Tom Izzo Blasts Idea That Handshake Line Be Removed From Games

Sport is a way for athletes to learn valuable lessons about character. They can work together to reach a common goal, communicate well with their peers and others in authority and master the small details to get great results.

Perhaps the most important lesson is how to accept defeat graciously, something that Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard forgot to do on Sunday afternoon.

Howard hit Greg Gard with a handshake after the Badgers lost 77-63. After a tussle ensued. Howard was given a 5-game suspension along with a $40,000 fine. 

It is not surprising that viral or unexpected incidents such as these are arouse many knee-jerk responses. One of those reactions was to suggest that postgame handshake lines be eliminated completely in order to avoid incidents like this. 

This is absurd, says Tom Izzo, Michigan State Spartans coach. He said it in a Monday press conference.

“We’ve already taught these poor 18-year-olds that when you’re told to go to class and you don’t like it, you can leave. We’ve already told these kids if you’re not happy, you can do something else,” Izzo said. “We’ve already told these kids that it’s hard to hold them accountable. And now, we’re going to tell them to not man up and walk down a line on someone who’s kicked your butt and have enough class to shake their hand is utterly ridiculous…Not shaking hands is typical of our country right now.”

He’s absolutely correct. Today’s generation of high schoolers and young adults have been taught that they are entitled to whatever makes them happy, that they can run from anything painful, and that they do not have to act maturely when things do not go their way. It is a way to instill that lesson into young sportsmen.

Because of the one-off brawl, people have come up with the idea to remove the gesture from the equation. It will not solve the problem. Instead, we should demand better character in our coaches and athletes. We expect them to not behave like brats when not being given what they desire. This will create a new generation of Americans who can be hopeful for America’s future.

One would never have thought that a coach of college basketball could be so accurate in diagnosing a problem for our nation.