I know that this is a bit of a philosphical discussion, but today's race really started my wondering whether or not the very idea of sportsmanship is dead.
In today's case, I objected to Grosjean's impeding Button, who quite clearly was the faster of the two at that point. Although not in contravention of the existing rules, I felt, and still believe, that such behavior has no place in sport, which has long been a supposed haven from the "dog-eat-dog" mentality of the boardroom.
Indeed, my objection to such behavior goes back decades. I recall one time when Jo Siffert, obviously one of my all-time favorite drivers, was running out of fuel in his Porsche with three laps to go. For those 3 laps, Siffert proceeded to twitch his car back and forth to keep the remaining fuel swirling in the tanks and therefore able to be picked up. A side effect was that his car became very "wide" indeed, making it impossible for the untroubled, faster cars behind him to pass. While on the one hand I applauded his never-say-day attitude, on the other, I decried the obstruction as unsportsmanlike and deserving of penalty.
So, the question is this: Have sports in general, and F1 in particular, become so money-centered that the boardroom philosphy of "win at any price" now universally prevails? Is the very idea of sportsmanship (how you win is at least as important as the winning itself) so quaint as to be totally irrelevant in today's world? If so, do you consider that a loss to humanity or not?
In today's case, I objected to Grosjean's impeding Button, who quite clearly was the faster of the two at that point. Although not in contravention of the existing rules, I felt, and still believe, that such behavior has no place in sport, which has long been a supposed haven from the "dog-eat-dog" mentality of the boardroom.
Indeed, my objection to such behavior goes back decades. I recall one time when Jo Siffert, obviously one of my all-time favorite drivers, was running out of fuel in his Porsche with three laps to go. For those 3 laps, Siffert proceeded to twitch his car back and forth to keep the remaining fuel swirling in the tanks and therefore able to be picked up. A side effect was that his car became very "wide" indeed, making it impossible for the untroubled, faster cars behind him to pass. While on the one hand I applauded his never-say-day attitude, on the other, I decried the obstruction as unsportsmanlike and deserving of penalty.
So, the question is this: Have sports in general, and F1 in particular, become so money-centered that the boardroom philosphy of "win at any price" now universally prevails? Is the very idea of sportsmanship (how you win is at least as important as the winning itself) so quaint as to be totally irrelevant in today's world? If so, do you consider that a loss to humanity or not?
