Disrespect was front and centre this week in the sports world after basketball fans mocked a star player鈥檚 injury and a soccer team showily celebrated goal after goal -- after goal.
Much of the reaction raised concerns of sportsmanship both on and off the field of play.
At the NBA Finals, Toronto Raptors fans jeered at Golden State Warriors鈥� Kevin Durant, who suffered an Achilles injury in Game 5 on Monday. At the Women鈥檚 World Cup, the U.S. team thrashed first-timers Thailand 13-0 on Tuesday and celebrated each goal no less fervently than the one before.
Depending on who you ask, the behaviour is either excusable or reprehensible.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 totally fine,鈥� said Samantha Kemp-Jackson, host of the Parenting Then and Now podcast, on 麻豆传媒 Channel. 鈥淟et鈥檚 face it, these women are at the World Cup. It鈥檚 probably the culmination of their sports career.鈥�
The World Cup match was enough to make relatively inactive Twitter user Peyvand Mossavat, the head coach of soccer programs at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, sound off online. He called the 鈥渆xcessive鈥� celebration a 鈥�.鈥�
鈥淎t the world stage, to do this is unacceptable,鈥� he said in an interview with CTVNews.ca. 鈥淵ou should feel bad about celebrating it in your opponent鈥檚 face.鈥�
After the Raptors game, some came to the defence of fans, claiming they were celebrating the possession turnover, or that it was human nature to cheer the downfall of an opponent. For Toronto Star sports writer Morgan Campbell, it was apparent that the cheers and jeers were toward Durant.
鈥淭his was not about a turnover, this was about celebrating a serious injury to the other team鈥檚 best player,鈥� he told 麻豆传媒 Channel on Wednesday.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a distinction -- it鈥檚 not fuzzy, I think it鈥檚 pretty clear -- between normal gamesmanship you can expect from dedicated fans and vulgar behaviour,鈥� he added. When Morgan used to report on soccer, he saw fans of other countries clang pots and pans outside Canadian teams鈥� hotels, the type of behavour he said amounts to 鈥渘ormal gamesmanship.鈥�
But reports of Toronto fans swearing at Steph Curry鈥檚 family members and 鈥渟ucker punching鈥� Golden State Warriors fans in Toronto make it clear: 鈥淲e cannot hold up Raptors fans as fans that are better and more righteous in the sports world,鈥� he said.
While the expectations of decorum may seem different for player and fan, both the World Cup and NBA Finals incidents raised the question of team leadership for soccer coach Mossavat.
鈥淭he moment [Durant] was being carried off, what happened? The leadership on the Toronto Raptors team put their hands up in the air and told everybody to be quiet,鈥� he said, referring to players Kyle Lowry, Danny Green and Serge Ibaka who were seen comforting Durant and attempting to calm fans.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 leadership,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he U.S. women鈥檚 team needed [Megan] Rapinoe, the coach, to say 鈥楬ey, calm this down.鈥� To give these young ladies on the pitch some perspective on where they are, where they鈥檙e playing. Let鈥檚 show some class.鈥�
