it,” he said. “I’ve been on the other side, where I want my kids to learn something from (losing).”
I agree with coach because in those scenarios, when the importance of the score is kaput, each side can focus on taking it one pass, layup, pitch or play at a time. In golf, the pivotal skill is being able to focus completely on the shot at hand; disregard your score or the last shot and take dead aim. With this attitude, every shot (or pitch, or pass or play) is new game with a new challenge and a new result. This lesson, and many others, can be retained by young athletes and put to use in everyday life challenges outside of the sports arena.
The debate is still out whether these poundings leave psychological damage to the losing side. If anything, I say, mercy rules damage the loser’s character by depleting the importance of core values learned in high school sports. Haven’t we always been told never to quit no matter how many chips are stacked against us? And what ever happened to creating mental toughness? Mental toughness does not come from telling prep athletes to roll over and give up. It comes from scratching and clawing for every yard, every inch, regardless of the score.
Of course, the emotions of players aren’t the only part of the debate; overall sportsmanship and dignity will weigh heavily in the OSAA policy making. While overpowering teams should be respectful in victory, teams on the other side should be given the chance to lose with dignity, because upholding one’s dignity in defeat, even in the most excruciating of blowout situations, is the best lesson for any developing mind.
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Quitters never prosper
Daily Emerald
April 25, 2007
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