Have we reached a point where we have to do away with handshake lines

[Halldan1]

Former NFL star LeGarrette Blount in middle of wild brawl after youth football game

Former NFL running back LeGarrette Blount was involved in an altercation at a youth football game on Saturday that is being investigated by Gilbert, Ariz. police, according to TMZ.

nypost.com

Former NFL star LeGarrette Blount in middle of wild brawl after youth football game​

By Jenna Lemoncelli

Former NFL running back LeGarrette Blount was involved in an altercation at a youth football game on Saturday that is being investigated by Gilbert, Ariz. police, according to TMZ.

After a 12-and-under game between the GCYFC Gators — a team that is coached by Blount — and the Chandler Elite Bears, the former Super Bowl champion was captured on a drone video throwing punches at a man in a white t-shirt. Police told TMZ that Blount, 35, is “an involved party” in the incident.

In the footage, people can be seen rushing the field and screaming while a number of fights appeared to break out. The altercation reportedly occurred after a postgame handshake between the two teams.

Former NFL running back LeGarrette Blount in an altercation at a youth football game on Oct. 1, 2022 in Gilbert, Arizona.
TMZ

Police told TMZ they were called to the scene shortly after 7 PM “in relation to multiple reports of adults fighting during a youth football game.”

The fight reportedly ended by the time police arrived and no injuries were reported.

“As a leader, coach, father and a role model I understand my actions are unacceptable,” Blount said. “I hope and pray for your understanding and forgiveness and plan to continue to be a positive impact in the lives of our youth.”

Blount reportedly added that he believes there is more to the story than what is seen in the footage, though, “regardless of that, I take full responsibility for my part in it and for putting myself in this situation.”

Blount last played in the NFL in 2018 with the Lions. He spent nine seasons in the league and was a three-time Super Bowl champion — winning two titles with the Patriots. He then joined the Eagles and helped defeat his former Patriots team in Super Bowl LII.

Blount rushed for 56 touchdowns in 132 career games.

In a statement on Monday, Blount apologized to his players and their parents, as well as the opposing team and their parents.

 

[Halldan1]

Of course it's not just handshake lines. Sports has taken such an uneven importance in our daily lives that sportsmanship is now a thing of the past and violence and trash talking has taken its place.

Thank you ESPN!

Just a few days ago this happened......

Soccer Match Turns Deadly in Indonesia, 170 Fatalities So Far

Violence at soccer matches is not unusual, but more than 170 people died Saturday night after a professional soccer match

lavocedinewyork.com

Soccer match turns deadly

Violence at soccer matches is not unusual, but more than 170 people died Saturday night after a professional soccer match in Malang, Indonesia, when fans rushed the field, prompting the police to fire tear gas into tightly packed crowds and causing many to be trampled, according to local officials.

After the Arema football club lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya, dozens of fans rushed the field at Kanjuruhan Stadium, Arema’s home. The chaos prompted the police to fire tear gas, which caused panic, Inspector General Nico Afinta, the East Java Police chief, said at a news conference. As of Sunday night (Indonesian time), 174 people were dead, according to Emil Elestianto Dardak, East Java’s vice governor. An additional 309 had been injured.

This makes Saturday’s match among the deadliest episodes in the history of soccer. In 1964, at least 300 people died in Peru after an unpopular decision by a referee at a soccer game touched off a riot at the country’s national stadium.

While the use of tear gas has been condemned by human rights organizations, the police called it necessary in this case, saying that fans were attacking officers. The use of the chemical is also prohibited by FIFA, soccer’s global governing body. Eyewitnesses have said that the gas was at times fired indiscriminately into the stands, leading to a rush for the exits.

In a televised speech to the nation, President Joko Widodo said he had asked the national police chief to do a thorough investigation into what happened. He said he had also ordered the minister of youth and sports, the national police chief and the chairman of Indonesia’s football association to evaluate security at soccer matches. “I regret that this tragedy occurred,” Mr. Joko said. “And I hope this is the last football tragedy in the country.”

 

[metalpirate07]

Didn’t this same fool start an altercation in a handshake line in college? I want to say it was against Ohio State while he was at Oregon? That incident seems more like LeGarrette Blount shouldn’t be in handshake lines anymore, but people stink way more across the board these days so there might need to be consideration for ending handshake lines in certain circumstances. The only correlation to that and the Indonesia tragedy is that people stink. Otherwise one has nothing to do with the other.

 

[SHUMatt]

Absolutely not! We need to hold people accountable for their actions. In NJ it is a 4th degree crime to have a fight at a youth sponsored sporting event.

We have to stop accepting poor behavior. Accepting poor behavior leads to even worse behavior. In some cities they are decriminalizing shoplifting. Because of this, stores are getting looted. In NY they are considering decriminalizing gate jumping in subways. Over 75% of all crimes on subways are committed by gate jumpers.

 

[Halldan1]

Staying with just the sports aspect and only focusing in this country I truly believe sportsmanship died with the advent of ESPN. Before that of course there were instances of trash talking and bad behavior. Unfortunately that is inherent in many people. But eventually with ESPN glorifying the worse in poor behavior on the fields, the courts, the rinks, etc., that kind of behavior was no longer frowned upon, instead it was accepted and even rewarded by accentuating personal 'brands'.

