I wrote most of this Sunday evening which is normally a night off from my blog. The incident involving Michigan Head Coach Juwan Howard and Wisconsin Head Coach Greg Gard immediately following Sunday’s victory by Wisconsin feels like a “gut punch”. It has knocked the wind out of me. This combined with the nightmare treatment of Russian figure skater Kamila Vilieva by those who were supposed to protect her makes me question the culture of sports. There is serious problem in our current sports culture. We accept behavior in athletics that we would never accept outside of the sporting world. In addition, the recipients of the behavior have no legal recourse against the offender. This needs to be reconsidered.
Sports has a culture that has unwritten rules that when violated gives opponents the right to retaliate in ways that would be crimes in our society outside of sport. It also has a culture where abusive behavior and assault are accepted as part of the game.
Baseball:
Anyone stealing a base when their team is ahead by a supposedly insurmountable amount, is subject to having a 3-inch diameter missile being thrown at them at 95mph from 60 feet 6 inches away the next time the offender comes to the plate. If the offender is hit by the missile, they have no recourse in the court of law or in the court of public opinion.
Anyone excessively celebrating a homerun, is subject to the same attack the next time they come to the plate.
If one pitcher is accused of deliberately throwing the three-inch diameter missile at an opposing batter, it is expected the pitcher of the other team will do the same to an opposing batter. No legal recourse is available to any of the players who were subject to these assaults.
Hockey:
If a player from one team aggressively but legally checks the star player of the opposing team, it is acceptable to have a not so skilled teammate of the star player attack and fight the player who aggressively checked the star player. The assault is considered part of the game and the victim has no legal recourse.
In one instance Todd Bertuzi. retaliated against his opponent by slamming the players head into the ice repeatedly to the extent the player never played hockey again due to the permanent damage received from Bertuzzi.
Throughout hockey, players can use their sticks as weapons to slash, cut, and seriously injure opposing players. The assaults are tolerated, accepted and considered part of the game. The injured player has no legal recourse against the offending player.
Many hockey teams have an “enforcer” on their team. An “enforcer” whose primary role is to protect the star player from attack by opposing players. The “enforcer” has unwritten permission to use any means necessary.
Football:
NFL coaches of one team paid their players bounties if they were able to assault and injure during games opposing players from other teams. The injured player had no legal recourse against the player who assaulted and injured them. Nor did they have legal recourse against the coaches who ordered the assault and paid the bounty
A current defensive lineman has on multiple occasions assaulted and injured opposing players by stomping on and injuring the opposing player who was lying on the ground. The injured player has no legal recourse against the player who assaulted him.
Coaches are allowed to assault players verbally and physically on the sidelines when the player does not perform to the coach’s expectation. The assault is considered part of the game and the recipient of the assault has no legal recourse against the coach.
Basketball:
A player can assault an opposing player by slamming, pushing, or grabbing a player going in for a layup which causes serious injury to the player. The injured player has no recourse against the player committing the assault.
Players are allowed to punch and seriously injure an opponent. The player throwing the punch is not subject to legal ramifications for the assault. Think the Bad Boys and Boston Celtics in the late 80s.
Coaches are allowed to assault players by physically grabbing and verbally attacking players when they do not perform to the coach’s expectation. The player is expected to accept the assault as tough love. The player who was assaulted has no legal recourse against the coach. Think Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo and player Rocket Watts during the first round of the 2021 NCAA tournament.
General Rules for all sports:
You never run up the score if the game is no longer in doubt
You keep the clock moving if the game is no longer in doubt. Calling a timeout for any reason other than substituting into the game non-starters is unacceptable.
You never show up an opposing team or player.
When the game is over you show good sportsmanship.
Following the Michigan/Wisconsin basketball game, Michigan coach Juwan Howard felt Wisconsin Coach Greg Gard violated one of the unwritten rules of basketball by calling timeout when the game was no longer in doubt. However, Howard also violated one of the unwritten rules by aggressively defending Wisconsin when the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt. During the handshake line, which is supposed to show sportsmanship to your fellow competitor, Juwan Howard felt it was his right to call out Gard on the violation of the unwritten rule against calling timeout when the game is no longer in doubt. Gard took exception and Howard took offense. After words were exchanged and each coach touched the other, Howard threw a punch/slap which landed on the face of a Wisconsin assistant coach. As of this writing Coach Howard has not apologized for his action. In fact he has doubled down by saying he was standing up for his team by letting Coach Gard know that he violated an unwritten rule of basketball.
If Howard’s assault had occurred in the parking lot of the arena, the assistant coach could file assault charges against Howard. The police would be required to investigate, and a prosecutor would decide whether to arrest and prosecute Howard for his action.
There is no place in sports for the behavior exhibited by Howard following the game. Just as there is no place for the behavior exhibited by the coach of Russian figure skater Kamila Vilieva. If the behavior exhibited by Howard today, occurred between two of my employees at U of M, I would have been required to discipline and most likely fire the one who threw the punch. In addition, the recipient of the punch could file a police report against the one throwing the punch.
It is time for the culture of sports to change. We should no longer accept behavior on the athletic field that is not accepted off the field and in the community. Assault on the athletic field is the same as it is in the community. Those committing assault on the athletic field should be held to the same laws that apply in our community.
Juwan Howard should lose his job as head coach. He should be held to the same standards all other employees at U of M are held.
Quote of the Day: “Juwann exhibited terrible sportsmanship, awful decision making and inappropriate behavior of an educator. He incited his players especially Moussa. What is Howard teaching these young minds? Sports is an extension of the classroom. Being upset that you got your butt beat and you have brick layers shooting threes is frustrating. Throwing haymakers is unforgivable. Woody lost his composure and lost his job. Juwann should lose his. No suspension!” A long time friend and sports official whom I have the greatest respect.
Onion of the Day: Juwan Howard.
No orchid or video of the day: I am not in the mood to hand out an orchid and I am tired of looking at the video of the Howard incident.