UFC 100 gave us a little bit of everything in terms of sportsmanship. From little up, we are bred to believe that one should always be a good sport no matter how good it felt to defeat the other side. Little league baseball gave many of us our first lesson in this one as we often had to lineup and shake hands while being forced to do that along with the mumbling of "good game" as we passed the members of the other team. When we lost it was hard to swallow the pride as we had just gotten our asses kicked; and every team had the one churlish kid who exacted the revenge and did what we all were feeling as he would either not say "good game" or do so except slap hands as hard as possible while going through the motions.
If we won, it was hard to keep it in check and still offer them the "good game" spiel, and some of us would smile broadly and even say "great game" as a way of getting in one more little dig. If we won, it was all about ice cream and throwing it back in the other team's face because we felt so good. If we lost, it was often still ice cream time thanks to that one coach who never uttered so much as a single expletive and tried to instill in us a feeling that we were all winners.
We aren't all winners, of course, and in sports there will always be a winner and a loser, and one will always feel as great as the other feels miserable. The one thing that ties it all together is keeping in mind how bad it feels to lose, and most of us were taught to remember that when we win today and refrain from grabbing our crotches and giving the other team more to think about during that long bus ride home.
Times have changed. Kids grow up watching professional athletes who hit a home run and then do their best Leslie Nielsen act from the time he umped the baseball game in 'The Naked Gun.' Athletes have become known for their post home run trot or post slam dunk posturing and celebrations have earned these men truckloads of money in endorsements.
Barry Sanders was one of the greatest to have ever rushed a football, but the fact that he played for the godawful Lions, coupled with the fact he never so much as spiked a ball, would be responsible for most young fans having no real feel for who he was in the larger scheme of things. Everyone knows who Terrell Owens is and for good reasons due to his abilities as a wide receiver but would he be as big of a name were it not for his antics? Would it be as fun to root for him or against him if he celebrated a la Barry Sanders?
However, what is more important than that is the question of which one is right? If you are a fan of Terrell Owens, it made you feel good when he mimicked Ray Lewis' dance as he scored a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens a few seasons ago when he was an Eagle. Eagle fans rejoiced. Raven fans cried. Fast forward to today and Eagle fans will not be rejoicing when T.O. celebrates because he is no longer one of "their" players.
So, what was good yesterday becomes tasteless showboating, and what was fun is now poor sportsmanship.
Last Saturday night at UFC 100, we saw several examples of antics which could certainly be described as poor sportsmanship, but depending on your feelings toward a particular fighter made all the difference between which was fun to watch and which was "bad for the sport."
I perused a few message boards to get a quick reaction from some fans and what I found hammered this one home perfectly. Fans were up in arms over Brock Lesnar's post-fight antics and speech, while supporting Dan Henderson's comments which were made following his victory. Both fighters won their bouts and in convincing fashion, and both added a little flavor to their celebrations, and in terms of sportsmanship it is clear that both could be wrong.
Yet fans seemed to pick a side and were very passionate in doing so.
Those who hate Brock Lesnar found a way to hate his showing respect to Randy Couture following his win over the legend at UFC 91, in much the same manner that these fans hate Lesnar for everything about him. His tattoo on his chest sucks, they liken it to a "penis sword," his haircut sucks just the same, and all of these same fans will agree they hate him because he was once a professional wrestler. Following his win over Mir at UFC 100, these same fans now had something more tangible to hate as they no longer had to dig for reasons to hate and now had "sportsmanship" to rally on about.
Now, these same fans who hated him for every reason under the sun have something to circle the wagons over, and this is how "bad" he is for the sport. His post-fight promo turned this pure sport into a "pro wrestling carnival," they cried, and he would only do harm to all the good UFC has been able to foster for so many years.
One man who has exemplified both good and bad is the beloved Georges St. Pierre. His backflips and flashing his tongue a la Michael Jordan are a taste of showmanship in the same way that his bowing at the center of the Octagon following his bout with Jon Fitch was good sportsmanship and respect. St. Pierre also deflated Matt Hughes by telling him he "was not impressed" with Hughes' performance after a fight and people didn't really get too up in arms over that one. St. Pierre is a good guy, a beyond great fighter and a necessary cog in the wheel, but he like all others, will never be perfect in each and every way. Well, maybe as a fighter but not elsewhere.
A lot of the fans who pontificate on respect and honor as if UFC fighters are brave samurai warriors defending their families are way offbase with their venom which is being spewed towards Lesnar. A bulk of these same fans were the ones on the net exalting over Wanderlei Silva's stomping a skull into the mat in PRIDE. See, Silva was loved and is loved, and as a result it will not matter what he does for he is untouchable. Brock Lesnar has been the villain for so long that anything he does will incite them, and they just need a reason to light their torches. The pitchforks have been in their hands since before UFC 81.
Lesnar may have exhibited bad behavior, but it is Henderson's post fight comment which could actually do more harm to this sport in the eyes of many who still view this as somewhat barbaric. Lesnar may have turned this into more entertainment than sport but Henderson saying he got an extra shot in on an already unconscious fighter is a ton of fuel to the "human cockfighting" fire. Lesnar may make many of us roll our eyes or furiously flame away on a message board but it is Henderson who lends credence to the mass media argument that these fighters go for the kill rather than victory in a sport.
