Disclaimer: I’m not a sports-blogger.  But I couldn’t resist writing up something – along with the rest of the world – on Richard Sherman’s behavior and post-game interview with Erin Andrews.  If you haven’t seen it, click here.

Fans around the world are divided – they have commented that Sherman should have had more class, they are disappointed, and have described his behavior as embarrassing and arrogant.  To which the “offender” himself responded: “To those who would call me a thug or worse because I show passion on a football field—don’t judge a person’s character by what they do between the lines. Judge a man by what he does off the field, what he does for his community, what he does for his family” (source).

Erin Andrews responded by saying she was glad Sherman lost his mind:
“You expect these guys to play like maniacs and animals for 60 minutes,” she said. “And then 90 seconds after he makes a career-defining, game-changing play, I’m gonna be mad because he’s not giving me a cliché answer, ‘That’s what Seahawks football is all about and that’s what we came to do and we practice for those situations.’ No you don’t. That was awesome. That was so awesome. And I loved it” (source).

Even though no one is asking for my opinion (because like I said before, I am no sports blogger), here’s how I’ve made sense of Sherman’s flamboyant and controversial behavior.  I’m just a fan, but I’ve been known to have an occasional outburst while I’m watching a game.  And my outbursts are acceptable (by most of my friends and family) because we understand that we all get caught up in the moment during big plays.  But my intensity no where near matches the passion and adrenaline that goes along with being a playmaker like Sherman, and being in the moment and on the field.

If Richard Sherman was grabbed out of the end zone by Kam Chancellor instead of Erin Andrews, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have said the exact same thing to him.

The tipping point is this: Sherman consistently backs up his statement.  He believes he is the best cornerback in the game today (and so does Deion Sanders, and me, and many others), and his belief promotes his behavior.  He plays as if he’s the best.  And this past Sunday, his belief-promoting-behavior caused him to make the best play in Seahawk history.  Just typing that statement gets me pumped up enough to have an outburst.  #gohawks