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| Classy |
Two intercollegiate football teams, bitter rivals, are playing their kickoff games to the 2019 season. They each have national recognition and high expectations for the campaign. One team is playing at home against an inferior opponent and the other on a neutral field against a quality, nationally ranked foe.
These two games graphically illustrate the value of a balanced and complete education and how it relates to the kids playing, the coaching staff, alumni, sponsors, family, friends, and for the sake of emphasis, potential future recruits. Here is what happened, my analysis is based upon actual events.
Team A, playing at noon under beautiful blue skies and a stadium about 3/4 full of adoring fans with a regional TV subscription-only cable audience, is winning handily as they enter the fourth quarter of play. The coaching staff starts to intermix under-classmen, second and third stringers and even walk-ons. With less than one minute remaining they are up 47-14. They have the ball and are driving for the final nail in the coffin TD inside the opponents ten. By all observations, should they so desire, they could easily add another score to the margin, look better in the eye of the played committee but add unnecessary insult to existing injury to the interstate opponent.
The head coach has his QB take a knee. Sportsmanship added as another layer to the victory. This is a decision labeled as classy by all but Alabama alumni.
Three hours later in another time-zone, Team B has a 21-point lead midway through the third quarter. Their big opening win of the season against a ranked opponent would more than validate the fawning national press and inclusion to the playoff conversation. Due to injury the opposition is playing a true freshmen with the odds of his leading his team, in this hopeless situation, being a long shot at best, impossible at worst.
Incredibly, with less than a minute to go, they get the ball back needing now just a field goal for the win. Something amazing is happening and this is a live example of why so many people find this to be the most exciting game in college sports today, because anything can happen. And it currently is. But the underdogs will need some help. From their defense. Team B is driving, hoping to run out the clock and keep the ball from the freshman with the golden arm. Deep in the red zone Team B is looking at a third and long. Blitz. QB goes down hard with possible knee injury. By rules he must sit out at least one play. Coaching staff chaotically scrambles to insert his backup. For one play with the game on the line. They must also manage the clock and call the right play. In the confusion they burn their last two timeouts. After the second time-out they try to put injured QB back into the game, a move immediately flagged by the refs and they call time to physically escort him to the sidelines, per current rules. QB two, back in the game runs a slow developing option and gives the ball to RB who is immediately smothered and the ball is turned over on downs. Opposition freshman QB comes in and four plays later tosses the game winning TD with nine seconds remaining.
Team B head coach tried to but failed at cheating. He got caught red handed and red faced. He mismanaged the clock in the heat of battle making an almost comical series of bad decisions. The day after the debacle they try to spin it as not being aware of the rule change. Right.
Bad sportsmanship, intention to cheat, and then a hollow cover-up added insult to the real injury of an ugly loss.
Please feel free to add your own moral to this story. If winning at all costs is so important that even cheating is merely a means to an end, you lose even in winning. If the integrity, character, morals and ethics of a program are important to you and your potential scholar-athlete son, you will win even if losing.
You get to pick.
I have.
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