RIVER CITY JOURNAL; HOW WE ACT VIEWING SPORTS REFLECTS HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES

The latest trend on the sidelines of golf and tennis ought to make us wonder just a little about our species.

You don't see my name on the sports pages of this or any other newspaper. At least not very often.

It just so happens my name has been published on our sports pages twice in the past couple of weeks. In itty-bitty type where they list all the box scores and bowling results.

Here's why.

I've played in two golf tournaments recently, and the teams I've been on have done well enough to be listed as winners. In one tournament, we were the last team in the last flight. That's as low as you can get and still be a winner. In the next tournament, we were at the top of the top flight. That's as high as you can get.

No, the same golfers were not involved in both teams. Just me.

What I found out, having never been on a winning team before, is that the winners get the loot.

Prizes.

Cash.

I had no idea. It's enough to make your head turn.

I've announced to anyone who will listen that I'm ready to turn pro and will gladly give lessons. For a fee, of course. We pros can't give away our precious tips for nothing.

Except for these two tiny mentions on our sports pages -- hey, it's better than getting my name in the Daily Record -- I don't have much to do with sports.

It's not that I don't like sports. I am, in fact, quite a sports fan. I belong to those legions of regular guys who can't do it, but we can watch it all we want.

More than that, I'm a big fan of winning teams. Show me a team that is at the top of the polls or riding a winning crest, and I'll be there rooting with the rest of them.

I don't attend a lot of sports events in person. But when I do, I always am fascinated as much by the displays of human behavior in the bleachers as I am with what's happening on the hardwood or the field. Whenever you get a big bunch of sports fanatics in a confined space, you're bound to see some things that are goofy or downright appalling.

I've been watching a couple of sports on TV a lot in recent weeks that used to be known for have well-behaved spectators. I'm talking about tennis and golf.

The No. 1 reason I like to watch golf is because I like to see the pros make the same silly shots I do. The only difference between me and the pros is that they can par a hole after a really dumb shot and I can't. Other than that, we're just alike. Sort of.

When you watch golf on TV, there are hundreds of people crowded around relatively small areas. Those folks wouldn't want to be so close to the greens if they saw me on the course. They might not see me, because I probably wouldn't be in the fairway. But let's not get bogged down in details.

I've always admired the behavior of golf fans. And tennis fans too.

Spectators at tennis matches used to be the most polite people in the world except for Mormon missionaries. (That's a compliment, folks, so don't get all bent out of shape.)

But something has happened. Fans behaving badly have taken up a lot of valuable space in the sports section in the wake of this year's Ryder's Cup golf competition. And even tennis fans are resorting to insults and catcalls.

Why?

I think it started when the competitors started misbehaving. There are more than a few tennis players, for example, who proved to be little more than spoiled brats -- and talented athletes. But their antics on the court soon gave the fans the idea that tennis is an audience-participation sport.

Golfers have been less inclined to pull stunts while playing, but some of them have gone too far after sinking -- or missing -- a long putt. They can't seem to help playing to the gallery.

I won't even discuss baseball, basketball and football fans. Hockey fans are another species, and I don't understand them or the game they love.

But I can say this: If you want yet another indication of where we are headed as the human race, take a look at how we are behaving on the sidelines of summer sports, church leagues, high school games, college contests and pro matchups.

And then take stock of how we behave the rest of the time.

I don't think I like what I see.

~R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.