What do you think of the controversial rule?
- It is good and ensures more fair play.8%
- It is well-intentioned, but achieves nothing.92%
The competition has ended.
What is really humiliating on the pitch
5.11.2019
Translation: machine translated
When a team outclasses its opponents by the dozen, there is usually praise for the winning coach. Not so in the nice Nassau County on Long Island in the US state of New York. A football coach there was banned because his team won too much. The rule is well-intentioned, but fundamentally wrong.
In the end, it was one touchdown too many. A touchdown that sealed the Plainedge Red Devils' 61-13 victory over the South Side Cyclones. 48 points difference. Of two previously undefeated high school teams, one had taken a real beating. And that's when the trouble started. Because when a convincing victory becomes a humiliation for the opponent is precisely regulated in Nassau County. A 42-point lead is okay. Anyone who wins by more than that has to explain themselves to a committee.
What life lesson is that supposed to teach?
The idea behind it is noble. The rule is intended to prevent weak teams from being mercilessly overrun. It appeals to the spirit of sport and is intended to prevent children from becoming frustrated and looking for other hobbies. Coach Robert Shaver had no intention of humiliating the opposition. But he also had no intention of jeopardising the comfortable lead in the final quarter. So he let his top players get on with it, and the result is well known. The committee was not satisfied with the coach's explanation. It suspended the coach for one game, which started the public backlash.
Newsday reported. The New York Times reported. Foreign media reported. The Plainedge superintendent defended Coach Shaver in an open letter and raised the question of what life lesson the kids are learning from this rule.
What are you teaching children by saying play fairly but now you are playing too well, don't play anymore for the rest of the game. Where's the life lessons? Of course we don't want to embarrass others and we do that by moderating the players in the game.
I think the man is right. Although I've never played American football, I have conceded double-digit defeats on football pitches or won by double digits. I never felt humiliated by the result. It reflects the difference in performance. And it feels just as big when the opponent stops playing after two thirds of the game. Of course it's nice when a coach sends his substitutes onto the pitch when he has a comfortable lead. Nice towards his substitutes and their parents, who are waiting on the sidelines for the big moment when they are substituted.
It doesn't feel a bit better for the losing opponent. The decisive factor is how they treat each other. It is humiliating to make fun of others, insult or threaten them. Unfortunately, all of this is part of everyday life in many places. It's no problem to dominate a game and still respect your opponent. Then the cheers at 61:13 or 12:0 are a little more reserved and there are a few words of encouragement after the match. That's more in line with my understanding of fair play than the rule from Nassau County, which is well-intentioned and fundamentally wrong.
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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