Does any (informed) fan … yeah right … actually KNOW the history of “running up the score” in sports, and ...

Question

... why it has a “perceived” bad connotation?

Can anyone actually put this into the correct context besides just cheerleading and namecalling?

And how its “initial” controversy has affected the other major sports? (and at different levels? High school, collegiate, pro?) (talking the modern era now, not back in the early 1900s)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_up_the_score

some food for thought ... and perspective; (not that wikipedia is the automatic source of truth)

Just as I thought …

it appears that either no one knows the history OR just decided not to share their knowledge by answering the question.

Either way, I think this issue pivots on a few points …

- Do boxers run up the “score”? I wonder why not.
- If pros are paid by their accomplishments, and have their contracts arbitrated (which compares their results (aka “stats”) w/ their peers), shouldn’t they put their best foot forward? Since, it IS a business, and it IS their livelihood.
- w/ the exception of baseball, in the era of salary caps, aren’t all pro teams given the same “baseline” to be good? (i.e. there is more parity in pro sports)
- if a game is already “decided” before the clock runs out, then why is the loser still given chances to score? Get off the field then. Obviously the game is NOT decided.
- Playoff berths can come down to ties, which can be decided by points scored.

- Several teams have shown the ability to orchestrate jaw – dropping comebacks, implying that a game isn’t over until the clock has expired.

Since no one referenced the TRUE history in their answer, I will give best answer to the person who best exemplified the principle. It’s totally different when the Florida State of the 80s and 90s beat up a Div II school, and when the Pats blow out their competition. Totally different. When the Redskins were put on the Patriots schedule, did everyone say, “oh look, another EASY game against an unmatched opponent”. No, because they’re both PRO TEAMS! But, being the typically ignorant Americans that many of you are, most do not even know how to make a consistent argument.

Case in point “unwritten rules”. Um, if it’s unwritten, then it’s NOT a rule, and you CAN’T hold anyone accountable to it. Another case in point, “ms berlytea”. I’m neither a Pats fan or anti- Pats fan, but I don’t see anything wrong w/ them winning by large margins and trying to score late. The more I hear people badmouth the Pats, the more I find that I’m supporting them, because of other people’s stupid arguments. Unfortunately, your comment confirms that you are exactly the type of person that this question was designed for. Not only did you totally misunderstand what I was asking, but you came up w/ an unrelated answer which was supposed to somehow excuse your ignorance of the subject, and then tried to insult me by mis – stererotyping me; implying that I was a fan of the Dolphins. When the ironic reality is that I support what the Pats (and any other high scoring, competitive team) are doing. So your ability to judge can be compared to your ability to comprehend. Abysmal.

Silly little girl. Obviously your ignorance precludes you from performing such a simple task of doing a simple internet search and informing yourself (albeit, not a guaranteed correct answer, but at least some perspective). So you are basically CHOOSING to not only BE ignorant, but REMAIN ignorant. Your answer also implies that you’ve never really had any experience in any type of competition or in a team atmosphere. After all, you don’t need to be a professional athlete to have an opinion about professional sports. You just need to be able to caveat your opinion by stating that you can’t speak from experience. Anyway, good luck as the Lunch Lady. Hope that works out for you.

Answer 1

i think if a team has a problem with the score they need to talk to their defense instead of whinning about how bad they got beat

Answer 2

The history goes back as long as we have kept score in games. There are unwritten rules in every sport that apply when the score and duration left in the contest leave little doubt as to the outcome. In baseball we were always taught that a nine run lead after the sixth inning made the game a little different. You still played hard, you just didn't do things to manufacture runs. You wouldn't bunt or steal, you took one base at a time, etc. In football you stop passing the ball when the time left does not allow the opposing team enough possessions to make a comeback. In 2004, Manning had an opportunity to throw for his 48th td pass against the Ravens. The Colts had the game in hand late in the 4th quarter. The colts had the ball on the Ravens 7 yard line with about 1 1/2 minutes left. Manning took a knee three times. Immediately after the last snap, Ray Lewis crossed the line of scrimmage and shook Manning's hand apparently thanking him for the respect he showed the Raven defense by not taking two or three more shots at the end zone when it wasn't needed.

Answer 3

I dont know about pro sports but in popwarner they have the old "mercy rule" because if the teams are that bad the coach will try to run up the score to buff the players stats. Thats look down upon A. because they are kids and B. because its supposed to be a team sport and should not celebrate individual accomplishments. Throwing a touch down pass when the game is already won so that Joe Quarterback's stats look better is not a team oriented thing to do.

Answer 4

Excellent question. In 1783, Ben Franklin (co-owner of a pro football team called the Philadelphia Landowners & Dairy Farmers) had just finished construction on the worlds first electric scoreboard. To demonstrate its various uses, he instructed his team to score as much as possible. In fact, wikipedia states that he instructed his team to try and score 100 points, even though his team was playing the Sisters of Blessed Relocation and had just that year formed a team.

After each score, Ben Franklin, himself, would run up to the top of the scoreboard via a skateboard ramp and scream and wave wildly. It was originally called "running up the scoreboard" but has since been shortened to "running up the score" since no one appears interested in electricity anymore. The outlawing of skateboard ramps didn't help either.

I hope that you found this helpful.

Answer 5

Randle F- clearly stated the difference between Dungy/Manning and Bellichick/Brady. 'nuff said.

Answer 6

honey we are FANS because we are uninformed-we just love the game...otherwise we'd be commentators.