The Sertoma Football Classic should go away forever, and the closing minutes of Friday's brutal football game makes my point for me.
A few games in recent years have ended early because of fighting and/or unsportsmanlike behavior. Time ran out in Friday's game before any fisticuffs could take place, however there was nothing but trash talking and a few cheap hits in the final three-plus minutes of the game (14-3 Silver victory).
The Blue players, who were doing the majority of the trash talking, were laughing about their antics. They didn't care. They knew that whatever they did would go unpunished because this was the final game of their high school careers. They had nothing to lose.
Some people will say the Blue team's actions came out of frustration. I don't buy that. It's one game that really doesn't mean anything. It's an all-star game for God's sake. It's supposed to be a celebration of your high school career, not a black eye on your high school career.
This kind of stuff is why the game should not be played ever again. It's not fun anymore. It's an embarrassment.
Here is what I think is wrong with the game:
• The site: While it's cool to say you played at Mackay Stadium, the crowds don't warrant playing on a college field. I have a hard time estimating crowds, but I would be surprised if there were 1,000 people there on Friday. Play it at Damonte Ranch, or better yet, play it on a Saturday afternoon at Bishop Manogue.
• The format of the game: You can't see a decent game when the players only have three days to practice. Defenses usually dominate as was the case on Friday. I don't know about you, but I like to see the scoreboard lit up a bit in games like this. The players should have a week of practice to prepare. You might see a much better game if that happened.
When a Sertoma official said he didn't think they could get players to commit to a week, I told him he was wrong. I doubt that many players are working during the summer, and they have the time. You might lose a couple of players here and there, and if you lose a lot every year then you know the game isn't that important to them.
• The date of the game: The ideal thing would be to play a couple of weeks after the season is over, but I realize that cuts into the basketball and wrestling seasons, and there are also some issues with the basketball schedule already. Several of the players that I talked to admitted that they weren't in the same shape that they were during the fall. That's to be expected.
No matter what the game would affect something, whether it be somebody's vacation or another sport. Just another reason not to play it.
I don't blame the fine people of Sparks Sertoma who put the event on each year. Long ago it might have been a great event, but now the players don't have the maturity and don't deserve to play in a game like this.
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We published a column recently about the recent problems at the University of Nevada, and the shooting of wide receiver Brandon Wimberly.
I have the utmost respect for coach Chris Ault and always have. However, he is the head coach, and he's ultimately responsible for his players and their actions on and off the field. Coach Ault is a smart guy and I know he knows this.
He and his coaching staff are the ones recruiting these kids. Is there a reason why they were out around the Freight House District at 2 in the morning?
Maybe athletes need to have off-season curfew! Maybe they need to use their heads and realize what this does to the team and the university. Wait, that would make too much sense.
