Discussion » Questions » Sports » Why is it considered unsportsmanlike to completely blowout the opposing team?
Livvie

Why is it considered unsportsmanlike to completely blowout the opposing team?

USA got a lot of criticism for beating Thailand 13 to 0 during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.  In 2009, the coach for Covenant School in Dallas TX got fired after the girl’s basketball team beat Dallas Academy 100 to 0.  

My own state has mercy rules for high school sports in the smaller classes to prevent blowouts.  If a team is up by 35 or more at halftime then they just run the clock continuously for the rest of the game.  So, if a team’s giving another team a complete butt-kicking, what exactly are they supposed to do for the rest of the game?  I asked my husband about this.  His opinion is that the winning team should just give all of its benchwarmers playtime at that point, which doesn’t always work.  In the 2019 high school football season in South Dakota, Pierre beat Spearfish 103 to 0, and Pierre was down to playing its fourth string in the last quarter.  People wanted the state government to step in and impose mercy rules on the larger classes in high school sports after that game.

Posted - February 25, 2021
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Responses


  • 53504

     

      I say fight to the last second, moida da bums.
    ~

      February 25, 2021 7:49 PM MST
    6

  • 17592
    I'm from Alabama.  In football we  consider a 50 point lead enough.
      February 25, 2021 10:21 PM MST
    6

  • I played football (soccer for you) in the community football league when I was a kid and a teenager.  I never heard that is was unsportsmanlike to rout the other team.  My team lost 6-0 once and we lost 5-0 once.  We also stopped other teams from scoring in games.  When we beat the other team 4-0 or 5-0, we were congratulated.  When we lost 5-0 or 6-0, we had to practice more.
      February 25, 2021 10:35 PM MST
    5

  • 34251
    We are taught to be good winners. And some believe that beating the other team so dominantly is like bragging. 

    Personally I am ok with mercy rules for kids. But not for pros. 

    Growing up we played baseball/softball with a 10 run mercy rule. If you got to 10 run lead the other team got one more at bat and if they did not score then the game was over.

    Some games we played to a number normally 21 or 13 to 0. (Basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, yard darts) 
      February 26, 2021 9:29 AM MST
    4

  • 1498
    I suppose the manner of it has to be taken into account. But the balancing act is tricky when it's also disrespectful to decide to play at a lower level.
      February 26, 2021 12:06 PM MST
    4