The best thing that happened to college football this past weekend was Ron Artest. If not for the out-of-control behavior of the now-suspended Indiana Pacers forward, the fight that broke out during the fourth quarter of the South Carolina-Clemson football game on Saturday would have been the story that all those who follow sports would be wringing their hands over right now.
Instead, the extraordinarily disturbing scene that unfolded in Detroit Friday night is dominating the airwaves and print. The videotape of what started as an on-court shoving match between Artest and the Pistons' Ben Wallace has already been replayed thousands of times, and NBA Commissioner David Stern guaranteed that the story would continue to be everyone's lead when he handed down unprecedented suspensions for Artest (gone for the Pacers' remaining 73 games this season) and teammates Stephen Jackson (30 games) and Jermaine O'Neal (25 games) on Sunday.
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Good for Stern. He quickly recognized that, regardless of provocation -- and there was, without question, provocation -- players cannot go into the stands. Period. The players will appeal and correctly point out the awful behavior of the fans, part of a disturbing trend, but that doesn't matter. Stern did something too rare in sports today: He acted, swiftly and decisively.
One would not have expected the same of Andrew A. Sorensen and James F. Barker, the presidents of South Carolina and Clemson, respectively. The fight that broke out in the fourth quarter of Clemson's 29-7 victory Saturday was, in its own way, every bit as ugly as the Pistons-Pacers riot. The football fight involved dozens of players, most of whom left the sidelines and many of whom ignored state police who came on the field to try to break up the melee. Lou Holtz, South Carolina's 67-year-old coach, who had told his players earlier in the week that he was retiring, was right in the middle, helplessly trying to stop the madness.
To his credit, Holtz was abjectly apologetic and apoplectic when order was finally restored, saying he had never seen anything as appalling in more than 40 years as a football coach. Holtz's comments sharply contrasted with those of Tommy Bowden, his counterpart at Clemson, who called the fights "unjustifiable" but then went on to explain that football is a violent game and that these things sometimes happen.
Apparently, Barker and Sorensen disagree. Yesterday, their schools announced that they would reject any postseason bowl bid they were offered. Good for them. It is about time for some of America's educators to stand up and behave like educators. This is an example of trying to teach athletes and fans the difference between right and wrong.
These incidents are part of a trend in sports. There is so much hype connected to everything in sports today because of nonstop sports talk radio and the proliferation of all-sports networks: Pro football, pro basketball, tennis and golf all have 24-hour networks, in addition to the ubiquitous ESPN. The TV networks show highlights of violent behavior over and over, and they constantly offer up angry programming in which people shout at one another as if the question of which rivalry is better than another or which quarterback should start on Sunday is as important as what to do about Iraq. On radio, fans are encouraged to call in and voice hatred for opponents and to complain when their team fails them, as if these failures are somehow destroying their lives.
On-air "personalities" become stars by calling athletes and coaches names. Former Redskins head coach Steve Spurrier has been derided and called -- among other things -- "a pathetic human being" by talk-show hosts in Washington. This past weekend, at the end of what ESPN blaringly calls "Rivalry Week," there was a fight in the stands at the Harvard-Yale game. Harvard-Yale!
The notion of respecting your opponent is long gone in far too many places. At most professional sporting events and big-time college events, the public address announcer is under orders to barely acknowledge the presence of the visiting team. Names are practically whispered during introductions, and good plays are nearly ignored. But the home team makes an entrance surrounded by smoke, fireworks, cheerleaders, blaring music and a screaming announcer. First downs or three-point shots are treated as if man has landed on the moon for the first time. All of which sets up an atmosphere that encourages hostility. Coaches tell their teams constantly: "Everyone in this building hates you. Let's go out there and shut them up."
Perhaps it began in 1993, when a lunatic came out of the stands during a tennis tournament in Germany and stabbed Monica Seles, then the No. 1-ranked female player. The fact that he was given a suspended sentence by a German judge set a terrible precedent. Two years ago a Kansas City Royals coach was attacked on the field by two fans in Chicago. Even golf has been afflicted: At the 1999 Ryder Cup, U.S. fans constantly screamed profanities at European players on the final day.
The NBA's Stern took decisive, immediate action: no hand-wringing, no delays, no excuses. Buried in the news about the basketball suspensions yesterday morning were statements from the commissioners of the leagues that Clemson and South Carolina play in. Both were upset. Both said they would investigate further. Neither said a word about recommending to the college presidents that they turn down the postseason bowl bids that were likely to be extended to the two football teams.
But, to their everlasting credit, Barker and Sorensen acted as swiftly as Stern. So in a sense, a weekend that began as a low point for all of sports may have ended up as a much-needed new beginning. What the two presidents did yesterday was a show of guts and integrity not seen in big-time college athletics in a good long while.
The writer is the author of "The Punch," a book about a famous pro basketball fight, and, with co-author Red Auerbach, "Let Me Tell You a Story."
