Tackling a defenseless opponent from behind and inflicting an injury -- if such an act in utter disregard of the rules is permitted, sports cannot work.
A player of the distinguished American football team of Nihon University (Nichidai) made a dangerous tackle against a quarterback of the opposing team from Kwansei Gakuin University and injured him. The player of the Nihon University team repeated rough plays thereafter and ended up being ejected.
The Kantoh Collegiate Football Association has banned the player in question from participating in games against other schools and given Masato Uchida, head coach of the Nichidai team, a stern warning. The association's discipline committee is studying final punitive measures. Strict punitive steps are called for.
The Nichidai player tackled the opponent's quarterback from behind about two seconds after he threw a pass. The tackled player fell down, with his legs buckling under him.
When a player is hit defenselessly and unexpectedly, they have an extremely high chance of being injured. According to the official rules of American football, tackling a player is banned after they have thrown a pass. It is obvious that the Nichidai player violated this rule.
Sports that involve fierce physical contact apply strict rules to protect the safety of players. Rough plays in disregard of the rules are indistinguishable from violent acts. They can be denounced as desecration of the game.
That an American football powerhouse disregarded the rules has undermined public confidence in the sport as a whole.
Coach's explanation needed
The Nichidai American football team itself has admitted that it was "a grave violation of the rules." The problem is what caused him to make such a dangerous tackle.
In response to Kwansei Gakuin's request to explain its view of the incident, Nichidai answered that "we haven't given any instruction to intentionally carry out violent acts." The Nichidai team has offered clarification, saying, "There was a discrepancy between what was instructed and what was perceived by our player." Its assertion is that the malicious tackle was not directed by the head coach.
Kwansei Gakuin considers it problematic that, among other things, there was no sign of Uchida or the other staff sternly reprimanding the player who made the dangerous tackle. There are many convincing points as to Kwansei Gakuin's assertion that "there can be no alternative but to suspect that the head coach and other coaching staff have permitted [such dangerous plays]."
Uchida should explain the background behind the dangerous tackle in his own words.
Autonomy has been valued highly in the management of collegiate sports. While this can be a good thing, it has the negative effect that instructions of athletic associations are hard to enforce among the universities.
A Japanese version of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) of the United States is scheduled to be established for the comprehensive administration of collegiate sports. Efforts must be made to bolster not only earning capacity but also governance.
The video clip showing the dangerous tackle has spread quickly online. Now is a time when malicious acts cannot be swept under the rug. Players and their coaches are called on to keep this in mind.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 19, 2018)
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