Who Cares? Manning Cares

March 23, 2010  
Filed under Opinion

Good Sportsmanship: Conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants in sports, especially fair play, courtesy and striving spirit.

Dedication: being wholly committed to something.

Dedication and Good Sportsmanship: Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning did not shake hands with New Orleans Saints players after his Indianapolis Colts lost 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV on Feb 7, 2010.  Some think this was a sign of poor sportsmanship from the NFL’s greatest player. To me, it was not.

Walking off the field without congratulating Drew Brees may go against our misguided notion of what sportsmanship should be, but it was not at all disrespectful or bitter. It just shows how much Peyton Manning wanted to win the game. And who can argue about that?

LeBron James was caught up in a similar controversy during the NBA playoffs last year and the same thing that was true then is true now. A fake handshake does not make someone a good sport. It either makes them indifferent to the game’s result or a really good actor. What would people have preferred Manning and James do, laugh off the loss with apathy and treat the victors to dinner after? This is not Little League. It was the Super Bowl, therefore it was a big deal.

The only time I question my support for a team is when the players I am rooting for seem to care less about the result than I do. I do not want to see my team’s quarterback laughing on the sideline while losing a big game. If I care so much, why shouldn’t the players?

Many people say “it is just a job for these guys,” but that is crap. The great ones make their job their passion. Hall of Fames do not tend to include guys who do not care. The desire to win is what sustains greatness. Do you think Michael Jordan was hugging Isiah Thomas after losses in the 1980s? Or that Larry Bird stayed on the court to congratulate Kareem? Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio were not going out for drinks after the Yankees beat the Red Sox. The great ones are competitors and competitors cannot flip a switch immediately after a devastating loss and act like it did not matter.

Being a good sportsman is playing fair, respecting the game and giving credit after to an opponent. Manning did all those things Sunday. In his postgame press conference he defended his quick exit by saying “I certainly know how it was three years ago when we won. There’s not much consolation for the guys who didn’t win. There’s the stage being set up and the celebration. It’s time for the Saints to celebrate. It’s their field.”

The Saints quarterback said “Peyton’s a class guy.” If the man who was supposedly snubbed thinks so, that is good enough for me.

Top 5 Most-Watched Television Programs in U.S. History

(total viewers)

1.Super Bowl XLIV (Feb. 7, 2010) — 153.4 million viewers

2. Super Bowl XLIII (Feb. 1, 2009) — 151.6 million viewers

3. Super Bowl XLII (Feb. 3, 2008) — 148.3 million viewers

4. Super Bowl XXXVIII (Feb. 1, 2004) — 144.4 million viewers

5. Super Bowl XL (Feb. 6, 2006) — 141.4 million viewers

—–
Danon Taylor

Tags:

 Email This Post        Print This Post