When did the decline professional sportsmanship begin?  Was it just recently with the likes of Terrell Owens and Randy Moss?  Maybe it started with "Neon" Deion Sanders.  Or was it Broadway Joe, bragging to the press, and showing no respect for the Colts?  And Ricky Williams doesn't inhale.    Anyone know where Billy "White Shoes" Johnson is?  And if you do, is he still dancing?      

Maybe it wasn't football, where sportsmanship first started disappearing.  Maybe it was boxing with Ali and Frazier running their mouths, or possibly Mike Tyson, biting the ear of an opponent. 

Or it could have been baseball.  Don't play "Mr. Innocent" with us , Kenny Rogers.  Have you shoved any camermen lately?  And of course, we all know by now that Palmeiro didn't lie to Congress about steroid use.  Neither did Mark McGwire.  And Barry Bonds didn't know the contents of that salve he was putting on his 10 million dollar body.  

And don't you basketball players try and hide.  I see you over there, Artest.  Seen any good fights in the stands lately?  And then we have Kobe, who brings so much character to the game of round-ball.

Dont' get me wrong.  There are some fine examples of true sportsmanship in the pro ranks, but it seems to be a disappearing comodity.  There are still a few "gladiators" of sportsmanship, but that number is decreasing, such as with the recent retirement of Jerome Bettis.  Hopefully there will be others to fill that void and to lead by example.

Wikipedia defines sportsmanship as a "conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants, including a sense of fair play, courtesy towards opponents and teammates, showing a striving spirit, and grace in losing". 

Today, the fan can witness his "hero" talking trash, spiking the ball, dancing in the end zone, ignoring fans, flipping off fans, attacking fans, spitting in an opposing players face or an official's face, kicking an opponent, attacking there own coach, attacking their team-mates, taking performance-enhancing drugs or other forms of doping and then lie about it. They blame their teammates, blame the coach, blame the press, never taking responsibilty for their actions.  It's the same B.S. over and over again.

Where are the days, when a player scored a touchdown, he just tossed the ball to the ref and trotted to the sideline.  Where are the days, when a basketball player made his shot, turned and went back down to defend his goal, without thumping his chest and hanging out his tongue?  Where are the days when an umpire made a call, without being spit on or having dirt kicked on him by a player or coach. 

I don't watch the game to see you do a break-dance in the end zone.  I don't want to see you charge a fan in the stands.  I don't want to hear about your gansta connections.  I don't want to hear about how you're under-paid and under-appreciated.  I don't want to see a police  mug shot of your face on the ten o'clock news.  I don't want to hear you dump on your teammates.  I don't want to see how long you can hang on a rim.  I don't want to see you dunk a football over the goal posts.  I don't need to see you jump up into the waiting arms of fans after scoring a touchdown.  I could go on and on, but I won't.

There are those that say today's athletes are just showing enthusiasm in their actions.  I don't remember Jim Brown, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, Mike Singletary, Lynn Swann, or Mean Joe Greene doing dance steps, spiking the ball or taunting the opposing team.  I don't remember Bob Gibson, Whitey Ford, Roger Maris, Hank Aaron, Thurman Munson, and Roberto Clemente complaining about being under-appreciated.  Can't remember Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Jerry West, Earl Monroe, or Rick Barry doing the trash talking that takes place on today's courts.  Can't seem to picture Floyd Patterson, Rocky Graciano or Joe Louis shooting off their mouths. 

Maybe I'm a dying breed, a fifty something fan that longs for the days of more gentlemanly sportsmanship.  But as long as the fans are acceptable of such unacceptable behaviors and continue to pay the price of a ticket, those days will just be memories.  The decline of sportsmanship began with athletes not being held accountable for their actions both on and off the field.  Not by their teammates, coaches, owners, press or the fans.