| Mr Khan said: I disagree. There's no fun in being blown out, period. You might as well just end the thing early in that regard. The kids are there to have fun, not to "play with dignity" or anything like that. Of course, i've always taken a very dim view on the idea that athletics have any virtue other than being a fun, healthy diversion. Concepts of "character building" and school spirit were lost on me in high school, and that remains the case today. |
Not necessarily. Different people are there for different reasons. A lot of aspects of organized sports aren't fun, and there's fun to be had from simply playing whether or not you're getting drilled. It's all a matter of attitude. In high school I always had fun even when we had no chance at winning because all I really cared about was smearing the guy with the ball. As far as I was concerned, the shittier our offense was, the more I got to play.
I think a mercy rule has its place. Particularly in sports where there is no clock, or in something like boxing where someone who is getting his ass handed to him on points is outclassed enough that he may get seriously hurt. But all it does otherwise is spare people the boredom of watching or officiating a one-sided contest. It does nothing to spare anyone any humiliation.
