Mailbox: Why is it OK to show lack of sportsmanship?

Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com.

On sportsmanship

To the Editor: I was going to stay out of the ruckus over the Caitlin Clark/Angel Reese antics in the women's Final Four, but a show I watched, "Super Bowl I - The Lost Game," brought it all back again.

First, I am not sure what started all the antics we see by today's athletes (end zone celebrations, trash talk, taunting opponents, etc.)  Maybe it originated from that great "sport," professional wrestling, or maybe from somewhere else, but it has gotten out of hand. A large number of fans seem to really like it, and many of them take part in it. It has obviously filtered down to college and high school, as well.

Sadly, sportsmanship seems to have taken a back seat.

I coached high school basketball for 31 years, 28 with boys and three with girls. We practiced hard and we played hard. We had a great desire to win but we also tried to display good sportsmanship. As coaches we tried to instill three conduct benchmarks for our athletes: 1) never show displeasure with a call that an official makes; 2) never do or say anything to disrespect an opponent; 3) when you do something amazing, act like you've done it before- no need to show off.

While I cannot say that we accomplished those goals 100% of the time, we stressed them constantly and worked with the players on the importance of them.

Some people will say that trash talk and taunts are "just part of the game." No, we have allowed them (some people even encourage them) to be a part of the game. The people who could control it don't seem to do anything.  It doesn't matter who the player or coach is, or who the team is, antics like taunting should not be part of the game.

One of the commentators (I doubt if any of them were alive when Super Bowl I was played) pointed out incredulously that "back then the players would score a touchdown and then just hand the ball to the ref!  Yes, there was a time when the antics were not a big part of the game.

One of my memorable times from coaching boys occurred at the end of the final game of my career. We had just lost a heartbreaker in the OHSAA state championship game.  After receiving our runner-up awards, we turned and watched the champions receiving their awards, applauding each one along with their fans. As we walked off the floor, one of the OHSAA assistant commissioners walked beside me and said, "I have never seen sportsmanship like that in all my years." I appreciated the comment, but I was saddened to think that our small tribute to the team that beat us was the outlier. Sportsmanship should be one of the jewels of any competition.

Al Summers, Pataskala

On the Columbus Blue Jackets' Ivan Provorov

To Brian: I’m sending this email to voice my opinion against your paragraph to Jeff and Doug in the Sunday Mailbox column. I find it hard to believe that you can call Ivan Provorov, a person that you may not even know, a Pride hater, because he didn’t wear a pride shirt for game day warmups in Philadelphia. The GM and coach of said Philadelphia team did not bench him that night or at any other time that I am aware of. He merely stated that it was against his beliefs and did not want to participate in it.

There have been many athletes who have shied away from other types of causes because of their beliefs, but to call someone a hater is very strong wording. I have been a CBJ fan for many years and get disappointed every year but I can understand why “gifted” hockey players do not want to come to Columbus, Johnny Hockey the exception, because of statements like yours or some of the other writers who work for The Dispatch.

I believe you owe Mr. Provorov, his wife and family an apology.

Merritt Lance

To Brian: Do you even know  Provorov? He is actually a religious person, who by his religion finds gays and lesbians objectionable. He does not HATE anyone. I found the war in Vietnam objectionable, but I did not hate my country. I would think you would owe Provorov a  public apology. You have the power of the daily paper to print what you think, which is dangerous. Print the truth - not just gossip.

Bob Bennett, Columbus

To the editor: Seriously, you call him a Pride hater for standing up for his religious beliefs? How tacky for you and this pitiful newspaper.

Gene Martini

To the editor: I take exception to your comments in the Sunday June 11 Dispatch about Provorov being a pride hater. Just as the pride people embrace their beliefs, cannot a person with a strong Russian Orthodox faith embrace their beliefs without being labelled a hater? This is what is wrong with our country today; there can be no civil disagreement without being labeled. Provorov's statement on the matter should be published along with your retraction of the hater label. Provorov is not a pride hater. He just chose not to wear a jersey symbolizing support of something he does not support. Lets get back to America being the home of the free; free thought, free speech and free of press bias.

Thom Saarie, Gahanna

To Brian: No surprise to read all the criticism of Babcock. This franchise is determined to continue to make bad decisions.

Jim Burke, Dublin

To Merritt, Bob, Gene, Thom and Jim: For some, it's clear that "hater" was too strong of a word. So let's call him "an overt disapprover of the LGBTQ lifestyle."

On the Columbus Crew

To the editor: Congratulations to the Columbus Crew and all the soccer fans in the region. You have a beautiful new stadium, an exciting team and an outstanding fan base. I had the privilege of attending a game last week while visiting Columbus on a beautiful summer night. The stadium was buzzing with energy and excitement as the Crew defeated Colorado.

The only concern I had was the noise level of the sound system. According to https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/, sound levels above 70 dB can be harmful to one's hearing. A typical rock concert may be around 115 dB and ear protection is recommended. I don't know what the decibel level is at a crew game, but it must be well above 70dB.

We were in Nordecke, which evidently is the most exciting and loudest place in the venue, so perhaps other areas of the stadium are not as loud, but the sound system was cranked up throughout the entire stadium from the moment we entered the event.

The drummers throughout the game were great and added to the overall soccer experience, but I think the venue should consider reducing the overall noise level, especially the P.A. system. Considering the number of young soccer fans in the stadium who are susceptible to hearing damage, I hope the Crew will consider monitoring the sound level to keep all the fan base safe while maintaining the excitement and energy at every game.

The Crew stadium and team are fantastic and the City of Columbus can be very proud to be the home of another great professional sports team!

Mark Damico 

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Columbus Crew join Blue Jackets, Cleveland Browns on list of losers

Reader says Kirk Herbstreit was right about Ohio State football's 'lunatic' fans

Mailbox: Readers want changes in college football recruiting, transfer rules

Gordon Gee lets Bob Huggins survive at West Virginia after use of homophobic slur

How about pro football in Columbus? Bring back the Bulls in the USFL

NFL needs to investigate leak of CJ Stroud cognitive test

It's tough to watch a great player like Joey Votto struggling at the end

Reader doubles down on opinion that all Ohio State coaches should be paid the same

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mailbox: Why is it OK to show lack of sportsmanship?