I thought routing the opponent was basically the goal of pretty much any sport played on any level. Apparently the body that governs the state of Connecticut's high school athletics frowns upon it as unsportsmanlike. Starting this fall, a football team that beats its opponent by 50 or more points will risk a one game suspension to its head coach. Say what? Just as it is never right to taunt an opponent or intentionally run up the score (throwing a double reverse flee-flicker on 4th down leading 45-0 in the 4th quarter), it is never right to ask a coach to let the opposing team score or tell his offense to turn over the football to avoid a blowout. As a player/coach on the winning team, I'd rather end the game prematurely or play with a running clock than submissively let the other team back into the game. On the losing end, I'd expect the other team to give me their best. In what other ways could I judge my own abilities or those who play for me? The Connecticut high school football "score management" policy is a bush league rule for sissies. I feel bad for players and coaches who lose a game in blowout fashion. But if they can't cope with it themselves, maybe they should find other hobbies.