Rage on the Field: The Decline of Sportsmanship in Sports Today

by Bob West

Overview

During a match in Colville, Washington, official Bob West was head-butted by a high school wrestler in 1996 and knocked unconscious. This incident, captured on tape, has been aired on every major network, been discussed on numerous talk shows, and is still used today to portray the decline in sportsmanship at every level of sports.

Rage on the Field chronicles West's boyhood ambitions to become a sports official, the politics involved in his rise to the top, and the vicious assault that ultimately ended his officiating career. West discusses the assault and the issues surrounding sportsmanship today across all levels and types of sport.

West's passionate story reveals never-before-seen aspects of sports officiating and speaks to the issues underlying the continuing problem of poor sportsmanship in today's society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781039166721
Publisher:	FriesenPress
Publication date:	07/14/2023
Pages:	222
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.51(d)

About the Author

Bob West has been active in numerous community organizations and philanthropic endeavors over the years. He has also been a sports official with over 35 years' experience. Before the head-butting incident that cut his officiating career short, he was inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame and Umpiring National Indicator Fraternity.

West entered the military service in 1971 and retired after spending 20 years on active duty, receiving numerous awards and decorations. After returning to his hometown, West spent the next 20 years working for the City of Spokane. West also served various communities on numerous boards, committees, and commissions in addition to volunteering as a Senior Reserve Police Officer. He has an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Paralegal Studies, a Bachelor's degree in Social and Criminal Justice, and worked in the Major Crimes Unit of the Spokane County Prosecutor's Office.

West currently lives in Spokane Valley, Washington, with his amazing and supportive wife of nearly 50 years, Dawn. They have two daughters and two grandchildren.

Editorial Reviews

2023-08-25
A former wrestling official chronicles the decline of sportsmanship in amateur and professional athletics in this nonfiction book.

West became enthralled with sports while in the fourth grade, and was particularly impressed by those officiating the games. In fact, he admired them so much that he began officiating while in junior high. Eventually, he would become a seasoned official, one who specialized in wrestling. (The author was a star wrestler in high school, good enough to win an athletic scholarship to a community college.) But his career unceremoniously ended when disaster struck—while officiating a high school wrestling match, one of the athletes attacked him. A wrestler, only 17 years old, headbutted West with such force that the blow rendered him unconscious. The ramifications of the assault were extraordinary—the author formally pressed charges, and severe injuries haunted him for years. He underwent four neck surgeries. In addition, he turned to psychotherapy in order to manage the rage and depression that ensued, a predicament he describes with impressive candor and unabashed emotion. In the aftermath of the incident, West became a dedicated activist, advocating for greater protections for sports officials as well as for a movement to reestablish a lost valorization of sportsmanship: “I felt like I was on a crusade. In addition to being a voice for other sports officials, I thought this might provide some type of closure as well. Victims of assault tend to relive their vicious attacks for years and even sometimes never get over it. Here was an avenue to help take my mind off those events.” The author convincingly makes the case that sportsmanship is in a general decline, and that the consequences, especially for younger fans who idolize their athletic heroes, are worthy of concern. In addition, he proposes a series of pragmatic reforms, including holding perpetrators of violence more robustly accountable, that are perfectly sensible, if obvious. But some readers will wish this were a shorter book—they will tire of the autobiographical portions. And while West’s prose is unfailingly clear, it is often anodyne: “I calls ’em as I sees ’em!” Nonetheless, for sports aficionados interested in this genuinely important issue, the author’s treatment is edifying.

A thorough, frank, and enlightening assessment of a growing problem in the sports world.

Kirkus Reviews