The greatest sporting event you have never seen

Each year there are huge mega sporting events you can not escape in this country - the Super Bowl, the World Series, the NCAA Tournament. Even minor sports, like Horse Racing and Indy car, make a big splash when their big events happen each Spring. As much media hype as they can generate, they all fail to compete with the greatest sporting event, which is occurring this Friday Night:

The Scripts National Spelling Bee

Before you say I am f-ing crazy, let me explain. Why is the Scripts National Spelling Bee so good? Many reasons. It has drama, it has competition, it is always a close contest and a battle, but most importantly it has one element the other events do not have:

Sportsmanship

I am tired of watching over-paid, under-educated athletes compete in a game of who can be the biggest, jack@ss showboat. Celebrations and taunting used to happen rarely, and then it was only done if you were really the best and you were absolutely crushing the other team. Now, it is commonplace. Athletes play for the highlights and the endorsement contracts, not to win games(Manny Ramirez ... yeah, I am talking to you). Worse yet, the biggest jerks are the ones getting in the most trouble with the law. Quick - name one sports team that doesn't have a player that is either in or is facing jail time? I can't.

I don't know whose fault it is; players didn't always used to be this way. It could be ESPN, Nike, Sports Agents, or the public, but a culture has been created that it is not as important if you win or lose, but how big of a showboat jerk you can be. Sportsmanship in the pros is a joke, and the college ranks are not far behind them. Rare is the player who is both (A) successful and (B) someone you would introduce to your sister. Almost no sport is immune. Almost.

Enter the Scripts Spelling Bee. This is the only competition where the players actually play the game like professionals. There is respect for your competitors and the rules. Players behave like ladies and gentleman and they shake hands after good plays. They play to win but they don't play like jerks. And there is drama! Big drama. Pressure under the lights drama by kids who are not used to being in the limelight. Lets face it - most of these kids get picked on and beat up on a fairly regular basis, I'm guessing. But do they use the stage as an opportunity to upstage their competitor? No. They play to win and the bring a drama and intensity I haven't seen in another sport in years. Olympic Spirit? Don't go to Beijing to see it; you have to go to Washington DC for the Scripts finals.

A few years ago, a story came out that a Little League Baseball league had decided to stop the practice of a post game handshake. Too many fights were breaking out. It was at this moment I thought there was no more hope for sports. If we can't even get kids to behave in a civilized fashion after a game, what chance is there for professionals?

For anyone who feels the same way, I urge you to watch the Scripts Spelling Bee, Friday night, 8pm Eastern (7pm Central) on ABC. It will restore your faith in the concept of good sportsmanship.