Ever since the Egg Bowl this past Thursday, there has suddenly been a lot of chatter about sportsmanship in football.

An already heated rivalry seemed hit the boiling point during the game, as several instances prompted accusations by each fanbase that the other team was engaging in poor sportsmanship. Some examples include but are not limited to the following:

•A tweet by WCBI’s Robby Donoho III described Mississippi State linebacker Leo Lewis walking toward the Ole Miss side of the field and blowing a kiss toward the Rebel players during warm-ups.

•Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald appeared to make an obscene gesture when he was being carted off the field following a gruesome injury during the game. Fitzgerald later tweeted, “I have more class than to flick off an opposing team like that… that was between me and my little brother Keytoan,” referring to backup quarterback Keytaon Thompson, whose first name Fitzgerald misspelled and who was in the vicinity when Fitzgerald’s hand went up.

•After catching a touchdown pass, Ole Miss receiver D.K. Metcalf proceeded to mimic a dog marking it’s territory with the same gesture Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. did during a game against the Eagles back in late September. 

•During the game, Rebels receiver A.J. Brown could be seen shouting toward Mississippi State fans, “This is my city,” following a big play.

There were also a few scuffles that happened before and during the game. Both Bulldog and Rebel fans probably won’t be caught talking about how classy the other team is in the near future.

My personal opinion on each matter is this: I believe Fitzgerald when he says he was directing whatever his hand gesture was toward Thompson as something akin to an inside joke, except maybe it’s more accurate to say it was an “inside motivational tool.” Lewis and Brown’s actions are to be expected due to Lewis’ involvement in the NCAA’s Ole Miss investigation and the fact Brown is from Starkville. Metcalf’s mimicking of a dog urinating is something that most fans would defend if one of their team’s players was doing it, and something most opposing fans would find outrageous. He got flagged for 15 yards and deserved it per the letter of the rule.

As a general rule, I want teams to show good sportsmanship. I’m also not ignorant of the fact that football is a game that is conductive to its players showing “chippy” behavior. If you want your team to be a good team, you’re going to have to accept the fact not every member of your team is going to be a choir boy. Presumably, anyone who is bothering to suit up has a competitive fire, and if that weren’t enough, football is a physically punishing sport where everyone is flying around hitting one another at high speeds. 

Do you honestly believe no one is ever going to get “chippy” during the course of these games? With the Egg Bowl in particular, it’s a rivalry with state pride on the line, and now with the NCAA investigation and Lewis’ involvement in that, things are at a fever pitch. Of course the players are going to feed off of that reality. 

Back on Nov. 18, I had the pleasure of covering Lamar’s football state championship game against Simpson Academy. It was a fantastic game that took an overtime period to decide the winner. Both of these teams were clearly the best teams in MAIS Class AAAA, Division II, and both teams clearly wanted to win badly. During the course of that game, both teams exhibited behavior I would describe as “chippy.”

Fans will naturally react to that by saying it was the other team that started it. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. One thing that stood out to me after the game, though, was Raiders head coach Mac Barnes’ comments about Simpson Academy coach Dan Napier. Without being prompted, Barnes went out of his way to compliment Napier, saying Simpson Academy “plays football the way it’s meant to be played” and said Napier is a “really classy guy.” 

Doesn’t exactly sound like someone who is upset about the chippy nature of the game, does it? If I had to guess — and, to be sure, I’d only be guessing — a veteran coach Barnes likely realizes tempers can flare during a game, and it doesn’t mean the opponent “lacks class.” 

There is a valid counterargument to my earlier point, which goes something like this: Other players are playing in the same physical, high-energy game as the ones who are acting out, and they manage to control themselves. It’s a point I respect, but my response is to point out how each individual player is different, and may react differently due to a variety of reasons.

I’m not suggesting Ole Miss and MSU fans should start liking the other team all of a sudden, but can we please stop taking the actions of a few players on each side so personally? Furthermore, can we admit that both teams had players “acting out” and stop pretending like it was anything more than two teams with a lot of emotions sometimes letting those emotions get the best of them? It doesn’t mean they’re bad people.

Drew Kerekes is the sports editor at The Meridian Star. He can be reached at dkerekes@themeridianstar.com.