When kids begin to play Pop Warner football, their parents try to teach them to be good sports. They tell them to always congratulate the other team, be gracious in defeat and that there is no “I” in team. Most of the kids who hear these speeches are around the age of nine. So one would think professional athletes would have good sportmanship. Well, someone forgot to tell Richard Sherman.
In the NFC Championship game a few weeks ago, Sherman tipped the potential game winning pass from Colin Kaepernick to receiver Michael Crabtree. This forced an interception that guaranteed Sherman’s Seattle Seahawks a 23-17 victory over Kaepernick’s San Francisco 49ers.
After the game was over, Sherman was interviewed by Fox Sports reporter Erin Andrews and he was not shy about sharing his opinions about himself and Crabtree.
“Well, I’m the best corner in the game,” Sherman shouted into Andrews’ microphone. “When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that’s the result you’re going to get! Don’t you ever talk about me!” When Andrews asked who had been talking about him, Sherman simply responded “Crabtree,” telling the receiver not to talk about him and not to “open [his] mouth about the best or I’m going to shut it for you real quick!”
This interview has been the root of a lot of controversy over the last few weeks, morphing from a simple case of bad sportsmanship to the basis for accusations of racism because some fans took to calling Sherman a “thug” because of his actions. Some even went as far as to use the N-word in reference to the 25-year-old cornerback.
Sherman tweeted back to his detractors this past Monday, saying “Last night shows that racism is still alive and well… And that’s so sad… At least some people respect MLKs dream.” Sherman has since apologized for his actions, saying he was sorry “for attacking an individual and taking the attention away from the fantastic game by my teammates “That was not my intent,” he said in a text to ESPN reporter Ed Werder.
This incident has simply been blown way out of proportion. Sherman was interviewed right after he was involved in a key play that led his team to their second Super Bowl berth in franchise history. He should not be made out as a villain and called a “thug” because he flew off the handle while being interviewed only minutes after a big win by his team.
However, his actions should not be condoned either. The overall reason why Sherman has caused such a firestorm of controversy is because American s hate a sore winner.
While his interview should not have consisted of a deadpan response, it also shouldn’t have been a conceited rant against an opposing player that overshadowed his team’s accomplishment.
Yes, Sherman lost his cool at the end of one of the most important games of his career, but he could take a lesson from those kids that play Pop Warner. He should have given credit to the 49ers, who played hard and made it a close game, in addition to mentioning his teammates like linebacker Malcom Smith, the player who actually made the interception to win the game.
The “best corner in the game” should take a lesson from Pop Warner football. Sherman plays professionally he should have tried to act like professionally in his postgame interview.
