Smiling At A Player’s Injury?

After an “accidental” collision that resembles the football penalty of clipping, Sophie Cunningham suffers season-ending knee injury, while the opposing player smiles. The collision may or may not have been accidental. The smile was deliberate. Clipping in football has been banned by the NCAA since 1916. Perhaps it is time for the WNBA to catch up.

Typically, no foul was called, and play was not even paused to review the video. The video does not reveal whether the referees were also smiling.

Clipping was banned because of the risk of serious knee injuries. Smiling at an opponent writhing in pain was banned because of what it reveals about the smiler. A friend of mine was due to enter UC Berkeley. But he was clipped in a sandlot football game, wound up on crutches, and went to City College. I do not consider injuring an opponent something to smile about. Do you? Then speak up.