Kris Shannon’s World of Sport US approach of going easy has some merit
Americans alone in their belief that ‘ running up a score’ is a sporting crime by teams lacking class
When the All Blacks were awarded a penalty late in last weekend’s 42- 8 thumping of Australia, there was never any question what they were going to do.
Kick for touch and conclude the match? Please. Despite the result and bonus point being locked up, despite the hooter at ANZ Stadium having sounded, despite the injury risk arguably outweighing any pointsdifferential reward, the All Blacks went for another try.
Because of course they did. It’s an option taken countless times before and, if the same situation occurs, will be taken again tonight. And if the situation were reversed, the outcome would likely be the same.
But in an alternative reality in which rugby were an American sport, the decision would be a little less straightforward. If the All Blacks had attempted to increase the misery of an already- vanquished opponent, they would be the team dealing with negative post- match headlines.
The Australians would have cried foul, called out their opponents for showing them up, and their complaints would have resonated in a culture wary of over- matched teams being blown out.
Put simply, that great American sporting crime of ‘ running up the score’ had been committed, and the transgressor would have emerged worse than the victim.
It’s bizarre for a country that can seem as self- absorbed and cut- throat as the United States, but their sports show far greater mercy for the underdog in unbalanced battles.
And on that count, they’re alone. The All Blacks’ attitude is matched throughout the world, which is how Fiji’s football team can head home from the Olympics having shipped 23 goals in three matches.
So which attitude is right? Giving the little guy a break or teaching him a lesson? Well, with apology to the black- and- white nature of sporting discourse, both approaches have benefits.
In America, mismatches still happen, but there’s a line that must not be crossed.
If a baseball team are up by eight runs in the eighth inning, for example, they better cease stealing bases. If a football team have a 40- point lead in the fourth quarter, it’s only courteous to remove their starters, sub in the back- ups and stop seeking further touchdowns.
It’s all a bit condescending, but if they conform, they’re called classy, an awful sporting adjective that must rival ‘ plucky’ and ‘ brave’ on the cringeworthy scale. If they refuse, at the very least the opposing coach will likely lash out after the game.
It’s perhaps understandable at junior level, where 100- point hidings in high school basketball make national headlines for the wrong reasons. But surely professional athletes can take a beating? And what of the fans, when any action has halted well before the final whistle?
Well, that depends on whether the watching crowd is entertained by the carnage. Even when their own team is romping to victory, by the time of the seventh goal or the 70th point, most humans will feel a pang of sympathy for an opposition clearly out of their depth.
Being paid handsomely to play a game hardly insures an athletes’s emotions against a heavy loss. If anything, their profession only makes things worse. Consider how it would hurt to be embarrassed in your own workplace.
But that’s not to say we should start feeling sorry for the Wallabies if tonight turns into another walloping. Lessons can be gleaned from landslides, paths to improvement can be forged. This humble writer once upon a time lost his first football game 17- 0 and suffered only mild psychological damage as a result.
But it’s interesting to imagine what sport would be like governed under the American principle.
One thing is for sure: that final, superfluous try would certainly be kicked for touch.