Henderson did not consciously pour it on and land an extra shot. His comments were mere showmanship because the cold, hard truth is that he was simply fighting until the referee stopped him from fighting any longer. We know that, but a lot of people do not, and it is this which causes a bigger problem.
Remember when 'Babalu' Sobral held onto a choke a little bit too long, in order to send a message in his victory over David Heath? Now, imagine if Henderson REALLY did land an extra shot to an unconscious fighter in order to send a similar message?
Or, imagine a fighter makes a comment such as Henderson's and then his opponent happens to convulse following the fight and really fall into a coma or something of the sort? Suddenly, his comment about getting an extra one in to "shut his mouth" would paint this sport in a far worse way than a heavyweight fighter talking about climbing on top of his wife or slamming a sponsor.
I will state it again, Henderson did not really throw an "extra" shot at all. It just sounded good for the fans in the post-fight interview. However, this in and of itself was an example of bad sportsmanship on the same level of Lesnar's, and yet it seems as if the fans are willing to roast one man while cheering another when both are guilty of the same thing.
I have no problem with Henderson's remark and not one single problem with Lesnar's antics. Today's day and age does not support bland and boring athletes who shake hands and never utter a single contrary word. Now, you can succeed if you are indeed the "Barry Sanders" who plays the game better than anyone else, but you will never earn as much money as the man with half the talent who speaks twice as loud. This is why Jerry Rice gets talked about less than Terrell Owens these days, and it's more an indictment of the fans lust for larger than life personalities than a changing of the game.
Fighters fight and they will hopefully continue to do so. We need for them to have some modicum of personality and fire in hopes of drawing more eyes to the product. For every one fan who loved Lesnar's antics, there will be ten who loathed them, but I can guarantee that all will be watching his next title defense. Which is what matters. We need the fans who want fighters to "just bleed" as much as the fan who thinks everyone should bow to their Sensei, so long as both of them empty their wallets to support this thing equally. The problem I have is that you can't pick and choose which action you think is wrong because of your like or dislike of a certain fighter.
Either you want everyone to shake hands and never say a word, or you are ok with anything someone may do to further bolster their image or sell a fight. You cannot stand up and rally against the "bad sportsmanship" of Lesnar while thinking Henderson was right with his "extra shot" comment. You must be all for one and against none. It is ok by me if you feel both were wrong and it is ok by me if you feel both were right, but my problem is those who are picking and choosing when to expect good sportsmanship from fighters.
If two men do something equally wrong, you must either call them both out for it or let both of them go, and the worst thing of all is to select one based on personal preference. This is much worse than any example of bad sportsmanship and can make a lot of good fans look really bad in the end.
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i know that what henderson did was somewhat wrong but if you were watching
bisping in the ultimate fighter.. there's no doubt that what bisping did
was worse.. you could feel the need for revenge for henderson somehow..
bisping trashtalked and bashed henderson while at the ultimate fighter..
and henderson just kept his mouth shut.. at the fight hendo brought the
shut up to bisping
Jason
16 Jul 2009, 01:44
I've been surprised that I've seen no one bring up the fact that Henderson
did the exact same thing to Wanderlei at Pride 33.
Good editorial.
Chris carter
16 Jul 2009, 03:02
Hey gregg, ur doing it again! Ur using selective criticism just like this
article talked about! Mir ran his mouth and trashtalked lesnar too in the
build up to their fight. Lesnar shut him up too!
peelpolice
16 Jul 2009, 03:36
greg: i fail to see how bisping trash talking and playing the game is worse
than hendo taking a shot on a guy he knew to be unconscious
Billy Bob Tweed
16 Jul 2009, 11:06
Excellent commentary. Cheers!
jordan gourley
16 Jul 2009, 13:48
there was nothing wrong with what henderosn did. There was also nothing
wrong with what Lesnar did. IF ANY SINGLE PARTICIPANT in either one of
those fights could be compared to terrell owens it would be Bisbing. He's
obnoxious plane and simple. Lesnar is more of a jack lambert a hardworking
no-nonsense guy. He was fed up with Frank Mir's trash. I would have been
too. Did anyone see frank Mir when he exited the tunnel? He looked like he
was heading to a casino with a 60 billion dollar bankrole and 12 playmates
on his arm. He had an unwarranted swagger and Brock knew it too. And if you
ask me Brock is the first true tough guy in the UFC. He's not going to fake
his emotion. He fought with pure hatred and it showed. If you cant handle a
little hatred I dont think you need to follow combat sports.
Sure Lesnar is no Barry Sanders, but He sure aint no terrell owens. I would
rather compare him to these guys. Players that played angry and didnt care
much for sportsmanship.
Jack Lambert
Dick Butkus
Mike Singletary
Bill Romanowski
Ray Lewis
these guys all play with raw emotion. Romanowski was known to spit on
people, and I didnt mind at all. I like to see a LB who generally HATES the
opposing teams quarterback. Just as I like to see a Fighter who generally
hates his opponent. If Brock is too mean or too much of a bully maybe you
just need to grow a set.
