Post-game Hand Shakes taught at a young age
As someone who grew up playing basically every sport, the post-game hand shake was always a mandated requirement to end the game on a feat of good sportsmanship and respect for the opposing team. Whether you won or lost, coaches and parents always encouraged the post-game hand shake for young children in order to teach them life lessons. But, should this always be the case? In professional sports, referencing them specifically due to their heightened viewership because of television, should athletes always be forced to shake the opposing team’s hand out? Let’s discuss.
Opinion One: No. This social requirement is absurd. Imagine this scenario. You are playing in a professional game where you could make millions of dollars based on individual and team performance. Imagine this game had a lot on the line for you and you lost it during the final seconds. victory was so close, and it was stripped away from you by the other team. Would you in that instance want to shake the other persons hand with all of your passion and emotions running on high? No, you wouldn’t. Instead, you get criticized by the media for not being a good sport, judging you at face value and not considering your emotions at that moment.
Bailing on a Post-game Hand Shake disrespectfully
Opinion Two: Yes. Regardless of any scenario, showing the utmost sportsmanship and respect to the other team and to the game is what makes the sport you get paid millions of dollars to play so special. It shouldn’t matter if you completely get destroy by a team or barely win, showing mutual respect always eases tension and emotions that could be running high at the end of an intense game. As an adult, you sometimes must do things you don’t like. In some instances, this is one of those requirements. Deal with it.
Showing respect for the game is the most important
While I am definitely curious on your unbiased opinion, I would like to share mine to offer an alternative perspective on the controversy. I personally agree with Opinion Two 95% of the time. As an athlete, I do have great respect for the games I played due to the valuable lessons they taught me in the upbringing of my life. I do, however, understand those other 5% cases where my emotions are running too high and going to show respect to the opposing team and the game is not best suited for that exact moment. I do believe this act of respect should be voiced later on, but the exact timing is not necessarily after the game.
What are your opinions on this topic? Just as I did, give relative percentages on what opinions you side with the most!
Thank you for reading. Signing off, Woz.