I fear that course will never change and in fact only get worse.

 

[Hall-O-Daze]

Ask Juwan Howard

 

[statenman]

The handshake line weeds out coaches like this from the coaching pool. Without it they would still be out there coaching our kids.

 

[hallgrad80]

Why take away something that has been part of sports for decades and instead impose a zero tolerance policy that punishes those who engage in unacceptable behavior at youth , high school and college sporting events. Personally I would have suspended Schiano for his end of game action against the OSU head coach and hit him with a heavy fine.

 

[HALL85]

It makes no sense to do away with something that should be an important element of sports and learning, especially with children…. compete on the field and respect and show sportsmanship withyour opponent when you walk off the field

 

[SHUSA]

blount has a screw loose. he should be banned from a lot of this stuff. hes also gigantic, one of the last people id want coming at me.

 

[SPK145]

Staying with just the sports aspect and only focusing in this country I truly believe sportsmanship died with the advent of ESPN.

ESPN, cell phone technology, and fans blind loyalty all play a part.

 

[Burnsly]

It has even spilled over to the more proper sports.

 

[Section112]

Civility is dying unfortunately. Too much look and see me and not enough guidance/good examples being shown to the community by parents, coaches and the media etc. Civility and how you are supposed to act in a handshake line needs to be taught and reinforced now which is sad and it needs to be taught to the coaches as much as the players.

 

[Halldan1]

For every Arron Judge there are hundreds of LeGarrette Blounts, Antonio Browns and others. ESPN glories nonsense like theirs'. Is there any wonder why this new generation is so violent? Why police take the law into their own hands. Why the average man on the street does what he does. Hell, we have politicians now preaching violence as a solution for perceived ills. And it's only going to get worse.

Sports is just a microcosm of society. Buckle up everyone.

 

[SHUSource]

I think we kid ourselves when we imagine civility is eroding. Social mores are constantly evolving (or devolving), but one thing they have never been is static and there has never been a straight line going in one direction.

At the turn of the century, and even into the 1900s, it was not uncommon for fans at major league games to turn violent against umpiring. Fans would rush the field and attack umpires. Things we remember as humorous depictions of violence from the cartoons of our childhood -- pelting bad performers with rotten eggs or produce -- were taken from real life and were popular in National League parks. Players themselves would also strike the men in blue. It was not common, exactly, but it wasn't rare, either.

In more recent times, the handshake line (apart from the NHL) is a much more recent phenomenon. The sportswriter Jack McCaffrey (brother of Fran) says they were not part of college basketball until the 1990s, and even then, it was just head coaches. Assistants soon joined in, followed by players. Patrick Ewing says he'd rather return to the way it was when he played, with no such act. McCaffrey says these occur now at the insistence of television producers who see the ritual as an opportunity for in-game conflagrations to re-ignite. "Sportsmanship" has very little to do with any of it.

In youth sports, this boorishness is nothing new, either. I coached P.A.L. baseball 30 years ago and I was shocked at the behavior of parents. Is it getting worse? I don't think the frequency of bad behavior in increasing, but I would say the level of violence is (again. There is a cyclical aspect to it). I'd attribute that to the heightened emphasis on youth sports, increased specialization and quasi-professionalism, and parents pinning unreasonable hopes on the prospects of their children. But it's also much more visible and sharable through social media platforms. Everyone is constantly recording everything now, and when these incidents happen, they are immediately shared and amplified. Gross moments of boorish, unsportsmanlike that 30 years ago would've been the talk of 20 families' dinner tables now go viral, where they are adapted to sit any number of agendas, seen and talked about by millions. This distorted view through the magnifying glass does make it seem as if this is a new phenomenon, but really, it isn't at all.

 

[Abbo71]

It makes no sense to do away with something that should be an important element of sports and learning, especially with children…. compete on the field and respect and show sportsmanship withyour opponent when you walk off the field

Parents and coaches, are you listening?

 

[walshtrips]

I think we kid ourselves when we imagine civility is eroding. Social mores are constantly evolving (or devolving), but one thing they have never been is static and there has never been a straight line going in one direction.

At the turn of the century, and even into the 1900s, it was not uncommon for fans at major league games to turn violent against umpiring. Fans would rush the field and attack umpires. Things we remember as humorous depictions of violence from the cartoons of our childhood -- pelting bad performers with rotten eggs or produce -- were taken from real life and were popular in National League parks. Players themselves would also strike the men in blue. It was not common, exactly, but it wasn't rare, either.

You nailed it. These transgressions have been going on forever, the difference is the availability of recording devices and eagerness for media to sensationalize. I coached a little league team in the early 80's and had to get police involved to remove parents from the games.

My kids think violence and crime is worse than it's ever been, not so, crime was much worse between the late 70's and early 90's. The difference is the availability of cameras and television networks running stories repeatedly.

This behavior should never be excused and it shouldn't be sensationalized either.