Edition: U.S. / Global

Where Is Sportsmanship?

Published: March 14, 2004

To the Sports Editor:

This ugly incident is indicative of how far sports have approached becoming gladiator spectacles, egged on by the establishment of each sport, and of hockey in particular. This adversarial atmosphere is fostered to titillate the fans, as our Canadian pundit, Don Cherry, does with his most spectacular hits and fights TV piece.

Where is sportsmanship? It doesn't generate as much money and profit. This gratuitous culture of violence could easily be stopped or at least curtailed by the hockey establishment, but it seems everyone is under pressure to squeeze as much money as possible out of the sport. Even though Moore is the main victim, his disabling of a Canucks superstar in an earlier game started the vendetta. We are all poorer for this pugilistic atmosphere.


North Vancouver, B.C.