Sports Issues to Ponder

After every foul shot in basketball, why does the shooter touch hands with each of his teammates on the court? Also, why do many baseball players feel compelled to adjust their batting gloves after every pitch? Lastly, why do many tennis players bounce the ball ten times before serving?
When a hockey player receives a legal body check that stops play, why do his teammates start a fight with the perpetrator when, if a legal tackle or block in football creates a stoppage, no one starts a fight?
Why does professional hockey tolerate fighting far beyond that of other professional sports? Do you accept the answer that “it is an integral part of the game?” Segregation used to be an integral part of southern life.
How do so many people absolutely know what a coach should do in order for his team and players to succeed? Why don’t owners hire these geniuses?
After a baseball pitcher hurls a perfect game and duplicates every pitch in every way from this contest in his next game against the exact same lineup in all the same situations, yet gets blasted, does he deserve blame for this performance? Scientifically speaking, isn’t it always a hitter’s performance that determines a pitcher’s greatness and not really the pitcher’s actions? How can it scientifically be proven that a complete game shutout is the result of good pitching and not bad hitting?
Isn’t it foolish to say that a player in any sport who has been on one or more championship teams is a champion himself and, therefore, should be validated as “great or the best” before others who have never been on a championship team? Trent Dilfer was a quarterback on a championship football team, and Dan Marino was not. Who was better? Would Tom Brady have the same statistics, have “won” any championships, and be as highly regarded as he now is if his entire career were spent with the Detroit Lions of his time period? In team sports, how should true champions and the best individual players be determined?
Let’s make a rule, such as baseball has, that all managers and coaches have to wear the same uniform as the players. Can you imagine Bill Belichick in full football gear, Gregg Popovich in a skimpy basketball uniform, or any NHL coach wearing hockey equipment on the bench?
Is the true test of an athlete in the struggle or the outcome? In a sprint race involving three people, if the world record holder stumbles and the eventual first place finisher records his worst time ever while the third contestant, a physically handicapped individual, greatly eclipses his personal best time, who is the real champion? How should winning be defined? Should the definition vary at different levels? Is someone who finishes first always the greatest winner?
Is someone a #1 athletic star because he/she has the most talent, actually performs the best, exerts the greatest effort, or has the lowest differential between potential and accomplishment? Which of the four or what combination would you choose? Would you add other categories? How would each be defined?
When someone misses a foul shot late in a closely contested basketball game, is it always because he was tired or “feeling the pressure?” Doesn’t anyone just simply miss?
When compared to many others who are enshrined, why shouldn’t Pete Rose be in the Baseball Hall of Fame?
Was the prosecution of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens a poor use of resources, time, and energy? Would it be better to investigate possible illegalities and/or shortcomings of Congress?
Why do people “fall all over themselves” worshipping someone because he is consistently the best at hitting a small white ball into a small hole with the fewest number of strokes? Couldn’t all sports be reduced to their true trivial nature compared to real life?
What is the greatest single asset necessary to cause a major upset in athletic competition?
How lowly-ranked a male opponent would the #1 ranked female tennis player in the world need to play before she had a decent chance of winning a set, if ever?
In baseball, even if a starting pitcher is experiencing no difficulties, why has a pattern developed to replace him with a setup man followed by a closer?
What constitutes “disrespect” between professional athletes? As one example, why does football penalize verbal taunting and physical celebrations, yet baseball leaves it to the pitcher to throw a 95 mph fastball at a rival’s head if the latter were judged to have committed a “disrespectful” action?
There have been many athletic records established that people believe will never even closely be approached, but how about the fifth set (70-68) at Wimbledon between John Isner and Nicholas Mahut in 2010?
Even though it seems to be ingrained in human DNA for people to be “Monday morning quarterbacks,” is there anything more pompous? Sadly, there probably is.
What is your attitude toward the tremendously high salaries many athletes receive when teachers, nurses, social service workers, etc. receive far less?
When athletes give credit to God after a victory, I wonder why he favored them over the opponent?
Why do fans need to be absolutely silent during points of a tennis match, whereas almost anything is allowed in other sports at critical moments?