Monmouth's Bench is Less Than Impressive

Sportscenter glorifies them, high school teams emulate them, fans applaud them. Monmouth's bench has made their way into national headlines this season for their well-thought-out and supposedly-comical celebrations after one of their teammates scores. The first time I saw a highlight of them I laughed. It was funny, it was new, it was creative, yet now we're almost three months into the season and they're still at it. Every game. Every made bucket. It's old and it's time for these players to call it a day and cut the celebrations.

First things first, I will give these guys respect simply because of creativity. There's no doubt that these guys have great ideas, but it's the timing of these celebrations and the message it sends that doesn't sit well with me. There's nothing wrong with celebrating and supporting your teammates, but there is certainly a mature and professional way to go about it. Call me old-fashioned, but I'm not a fan of the touchdown dances in football, big bat flips in baseball, and hand signals that are thrown up after a made three-pointer in basketball. Why? What's the point? Is it a shock that you did what you are supposed to do in your respective sport? Whether it's scoring a touchdown, belting a home run, or hitting a clutch three, that's the point of the game and that's your job as an athlete. Hand the ball to the ref, round the bases, and sprint back to play defense. It's simple, no choreography needed.

Though creative, Monmouth's celebrations are disrespectful

With that in mind, what Monmouth's bench is doing is disrespectful not only to the opposing team but to their own teammates. This has been a very successful season so far for the Hawks; they've taken down UCLA, Notre Dame (who was ranked 17th at the time of that game), and Georgetown en route to a 14-4 overall record and a 6-1 conference record in the MAAC. Why shouldn't these players be excited? They're racking up win after win and enjoying plenty of success, but the issue is that they're not being recognized for their success. Monmouth's bench has taken the attention away from the success of the season with their childish celebrations. The guys who are on the court aren't receiving the praise they deserve for delivering one of the best starts in school history because the TV networks are so infatuated with the bench's celebrations. In no way am I saying that the only players that matter are the ones on the court, but the attention Monmouth receives should most certainly be focused on their wins, not their bench.

Anyone that follows baseball at any level understands that there is a "code" that players follow. If you throw at my guy, I'm going to throw at your guy. If you take your sweet time rounding the bases after a home run then you're going to hear from the pitcher about show boating. That's just how it is, it's about respect for the opponent and respect for the game. Monmouth shows neither of those in their actions and, if they did this in the game of baseball, there would be a whole lot of high-and-tight fastballs being thrown. There just isn't a place for that type of celebration in any sport and it makes you wonder if these guys are more dedicated to their celebrations or to finding their way onto the floor.

I'm sure this is the unpopular opinion, seeing as ESPN and Bleacher Report (among a list of other networks and websites) drool over this group on a nightly basis, so maybe I'm too old-fashioned for my own good. However, I think it's unfair that those guys are taking the attention away from the success their team is enjoying. I think it's unfair that those guys are making a side show of themselves rather than allowing their teammates who are doing the dirty work to enjoy their time in the spotlight. I get it, kids will be kids, but I'm in college and played multiple sports for the 17 years and not once did I play on a team or for a coach that felt celebrations like that were necessary. You show up, you take care of business, and you celebrate in the locker room after the game. Maybe society is changing and the culture around sports is changing with it, but I'm not willing to support a group that jeopardizes the professionalism of one of the most popular sports in the world. It's not funny anymore, it's not cute, it's not necessary. Feel free to pump your fist, high five each other, or yell all you want Monmouth, but the extracurricular activity on the sidelines isn't a good look.

Missouri Inflicts Punishment on Wrong People in Wake of Haith Violations

It's nothing new in the world of college athletics: a coach gets a program in trouble then bolts from the school before he can be disciplined. Guys like Pete Carroll and John Calipari, among a list of others, successfully executed this maneuver a few years ago and now sit, untouched, in their new coaching positions. And now, while Missouri's men's basketball program faces multi-year discipline, former head coach Frank Haith is sitting at Tulsa with, at this point in time, no discipline coming his way.

This shouldn't shock anyone. Everyone knew when Missouri hired Haith that he was a dishonest cheater, yet in 2011 the Tigers brought in the guy who was already gaining national attention for stirring up trouble at the University of Miami. When the investigations settled down, it was discovered that Haith oversaw a $10,000 payment to a recruit while also paying a booster to remain quiet when asked about the topic. Perhaps the biggest issue in all of this, besides Haith's idiocy, was the fact that he had already left Miami in the dust in favor of Missouri, where he received only a five-game suspension. The suspension, in retrospect, wasn't much of a punishment considering the first five games of Mizzou's season that year were against Southern Louisiana, Southern Illinois, Hawaii, Gardner Webb, and IUPUI. Not exactly your list of powerhouse schools, right?

Haith has bolted from two schools at which he violated NCAA rules

Well now here we are, with Haith causing more trouble. This time, however, Missouri is the school that's paying the price while Haith, once again, is avoiding the situation thus far. That's where the NCAA and Mizzou are wrong in where their discipline was placed. They vacated the 23 wins from the 2013-2014 season, took away two scholarships, and self-imposed a postseason ban. Why? The only punishment that could possibly make sense is the decision to strip the scholarships. As for the other two, what purpose do those serve? You can't go back and grant the losing team in those 23 games a win, and the postseason ban is now imposed against kids, and a coaching staff, who have done things the right way. Mizzou is making head coach Kim Anderson's rebuilding project even harder than it has to be, and that's not right.

It's not a secret that Mizzou's athletic department isn't exactly a well-oiled machine, but surely there's at least one person in that department with some common sense. More importantly, where is the NCAA on this? This has become Kim Anderson's problem when he, nor his players, had anything to do with the season(s) that Haith caused trouble in. Yet Mizzou's going to make them pay the price for Haith's violations and the NCAA is going to allow it while not disciplining Haith? You're going to keep this coaching staff and these players out of the SEC and, potentially (though not likely), the NCAA tournament because of something that happened when the majority of these kids weren't even at the school? That's a joke, and it's a bad look for both Mizzou and the NCAA.

What's even worse is that the NCAA allows guys like Haith to stay in a head coaching position. This is his second offense and, I'm sorry, but this isn't baseball. You shouldn't get three strikes. I can understand second chances, but guys like this have no place in the NCAA, especially without any serious discipline. Haith should be punished while he's at Tulsa, but no punishment should fall on their athletic department or on the players on the roster. This is about Haith and his lack of integrity, and the people who are being punished are paying the price for Haith's actions have no control over that.

I had the chance to shadow Mizzou's strength and conditioning coach, Matt Herring, this summer and I was able to see Mizzou play Illinois in St. Louis back in December. This isn't the most skilled team I've seen, but this is a program that has done what it can to rebuild and, from what I have witnessed, has worked extremely hard. These coaches and athletes have a work ethic that should serve as a frame of reference for anyone that wonders what NCAA Division I athletics should be about, and that's why it's impossible to understand why this is the group of individuals that are being punished. This situation that Haith put Mizzou in cannot be changed, but it certainly could be addressed more effectively and it starts with the NCAA targeting Haith with disciplinary action. It's sad to see the wrong people pay the price for a sub-par coach's stupidity.