Post-game handshakes used to offer players a chance to put their rivalries aside and display good sportsmanship.
Increasingly, these post-game ceremonies are ending up on Twitter for all the wrong reasons.
The latest instance of bad sportsmanship came in the Oklahoma City area Sunday.
Oklahoma Christian School defeated Bethel High School in a pair of OSSAA 3A Regional Tournament games over the weekend, first on Friday, then again Sunday. That game, in the tournament final, sends Oklahoma Christian on to the Class 3A championship tournament. Bethel goes home.
One Bethel player didn’t take the loss well. The unidentified player, who was in street clothes, walked along in the handshake line and unloaded a sucker punch at Oklahoma Christian’s catcher.
— @OLDROWVIRAL (@calicocutpant) May 8, 2023
The player who threw the punch then started to chase the catcher before an umpire stepped in and stopped him.
Thankfully — and commendably — players on both teams kept their cool and didn’t start brawling.
The video is reminiscent of an incident after a high school wrestling match in Illinois in April. A viral video shows a player extending his hand to his opponent after winning a match, only to get a sucker punch in return.
For anyone asking what’s wrong with today’s youth, and why are they brawling, just take a look at what they see in the media. Witness the viral video showing Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green punching teammate Jordan Poole last fall.
If those are the examples adults are setting, is it any wonder youth athletes are following suit?
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.