High schoolers showed college football players what the game is really about (opinion)

I just went to a great college football game.

The second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes were defeated by the Michigan Wolverines, the underdog. Ohio State was devastated by this setback because it eliminated their chances of winning the National Championship.

What followed was so upsetting that I felt compelled to share my feelings.

There was an altercation instead of handshakes. A handful Michigan players’ repulsive actions sparked the altercation.

It doesn’t matter who initiated the dispute.

This conduct is not appropriate during a sporting event. A fight completely negates the competition’s relevance and the game’s goal.

My father, Dr. Ben Sherman, who was the team physician at Lafayette High School for 60 years and a pioneer in sports medicine, established a rule fifty years ago that teams must line up at the 50-yard line and shake hands after each game.

The PSAL system in New York City has carried on such legacy.

Seeing two teams who have fought to win acknowledge each other’s accomplishments or shortcomings is a lovely sight.

Losing a well-played game is not a cause for shame. The victory is all the more important because of the victor’s sweet humility.

After a hostile bout, boxers, wrestlers, and hockey players usually give each other hugs.

They line up to congratulate the basketball teams. I still can t figure out why they do not do this in professional baseball. Congratulating your opponent is a good custom.

An iconic football matchup is the Michigan vs. Ohio State tradition. It was unacceptable what transpired after the game.

Both teams’ coaches ought to receive criticism. Both teams should be excluded from post season play. It was saddening that millions of viewers and young athletes witnessed this event and may have left the game thinking that such behavior is justified.

Never is! This behavior must not be tolerated at all. Otherwise, sports will have no purpose.

I just completed watching another football game. I was on the sidelines of the PSAL City championship of Curtis High School vs. Erasmus Hall High School. Though not at the same level, it had a similar significance as the Ohio State/Michigan game especially for the kids. You could not have watched a more intense game. Two overtimes and the final extra point kick by Erasmus was missed, allowing Curtis to win the game.

There was the expected ecstasy and agony on both sides. Erasmus ballplayers crying like babies as the Curtis players exalted.

Unlike the melee that I had witnessed on TV, the 50-yard line handshake that followed this game was a magnificent spectacle of sportsmanship and dignity. This moment exemplified what the game of football is all about.

Kudos to the ball players and the coaches. They restored my faith in the game of football which I lost the day before. It was a great example to those who witnessed the game.

I only wish that it was on TV in front of millions.

(Dr. Mark Sherman is a Staten Island orthopedic surgeon and co-founder of the Unity Games.)

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