tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013770732504059370.post7262951212669159850..comments2020-02-05T02:50:46.946-08:00Comments on Nugget Newspaper - Sisters, Oregon News, Opinion, Blog: The era of the cheap shoteditorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18298399110078317876noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8013770732504059370.post-23030443795373254372012-04-24T14:01:20.189-07:002012-04-24T14:01:20.189-07:00The real losers here are the thousands of young me...The real losers here are the thousands of young men and women who naturally emulate their sports "heroes". For every professional player, there are hundreds of youth, high school, college, and semi-pro players. These players learn from observing the best in their sports, the pros. The sad messages that are being conveyed by these de facto role models pollute the ranks of sports at all of these levels. I advocate competing as hard as one possibly can within the boundaries of the rules of the game, but cheap shots with intent to harm, and cheating of any form must be punished immediately and severely, at all levels, especially the pros. <br /><br />That message must be delivered by coaches, managers, owners, and yes, parents, because until the "win at all costs" mentality that pervades our culture is reversed, actions like those that you mentioned will be tacitly celebrated, rather than soundly condemned. I think that Roger Goodell is on the right track. Gary Bettman needs to go to school on Goodell's tactics and strategies.<br /><br />John C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com