Sentencing for a manslaughter or murder trial typically is a somber affair, and for good reason. One family mourns the loss of a loved one, even as justice is served. Another family watches one of its own sent away to prison - or death.
So it comes as no surprise that court personnel in Seattle were embarrassed by Judge Beverly G. Grant when she took the bench Friday and asked everyone in the court to say, Go Seahawks! in anticipation of Super Bowl XL. The surprise is that Grant thought the gesture was appropriate in the first place.
The Pierce County Superior Court was aghast when Grant began the proceedings by calling for the cheer, then pulled the old That wasn't good enough
let's hear it again trick.
Grant said she thought the cheer would diffuse the tension that permeated the courtroom, but her behavior is inexcusable. She is yet another example of the inflated value of athletics in this society. From hooligans brawling over European soccer rivalries to unmitigated Buckeye football fever, from overcharged parents threatening umpires on little league sidelines to father-son duos emerging from Comiskey Park stands and attacking a first base coach, people take sports too seriously.
Sure, sports have value. At their best, they teach teamwork, discipline and respect. And even if they weren't providing any social betterment, they still would provide hours of entertainment.
But somewhere along the line, those hours have increased to 24, with ESPN and its imitators have emerged to consume the lives of sports fans. Internet message boards and fantasy sports leagues have compelled people to spend hours agonizing over hypothetical trades and lineup cards. And there has always been gambling.
Though all of these institutions are abused by modern sports fans, none of them are inherently bad, save for perhaps gambling. The problem is people's letting themselves get sucked in, becoming consumed with games intended for entertainment and fun. For too many people, life is a diversion from sports, when clearly it should be the other way around.
Incidentally, some karmic force probably intervened and handed Grant's Seahawks a crushing loss. It serves her right. 17
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Sports fanaticism has no place in court
