Violence overtakes sanity among athletes
by Nick Nance, reporter

    The violence in sports must stop. It’s gone beyond toughness and heart to an ugly display of anger at a game intended to be fun.

   Athletes today have no respect for each other, the game they play or themselves. Players no longer have the self-discipline to control themselves.

   Leagues set rules and let the players walk all over them. It is time for the leagues to step in, stand up and enforce the rules they set.

   This attitude was evident in the case of Latrell Sprewell of the NBA. When he played for the Golden State Warriors, he went after his coach, P.J. Carlesimo, because he did not respect him.

   Coaches are in charge of the team. What they say and do is designed to make the team better and the players perform the best they can. It is not up to a player to decide what coaches will and will not say.

   If a player plays horribly, the coach should say so. But after Carlesimo’s comments, Sprewell punched him and attempted to choke him.

   The NBA then punished Sprewell by suspending him for a year. However, this penalty was also changed, and he was allowed to return before the year was up.

   Sprewell is out of control and should not be allowed to play in the NBA. He has totally disgraced each player, every coach and basketball as a sport.

   The NBA’s backtracking has created endless actions by other players who are no longer afraid of the punishment they might receive. At least once a week, professional players attack each other because they believe it is their responsibility to enforce the rules of the game.

   During the game, rule enforcement is the referees’ job. They get paid to enforce, and the players get paid to play.

   Highly publicized players such as Shaquille O’Neal and Rasheed Wallace have shown their lack of ability to follow the rules on numerous occasions.

   They have attacked other players because they thought the others played dirty, but it’s not up to them to determine who played dirty.

   The players are still allowed to play despite their negative actions. We must enforce the rules that are in place.

   The NFL lost control of its players years ago. It took the addition of many new rules and harsher punishments to protect the players. All players have to know they are responsible for their actions.

   I have seen basketball games that were fun one minute and a mad brawl the next. This would not have happened had players not continued to run their mouths and escalate the situation.

   There is no punishment for people running their mouths The guilty merely get a warning. The trash-talking is one of the first things that must stop to have any impact on violence in sporting events.

   Long ago, I decided not to play in a game in which another player becomes violent or threatens me in any way.

   Sportsmanship has become a thing of the past. Players today don’t seem to know what the word means.

   Getting rid of sports is not the answer. We have to change the situation. The change must begin with the small things. It’s not just the players; the leagues must do their part as well.