The unwritten rules of modern day change

 

Every so often, you hear it. Buzz in the sports world about code… about character… and more specifically, about unwritten rules.

Usually, when it comes up, in the main discussion points there is a little bit of bravado involved… swagger… and (more specifically) complaints about the way things would be in an old school league. This, after all, according to reporters and announcers and more, is not the way they would have done it in another day.

It’s the pitcher that would place you quickly on your behind for showboating (and the umpire that would look the other way when the pitcher did).

You know the drill.

Many of the ideas surround showboating and self-policing. But before we drive down the road into whether or not the times are changing the games we watch, a story…

There’s a legendary tale about Ted Williams. (Ok, yes, there are lots of legendary tales about Williams. And this one is so legendary and well-told I’m even going to treat generically, without a source. But there are plenty that have heard it and will acknowledge it’s out there, with most believing it definitely could have a foundation in reality.)

A team was playing against the Red Sox, and a young catcher was getting upset at the calls Williams was having go his way. He complained to the umpire about it.

“Son.” The umpire is reported to have replied, “if Mr. Williams didn’t swing, it wasn’t a strike.”

So, yes, reputations are earned. Status is earned. Preferences and actions that border on having a toe over the line into rule violation territory are granted. There is such a thing as superstar privilege. We may not fully respect when such things happen, but we need to understand that they most certainly do. By not acknowledging it, we’re being quite naïve about the games we watch and the teams we support.

That in place… what do you think about the player, on a team down by 24, that jumps up after rushing for five yards and a first down to deliver a cheerleading demonstration lasting three acts plus an encore to celebrate his accomplishment?

Because that crap bothers me.

I want to believe that most of the unwritten rules are pretty stupid. And, maybe stupid is a wrong word, but they definitely need to be glanced at and re-unwritten for today. You can have a player deliver an emotional response to an event, and there doesn’t need to be an accusation of showboating or poor sportsmanship. Sometimes people are just happy… or just mad. Freud might admit that occasionally a cigar is just a cigar. Let it go, appreciate the passion.

My issue with it is situational. I roll my eyes when a player delivers something that appears selfish or way out of line with the entirety of what is playing out. It’s not a call to teammates to raise their energy. It’s dancing around because the spotlight is on. And for me, that wears thin.

If people want to get mad because a batter swings at a 3-0 pitch, that’s ok I suppose. I’m going to shrug my shoulders. If people want to get mad because the quarterback is throwing deep late in a game with a large lead, they can kick their feet. I’m likely to be wondering why you’re not mad the defense couldn’t stop them.

The idea you should take from this is that I’m trying to say I’m not prickly and fussy, nor am I set in what might be best described as old days ways. Emotions are good. Acting like it’s not the first time you’ve scored a touchdown or hit a home run… being a professional… doesn’t mean you can’t smile and enjoy and even dance a bit (literally and figuratively).

In baseball, there are about forty-five unwritten rules about stealing bases. Don’t do it when too far ahead. Don’t do it when too far behind. Don’t get caught stealing third with two outs. When written out, some of them make a lot of sense strategically. Most runners can score from second on a base hit, so why end the inning trying to gain a few feet that might not change your ability to score. But most of the unwritten rules are more about respect than action.

Don’t run across the pitcher’s mound. Don’t go for it on fourth down with a lead. When you start investigating the possibilities in all sports you find out that most of them… almost all of them… have nothing to do with actual game play. Seems like they’re unwritten because they’re more pet peeves than gameplay tactics or rules.

For years I fully believed this about pro sports. If you want to enjoy a professional baseball game, see it in person. Watching it on television is horrible. If you want to enjoy a professional football game, see it on television. Watching it in person is horrible. I believe this to the current day.

Those are oversimplified statements, but I stand by the realities of them. And in many ways, they present a great summary of what I’m trying to say.

Times change. Better sound gathering equipment and improved high definition cameras and all the advances of technology have moved the games to new places. There’s nothing in that idea to discuss. It is truth.

In similar fashions, sticking just with baseball here, the players of today might not even be aware of the idea of the history of pitching mound height or other changes through the ages. Try explaining to anyone that wasn’t around fifty years ago… before interleague play and broadcast options delivered several games a year for every team into your home… about why the baseball All-Star Game had meaning and emotion. Other sports have similar moments of seismic shifts, even if just for free agency considerations.

Unwritten rules can exist. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need new understandings. You can’t always judge the play of today by the rules of yesterday. (No matter what the announcers try to tell you.)

 

If you have any comments or questions, please e-mail me at Bob@inmybackpack.com