Writer expresses concern over violence in sports
- by Joshua Rouse: Sports Editor

When a person turns on the television, whether it is to the news, a movie or even a kid’s cartoon, it seems violence is almost always present.
America, as a culture, has become desensitized to violence. And this is leading to an overwhelming presence of violence in our popular media, including sports. American sports video games have slipped into this pool of violence with such titles as MLB High Heat and NFL Blitz where a player actually takes out other players for fun. In today’s culture, violence in sports is an added bonus to the hotdog and drink.

On Sept. 14, Texas Rangers relief pitcher Frank Francisco threw a chair into the stands in a game against the Oakland A’s baseball team. The chair hit a woman in the face and broke her nose. The incident is turning more and more into a blame game between the A’s and the Rangers. The fans and players of both teams are blaming each other for events leading to the altercation.

Here’s a novel idea: blame Frank Francisco. There was not some voodoo man in the stands who caused him to pick that chair up and throw it. And the Rangers did not force Francisco to throw the chair. It was Francisco and Francisco alone. America has grown too accustomed to blaming problems on somebody else.

Roger Clemmons was blamed for starting a disturbance at his son’s little league game over the summer. The media swarmed and made a big deal out of it. But the mainstream is missing something important; this is not an isolated incident. Across America, violence is rising in little league sports and intercollegiate games. Parents are being tossed out of games at a faster rate than ever before. There is a fine line between support and violence. And that line is being blurred more and more every day.

Each year, after a team wins the NCAA championship in football or the “March Madness” basketball tournament, there are riots in the streets. Sports is only one facet of society. And yet, sports is the major aspect on which success is measured, leading to an ever-growing problem of violence.

Commentators apologized for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s brief bad language during an interview after his win in the EA Sports 500. And on the track, fans see drivers ramming into each other out of vengeance and driving recklessly trying to take out opponents. Elliot Sadler learned firsthand last year how bad a wreck can be at Talladega. He rolled the car over four times on the backstretch entering turn three during a race last year.
There have been many drivers seriously injured in racing. In fact, restrictor plate racing claimed the life of one of the greatest drivers of all time, Dale Earnhardt. The will to win has pushed players and fans alike to the edge of sanity and beyond.

Sports is no longer a gentleman’s event. It has become a channel through which frustrations flow. Especially in these times of war and uncertainty in politics, feelings and tempers are running high.

The ancient Greeks idolized sports, and during the Olympic games, people came together as one and worshipped the athletes. Now these athletes are nothing more than pawns of the people. And when these athletes do not win, the people become violent. And when the people become violent, the athletes become violent. These athletes are human too. Sports is reaching the edge of anarchy and something needs to be done or the civilized games we treasure will cease to exist.