This past weekend what was ostensibly one sport's most important "major" featured the male champion celebrating by playing to the crowd and kissing the trophy even before his opponent finished competing. The same thing happened on the women's side of competition.
But nobody complained ... because nobody watches bowling. So the poor sportsmanship at the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women's Open got lost. Or, if it was a pre-planned celebration to provide emotion for viewers and share the excitement of the victors, it just looked silly.
Men's champ Wes Malott of Texas defeated Jason Belmonte of Australia in their final, and he was high-fiving the crowd while Belmonte finished his final frame. The same happened as women's champ Liz Johnson of New York upended Kelly Kulick of New Jersey.
Champions in all sports almost immediately celebrate their victories, and there's no need for the bottom of the ninth inning if a baseball team is winning a game after eight and a half innings. The game simply ends.
Conversely, if a basketball, football or hockey team has an insurmountable victory late in the game, the game still concludes before the most overt celebrations begin. In the case of this past weekend's bowling, that was not the case.
While their opponents were still competing, the champions were in full celebration mode. And, in the small section of a bowling center used for made-for-TV action, the cramped studio bowling feel made the moments even more awkward.
Still, the approach by the winners was lost because what happened took place on a lightly viewed Saturday afternoon. In addition, the celebrations were conducted by two champions (deserved though they were) who looked more like PTA parents than championship athletes. Had the situation played out that way in some other sport, with the actions by some other athletes, there might actually have been some appropriate reaction to what were inappropriate actions.
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