SPORTSMANSHIP? WHAT'S THAT? NEVER HEARD OF IT

 

As always, college athletics continue to defy logic … 

when JASON DAY could be fired at Ohio State if he 

doesn’t win the national championship … while not a 

mention of TONY ELLIOTT being in trouble despite 

distinct lack of progress during his three years at 

UVA … In fact, it appears athletic director CARLA 

WILLIAMS is rapidly wearing out her welcome 

inHooville …  where – we are told -- her contract runs 

out after the 2025-2026 season … with, to date, no calls 

for an extension.

So, what do you think … is UR football coach RUSS 

HUESMANready to pack it in … his choice … over 

“lack of loyalty” after 10 starters entered the transfer 

portal? … Hate to admit it but … loyalty like 

sportsmanship is going, going, all but gone in games 

people play.

Whatever happened to … sportsmanship? You do 

remember sportsmanship, don’t you? … “Fair and 

generous behavior or treatment of others, especially in a 

sports contest (He displayed great sportsmanship in 

defeat.)”

Sometimes I don’t think it matters any more … when 

rivals would do most anything they could to win … 

then, when it was over, shook hands and, win or lose, 

looked forward to the next time … without acrimony 

and all the childish in-your-face nonsense that’s become 

the norm … only because we allow it.

Or, did you miss what happened after Michigan upset 

Ohio State … or what happened before the kickoff when 

Nrebraska refused to shake hands with Iowa? Then there 

was Penn State coach JAMES FRANKLIN being 

accused of running up the score against 4-7 Maryland … 

when all he did was throw a pass into the end zone for a 

touchdown on the final play to win 44-7. Terp coach

 MIKE LOCKSLEY called Franklin on it … as he 

should have … and Franklin, who could have made big, 

BIG points by apologizing, didn’t bother. 

Most of the attention, naturally, was focused on 

Columbus, Ohio, where 6-5 Michigan, a 20-point 

underdog to Day’s unbeaten Buckeyes, somehow came 

up with a 13-10 decision. When one of the Wolverines 

tried to plant the Michigan flag on the field at game’s 

end, several OSU players objected … and a mini-riot 

ensued … A few punches were thrown. The off-duty 

police, hired for security, got involved with pepper 

spray. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured … 

although a young lady representing a local TV station 

drew considerable attention, screaming she had been hit 

in the eyes with pepper spray. “I CAN’T SEE … I 

CAN’T SEE!,” she said, attracting a crowd before just 

as quickly, calming down … while network TV recorded 

the whole thing, and someone noted, “Her makeup 

looked perfect, didn’t it?”

We also got an up-close-and-personal shot of coach Day, 

standing in the midst of it all, looking bewildered. 

“What happened?” he said.

On Fox, play by play man GUS JOHNSON already had 

drawn criticism for delivering what was referred to as “a 

strange line” after Michigan forced a turnover to ice the 

upset … We saw Wolverine first-year coach

 SHERRONE MOORE celebrating. Said Johnson, 

“Sherrone Moore says, ‘We didn’t cheat this time.’” … 

Come again! ... He was talking about last year’s scandal 

that led to a suspension of then-coach JIM 

HARBAUGH, now in charge of NFL LA Chargers … 

but … the Wolverines now have won four straight in the 

series. Talk about awkward!

Then, during the post-game ruckus, Johnson, who is 

from Detroit, weighed in with: “Michigan tried to plant 

their flag in the middle of Ohio State’s field … and the 

Buckeyes rushed right to them … An unsportsmanlike 

gesture by the Wolverines. Unnecessary. They won the 

game. No need to be disrespectful.” Ouch!

Finally, in an attempt to bring some balance to the 

telecast, Fox interviewed Michigan’s KALEL 

MULLINGS, who ran for 116 yards and a touchdown. 

“It was such a great game ...you hate to see stuff like 

that happen,” he said. “It’s bad for college football … 

but, at the end of the day, they’ve got to learn how to 

lose. Man, you can’t be fighting just because you lost. 

People have got to be better than that.”

For the most part, Fox analyst JOEL KLATT – 

Surprise! Surprise! -- kept his opinions to himself. Let 

Johnson, easily the most gabby of all network 

wordsmiths, make a fool of himself.

“A terrible, ugly scene [on] a beautiful afternoon,”Klatt 

said … and pretty much let it go at that. 

Until next time ...