Classiness in sports is overrated

“When you are as great as I am it is hard to be humble.” — Muhammed Ali.

This was one of many quotes from Ali that is now celebrated. It’s not classy, just classic.

So why is this celebrated while every other arrogant and cocky thing that has been said and done in the past 20 years is scrutinized and looked down on? People put too much stock into sports figures not being classy. For God’s sake it’s a game. These people are professional entertainers.

I don’t know exactly when people stopped liking players that were loud and obnoxious. A case can be made for the late ’90s with the hated Pistons in the NBA and the flashy Hurricanes in college football. But why?

Sports needs villains. Nobody would have watched Star Wars if the empire didn’t strike back. I was hoping that a few years ago the Heat would have been a villain, but people only seemed to like them after the first year. The Seahawks could easily be that team, but Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson are too good at getting people to like them. There is no villain in sports right now.

The problem is that nobody thrives on being hated in sports right now, or at least very few athletes do. No team wants to be hated. Some teams, like Ohio State, pick up the “us against the world” mantra for a brief time then quickly shy away from it once people are on their side.

I don’t understand why people should look down on Johnny Manziel money signs, or Gronk spikes or Jared Allen roping cows. They are playing a game and adding flare for everyone to enjoy. People despise bat flips, trash talking and 3-pointer goggles. They get frustrated with touchdown celebrations, pimping home runs and hanging on the hoop. There is no real reason to hate these things.

The disdain for these things is because people have this notion of classiness in sports. However, there is no real reason for us to criticize how people act in a game as long as there are no reckless injuries.

There is no reason for us to hate celebrations, trash talking and cockiness. You can’t tell me a reason that isn’t obscure and has to do with infringing on tradition or “classiness.” Let them talk, let them showboat and let them play. It’s entertaining and good for sports, despite popular opinions.

— Jeffrey Dahdah is a junior majoring in journalism. Ironically, he is a huge fan of the most classy sports fan base in the world, the St. Louis Cardinals. Tom Izzo is his personal protege. You can contact him via email at dahdahjm@gmail.com or on Twitter @dahdahusu.