密歇根新闻广播 运动塑造性格,也暴露性格,不仅仅运动员

Last Friday, I said Saturday's game would be the "Mother of all Michigan-Michigan State games."

Clearly, I had no idea. For the first time in years, the rivalry¹ was billed as a heavyweight prize fight – and it delivered.

The Spartans² outgained the Wolverines, but Michigan held the lead until the last play.

How? By relying on great special teams play, especially from their fantastic punter, Blake O'Neill.

O'Neill grew up in Melbourne playing Aussie Rules Football, a game that requires unusual strength, stamina³ and coordination⁴. He decided⁵ to jump the ocean to play American college football, first at Weber State, and now at Michigan.

When Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh met him this summer, and asked him to kick the ball, O'Neill asked, "Which way?"

When Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh met him this summer, and asked him to kick the ball, O'Neill asked, "Which way?"

Unlike American kickers, O'Neill can deliver the football high, low, or with a running start to his right.

Harbaugh liked them all, and made O'Neill the team's starting punter.

O'Neill has been spectacular.

He has stuck half his punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line, for average returns of less than two yards. 

Against Michigan State, O'Neill was in top form, kicking three punts inside the Spartans' ten-yard line, one of them a staggering 80 yards, the longest in Michigan Stadium's history. 

With Michigan holding a 2 point lead, and ten seconds left with the ball at mid-field, Michigan needed only to punt the ball, and kill the remaining seconds to win. 

The snap came to O'Neill a little low. The ball bounced off his hands, and onto the turf. He scooped⁶ it up, and tried to kick it. But instead, he inadvertently tossed the ball to Michigan State's Jalen Watts-Jackson, who dashed down the sidelines for the game-winning score.

Michigan State fans were ecstatic.

Michigan fans were too shocked to be upset, standing⁷ with their hands on their heads in stunned⁸ silence.

Given the unbelievable events, I thought the players, coaches and fans generally carried themselves with class.

The only disturbing behavior came from a minority of Michigan fans – not toward the Spartans, but Michigan punter Blake O'Neill.

A man named Chris Vomish tweeted that O'Neill should go to the equipment room and "start chugging that bleach⁹ my friend."

After fans reacted to his tweet, Vomish deleted it, explaining that, "Everyone's entitled to their opinion," apparently¹⁰ confusing his asinine¹¹ comment with an actual opinion.

Another tweeter told O'Neill to "jump off of a cliff into a pool of spikes¹² and cyanide" and that "you might as well cut your hands off."

Alas¹³, this is not new. 

In 1905, Michigan was riding a 56-game winning streak¹⁴. In the last game of the season against arch-rival Chicago, Michigan's Denny Clark tried to run the ball out of the endzone, got caught for a safety, and Michigan lost 2-0.

Clark received hate mail and death threats, but also a rousing reception upon his return to campus. However, 27 years later, in a Portland, Oregon, hotel room, he wrote a note saying he hoped his "final play" would make up for it all, and killed himself. 

Since then, the only thing that's really changed is the Internet, where cowardice¹⁵ masquerades as courage.

Twitter amplifies¹⁶ the worst sides of our worst people.

But the better angels among us, including some Spartans, stood up and showered O'Neill with sympathy and support.

They even set up a Facebook page for O'Neill, which has more than 11,000 subscribers.

Today is a good time to remember that these games only matter because we say they do – we created this play in the first place.

Sports build character, but they also reveal character -- and not just of the athletes.

1 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

2 spartans   

n.斯巴达（spartan的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The ancient Spartans used to expose babies that they did not want. 古斯巴达人常遗弃他们不要的婴儿。
• But one by one the Spartans fell. 可是斯巴达人一个一个地倒下了。

3 stamina   

n.体力；精力；耐力

参考例句：

• I lacked the stamina to run the whole length of the race.我没有跑完全程的耐力。
• Giving up smoking had a magical effect on his stamina.戒烟神奇地增强了他的体力。

4 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 scooped   

v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等）

参考例句：

• They scooped the other newspapers by revealing the matter. 他们抢先报道了这件事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块，在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

9 bleach   

vt.使漂白；vi.变白；n.漂白剂

参考例句：

• These products don't bleach the hair.这些产品不会使头发变白。
• Did you bleach this tablecloth?你把这块桌布漂白了吗？

10 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

11 asinine   

adj.愚蠢的

参考例句：

• It is an asinine discussion.那是个愚蠢透顶的讨论。
• I must have been insane to listen to your asinine gibberish!我真是昏了头居然听信了你的胡说八道！

12 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

14 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

15 cowardice   

n.胆小，怯懦

参考例句：

• His cowardice reflects on his character.他的胆怯对他的性格带来不良影响。
• His refusal to help simply pinpointed his cowardice.他拒绝帮助正显示他的胆小。

16 amplifies   

放大，扩大( amplify的第三人称单数 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• Gain is the number of times the amplifier amplifies a signal. 增益就是放大器放大信号的倍数。
• Such panicky behaviour amplifies the impact of the Russian export ban. 这样的恐慌行为放大了俄罗斯小麦出口禁令的影响效应。