Look out losers, your wallet may be at stake.
A bizarre global soccer story brings this warning to life. Establishing a new record for goals scored, the newly-crowned Madagascan champion team AS Adema cruised to victory 149-0 in a top national match against Stade Olympique l'Emyrne (SOE).
(Note: 149 is not your average margin of victory, not even in bowling. So what happened there, SOE?)
After SOE coach Ratsimandresy Ratsarazaka lost his temper with a referee, his team protested by repeatedly kicking the ball on its own goal, somehow scoring 149 goals in the process. What an embarrassment for the fans and an insult to the game this was, and what an outing for the goalkeeper.
Having played goalie, I certainly wouldn't stand for my teammates making a mockery of the sport by firing away to give our opponents no say in the matter.
But the goalie was in the scheme, too, I'm sure, and so the entire team got fined for a creative defense of their head boss.
SOE was a surprise guest to the second round of the African Champions League this season, an underdog against AS Adema, and so the players went all out -- just out the wrong way.
I think we all can agree the display was beyond overreacting.
SOE apparently would prefer the bizarre loss and penalty than to play in a badly-called game. Did they think it was a case of two wrongs making a right?
Perhaps there should be fines for teams that allow themselves to be annihilated. It would give the referees a weapon against unruly players and might prevent the referees from getting violent as break up fights that clear the benches (think hockey, baseball and occasionally Virginia soccer).
I'm not saying they need to fine every team that loses by 10 in soccer or is the victim of a 20-run slaughter in baseball. Just once in a while, it should motivate some of these slumping squads to put up a good fight or take a pay cut.
Take a look at the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, a team scorned for repeatedly missing the playoffs except once in a blue moon when it grabs a No. 8 seed before ducking out early. Taking some dough from them after their next 50-point loss should encourage more careful planning and execution on and off the court.
Even if the fine doesn't go directly to the player, a salary cut to the organization certainly will motivate the players to step up a notch.
Money doesn't motivate all players, true, and in fact the fines would just represent a sort of checkpoint to make sure that professionals aren't just going out and spending their allowances without caring about winning or losing.
I would not apply this idea to the college scene, except in the rare cases where banking accounts do come into play. When players and coaches have tried to earn a little extra money by gambling and shaving points to lose, they've deservedly been penalized.
Take away individual sports, too, even if it's a cyclist climbing up a mountain slower than I could walk it or a tennis player quitting midway through a match for personal reasons. Disorderly conduct I'll go along with, but we shouldn't spoil the competition of eight compeititors with the fining of one who couldn't finish.
Obviously, it would be difficult to draw the line on fines for losing, but it doesn't appear I'll be on the ruling committee in any professional team in the near future, so rest assured all lowly teams.
Even if the game goes downhill because of a coach's tantrum or the submission of several players, there's no reason to lose control. Remember, there's still a goal to score on, and it's not your own.
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