Mount Union vs. Whitewater

[billyu2]

I am not a football official; but as a former QB for Mount Union I was in attendance to watch a fantastic football game this past Saturday. Clearly, the Raiders were the better football team this time around in what has become a classic rivalry between these two D3 powerhouses. But in addition to watching my favorite team win this year, I couldn't help but notice what tremendous respect these two great teams showed toward each other. There were very few penalties and none of the "unsportsmanlike conduct" variety. No trash-talking, no extra-curricular push-shove antics, no theatrics just Division 3 football at its best followed by a steady stream on congratulatory hugs and handshakes at mid-field at the conclusion of the game. As I left the stadium this thought also entered my mind: What college football official, at any level, wouldn't have wanted to work a game like this? Hopefully, it will be a repeat in the national championship game next Friday.

[Tom.OH]

MU has been a very good and classy football program for years. Congrats on another year.

[ajmc]

Does anyone really doubt that "Trash talking" is the fuel that ignites most of the really stupid behavior we see on football fields, yet the only level that (even tries) to prohibit it is the one dealing with the LEAST mature players.

It seems astonishing, that collegiate level football would tolerate, if not encourage by virtually ignoring, such unnecessary, out-of place, juvenile behavior, which is also encouraged at the professional level where the game is played by GROWN men.

There is absolutely no doubt, the bad examples displayed routinely at both the collegiate and professional levels filters down and serves as a profound (BAD) example, too often mimicked by interscholastic athletes, where it takes root to poison behavior for those who advance, completing an ugly, stupid pattern of behavior.

[JRutledge]

Trash talking takes place at all levels and is not unique or even absent at any level. You have the occasional game where nothing takes place, but that is rare. I have done multiple D3 games and had a lot of trash talking and more than many high school games. It seems like in this case you have classy programs with classy long time coaches that probably do not tolerate that mess, but most coaches do not seem to take that similar stance.

Peace

[Suudy]

Originally Posted by ajmc

There is absolutely no doubt, the bad examples displayed routinely at both the collegiate and professional levels filters down and serves as a profound (BAD) example, too often mimicked by interscholastic athletes, where it takes root to poison behavior for those who advance, completing an ugly, stupid pattern of behavior.

This. Absolutely. And they are taught it at the HS level at summer camps. We used to officiate the local college's summer football camp scrimmage, and there are f* bombs dropping constantly from the players and their "mentors." It's part of the football culture it seems.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

It seems like in this case you have classy programs with classy long time coaches that probably do not tolerate that mess, but most coaches do not seem to take that similar stance.

And this, too. Many of the coaches we run into are former college players, and they've never seen the classy coach or program. I was fortunate to have played for one. As a player I got mouthy with an official for what I thought was a crappy holding call, and I sat the rest of the game. My coach has ZERO tolerance of trash talking, chippy behavior, cheap shots, etc. And of the schools we do, we had one like that, who's long since moved on (he's now a principal at another school).

Perhaps the classiest coaches aren't former players. My coach wasn't. The classiest coaches I've worked with as an official weren't (or aren't). Perhaps once you get into that trash talking mentality, it's hard to get out of it.

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by Suudy

This. Absolutely.
Perhaps once you get into that trash talking mentality, it's hard to get out of it.

It may be, Once you are ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH the Trash Talking mentality, it's hard to get out of it. Similar to, "Teach a kid to block, he'll eventually learn to hold. Teach a kid to hold, he'll never even consider blocking."