The Blame Game
The basketball game between Duke and UConn last week provided one of the most stunning endings in tournament history. UConn looked out of it until late in the game when they made a comeback. Even then, all Duke had to do was run out the last few seconds of the clock to advance. But then something that seemed stranger than fiction happened. An incoming pass was fumbled with the ball ending up in the hands of Braylon Mullins, a guard for UConn from Greenfield, Indiana. Mullins launched a desperation shot from thirty-five feet away, a Hail Mary, a prayer.
I’m not a betting person, but I don’t think Mullins could make that shot more than once in ten attempts. His shot reminded me of another last second prayer involving a Duke team from March Madness in 1992. That was Christian Laettner’s shot at the buzzer in overtime to defeat Kentucky. Laettner’s shot lives for eternity on the internet, and Mullin’s miracle shot will likely live along with it for future generations to marvel at.
It’s what happened immediately afterwards that interests me. The sweat on the players wasn’t dry before the internet was flooded by Duke supporters who wanted to find someone to blame for the loss. The coach was immediately blamed, and then Cameron Boozer, perhaps Duke’s best player, was blamed for an errant pass. I read later that Boozer even blamed himself.
Whether a person is a Duke or U Conn fan, we all witnessed one of college basketball’s most iconic moments. Those of my generation will remember the slogan of ABC’s Wide World of Sports, “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” That is exactly what occurred in the last second of that game. For UConn, it was the thrill of victory, a victory that looked impossible. For Duke fans, the moment was the agony of defeat.
What makes sport so engrossing for athletes, coaches, and fans is that it is unscripted. Who wins and who loses is always somewhat unpredictable, and that’s why we get so caught up in it. Sport often leads to tears, but we don’t know if those tears will be tears of joy or tears of despondency.
The need to find someone to blame seems to be increasing in our society. To attend various meetings or events recently, I had to drive to the north side of Indianapolis. With roadwork slowing traffic on I-65, I took I-465. That’s when I noticed that nearly every other billboard I passed advertised a lawyer or law group, all promising to help drivers or passengers injured in an accident to receive the insurance payout that, by God, they deserved. Of course, no one would deny that dangerous driving and driving under the influence deserve both blame and punishment. However, what struck me from the billboards was that no “accident” is really considered a genuine accident. Someone is at fault; someone needs to be blamed.
We can control much in our everyday lives, but we can never control everything. If we cannot make peace with this truth, we will be consumed with both frustration and anger when life doesn’t bend to our wishes. Sometimes, life just happens. Just ask Braylon Mullins.