Try Horse Racing Etiquette

Baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer pros continue to taint their sports with slug fests. Horse racing handles complaints in a civil manner and gets civil results.

While other sports seem to rely on dirty tactics and slugging contests to settle their differences, the Sport of Kings, horse racing, politely deals with complaints. If this is old fashioned, so be it. At least, it is a civil method of arbitration.

I, for one, am sick to death of seeing highly paid sports "heroes" slug it out. What's to fight about? The heat of competition? Bull.

No one was more competitive than I when I played against my dad and brothers, or in intramural games, or with my son in baseball and basketball. We didn't slug. We turned our competitive spirits inward. Players around me made me more determined to achieve. Slugging was never thought of because...why would it be an option? Winning is the motivtion in any sporting event. Excuses to start a slug fest is not athletic. It's barbaric. It's unintelligence. Tell me what slugging achieves, or proves, or improves.

We've had head butting in pro soccer, cavalry charges into the stands and dirty fouls in basketball, and jaw dropping boxing tactics in baseball. Then there's the platform for brawling called hockey. What is all the unrest about?

Men playing sports are the highest paid people on earth. Money to burn is an edge in life. You can do a lot with it. Most persons aspire to have loads of it. "Heroes", you've got it. Do good with it. Stop slugging out your points, to put things in pun perspective. Try writing. It's bloodless and exhilerating. Study the excitement and competitiveness of horse racing. It's civil.

I'm not a big fan of money. Money complicates everything. Money corrupts. However, it's the setup of life. You must have some portion of it to survive. "Heroes", you are making millions playing a sport you love. You're not heroes. Stop double-standarding us (the NBA cares). You are sports machines in positive positions to compete, entertain, teach, and share your blessings.

Knock off the slugging, and let's get on with the real mission in life. Caring.