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Taking the High Road

  • Gabe Moore
  • Nov 25
  • 4 min read

Larry Fitzgerald is one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of the National Football League. Over the course of a 17-year NFL Career, he had 17,492 receiving yards and 121 receiving touchdowns.(1)


In addition to his numerous accolades and stats on the field, Fitzgerald is known to be an incredible philanthropist. He runs the Larry Fitzgerald Foundation, which advocates for breast cancer research, in honor of his mother, Carol, who died of breast cancer in 2003 . (2)


There are quite a lot of noteworthy things about Larry Fitzgerald, not in the least that after every one of his 121 touchdown catches, he turned and handed the ball to the referee. He didn’t spike the ball or strut around or do backflips or make that obnoxious “six-seven” gesture. In other words, he acted like he’d been there before. He conducted himself as a gentleman both on and off the field. He was a class act who didn’t need to rub it in. Unfortunately, Larry Fitzgerald is a member of a dying breed of professional athletes. It’s no longer about being the bigger person. It’s about making sure you get the last laugh against your opponent. You have to make absolutely sure they know how great you are. Your play can no longer speak for itself-you must do all the talking, whether that be flexing on your opponent or waving good-bye to the crowd or strutting around like you own the place, you’re expected to remind your opponent of what you just did to them. It forces us to address an unfortunate reality in sports today:


Sportsmanship and class have gone almost completely extinct. As I said, it’s unfortunate, but it’s become more and more evident that it is, in fact, reality. Every time I watch a major sporting event, I’m more convinced of it. Players-especially in the NFL-celebrate legitimately everything, regardless of how the game is going. Even if you’re losing by fifty, you have to get up and celebrate that first down reception, because man, are you ever a badass. And if your opponent dares to try to and cramp your style, well, you’ve got to set themes straight.


The whole thing is very performative, very asinine, and, in a word, childish. We were given yet another example of this in the NFL this past Sunday. We witnessed an altercation between Ja’Marr Chase of the Bengals and Jalen Ramsey of the Steelers, in which Chase spit on Ramsey. Ramsey responded by punching Chase, and a brawl very nearly ensued.(3 )


Sadly, this isn’t even the first time this year this has happened. Earlier this season, Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting at Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott.(4)

There was even a similar situation in college football last year, when Oregon wide receiver Traeshon Holden was ejected for spitting at Ohio State defensive back Davison Igbinosun.(5)If you’re like most people, you can only shake your head at this and ask “Why?” Why on Earth are we doing this? How have we gotten to the point where we think it’s alright to spit at an opponent? Have we really gone that far down the road of low-character nonsense? I’d also like to ask what happened to the ideal of “being the bigger person?” Of not responding to a childish insult with another immature act in trying to “get back” at the person who did it. I, personally, watch the NFL to see world-class athletes put their skill on display. I don’t watch it to see grown men behave like children.


Now, up to a point, I do understand some of these actions. After all, football is an emotional game. I’m not going to be too judgmental of people getting emotional, because I’m certainly not perfect in that department. Who is?


I most definitely don’t blame Jalen Ramsey for being upset at being spit on. But being ejected in the fourth quarter in a tight game is not anything to celebrate, especially when your team is as thin in the secondary as the Steelers are right now. There have always been hotheads in sports, and those who were more performative than others. But it has gotten to a point right now where it seems that those who like to rub it in far outnumber those who do not.


We are rapidly losing grip on sportsmanship and class. I’d like to challenge anyone reading this article to assist me in pushing back against this trend. More than half of all Wilmington College students are athletes as well, so if you’re reading this, there is a good chance you play a sport of some kind.


Next time you’re out on the track, the field, the court, the pitch, or whatever else, don’t be afraid to be the bigger person. Help your opponents up if they fall down. If you win, win like a gentleman, and if you lose, do it the same way. Save your stewing for a less public place. My football coach used to tell us to “Win with high character and lose with high character.” While he wasn’t right about everything, he certainly had the right idea there. Let’s conduct ourselves with high character this week, win or lose, good or bad. A high-character world is the kind of place I’d like to live in. I hope you’ll agree.


Opponent.” AP News, AP News, 13 Oct. 2024,

 
 
 

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