Sports are supposed to be a welcome escape from the world of school, work and stress. They represent a billion-dollar entertainment industry, whose enthusiastic fans can sometimes rival even the most patriotic Americans. When your team wins the big one, either a dramatic game or a long-awaited championship, you should be on Cloud 9. But be there only figuratively. The dramatic final seconds of a game should not also count down the final seconds to someone’s life.
Last Saturday, just as the Hoyas were pulling off a miracle of their own, a 20-year-old University of Minnesota-Morris student was killed when his team’s fans pulled down a goal post at the end of the Cougars’ 34-28 overtime homecoming victory over Crown College.
A junior and member of the men’s basketball team, Richard Rose was pronounced dead as a result of a blow to the head from the goal post after attempts to revive him on the field failed, according to the Associated Press.
Should this have been avoided? Yes. Could this have been avoided? Absolutely.
Last-second homecoming wins; championship trophies hoisted after an 86-year drought; World Series walk-off homeruns. None of these things are so out-of-this-world that people need to put others’ lives in danger. People should be carried off the field because of some heroic feat, not because something squelched out their life like Warren Sapp was sitting on their chest.
Major sports fans across the country need to shape up their post-game celebrations. Is it possible to celebrate winning a Super Bowl berth or the World Series without burning a car? I think so.
There should be absolutely no need to ban the tearing down of goal posts after games or for the “Five-Oh” in riot gear after a win. People should have some common sense about them to act like normal human beings.
But the reality is that many people refuse to reflect civil American values when it comes to sports. For some reason, people feel that a victory for their team gives them warrant to do whatever it is they want-that for the time being, any thoughts of laws or consequences are thrown out the window. Slapping Patty Biggio at a White Sox game; dumping beer on players in the outfield; yelling obscenities in front of two-year-olds because you are pissed off. All that stuff is fun and amusing and adds a distinct flair to athletic competition. But make sure it doesn’t cross the line into outright chaos.
We live in a civil society, why not act like it? A Boston Red Sox fan shouldn’t have to feel like he or she is going to get killed by the police the next time the Big Papi leads the Sox to a championship, and college football fans shouldn’t have to wear helmets to protect themselves from blunt trauma to the head.
So here’s to being safe America. Remember: buckle up, don’t drink and drive, obey all posted placards and listen to all instructions in the event of an emergency.
