Got portal ganked?

Let me be the first to say it: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a bunch of end-zone gankers. The admins on the field were clearly not doing anything about the blatant exploiting of the lag-induced last ten yards before the end-zone. That the Oakland Raiders were choosing to play fairly makes them far more respectable. The Buccaneers should be banned from football forever. But you know they won't. It only goes to show you that you need to exploit early and exploit often if you are going to win the game.

Now, I'm no Raiders fan by any means. In fact, I barely understand the game of football at all. Football wouldn't even register on my radar if not for the Superbowl. Even then, the commercials give me the most entertainment. Plus I'm from a city where it is shameful to admit who your football team is.

From what I saw of the game, those were two teams who understood the rules and spirit of a game. Even with the emotions and the stakes high, they weren't logging into the Superbowl forums at halftime and griping about how the receiver was trash talking the deep safeties as he runs for the touchdown. No, these guys know that one team is going to ride away with a magic ring on their finger (maybe that's only baseball) and the other anonymously on a run down city bus.

I guess that's why they are professionals and we're playing AC2. Well, maybe it's because the scouts haven't tapped the online community as a recruiting resource yet but I'm betting it has to do with being no good at football and me being a toothpick. I don't think they'll be adding a 12th position "toothpick" any time soon. If they do, I'm a millionaire.

Would the Superbowl be any fun if the players bickered at every call or lack of a call, if they trash talked each other constantly and viewed every competition as a chance to hate the "other guy"? I would mute it and watch the ads.

But that is not these guys. No, they can battle on the field and go have a beer the next weekend with each other. These guys respect each other and even though one team *cough*Tampa Bay*cough* might wipe the field with the other *cough*Oakland*cough*, they hold their tongues, they save their frustrations for their performance. Sorry, I must be coming down with something. That's sportsmanship and I hate to think it might become a dead art someday. Somewhere along the way, though, it became okay to gripe and complain and push and shove. I blame budget cuts in the public grade schools. And jellyfish. Those things are just wrong. They aren't jelly and they aren't fish. WTF?!

I know what you're thinking. AC2 is not a sport. Yeah, and...? I learned sportsmanship a long time ago, like when I was eighteen, maybe, when getting my butt kicked at Risk by those cheating punks in my dorm. So I was a little slow coming to that lesson.

And no, I'm not bitter. Not one bit. Cheating punks.

Still, it seems like I picked things up quicker than a lot of others in the world of Dereth. There are people who avoid exploiting and people who try it and like it. I have my opinions but they are only that: Opinions. Shoving them down someone else's throat is not sportsmanship.

What this is about is how one deals with the situation as it is. Do you complain and rant and shout at the message boards for change? Do you let your buttons get pushed because someone thinks you're exploiting and shout back? That's not sportsmanship either. There is no honor in letting your frustration get the better of you. And jellyfish...don't get me started on jellyfish. (Why are they so creepy? *shudder*)

You know what my dream is? No, not the one involving Kirsten Dunst. That other one. My dream is that people will realize that AC2 is a game, like football, and not let the little things pile up, not let frustration take them by the throat and shake them until vile words spill out of their mouths. My dream is that despite what other people do in the game, despite the changes people hate or like, sportsmanship will reign supreme. Got portal ganked? Respond with a "good show, yo" and walk away. Can't handle that? Try saying something about jellyfish. They still fall in the sportsmanship gray area so I consider it fair game. (Hey, no! Don't take the discovery channel! *grumble*)

No, I'm not a portal ganker. I realize it exists, though, and don't let it serve as an example to me. Perhaps it is a farfetched dream. Can you help realize it?

Gurog Grunts appears every Monday here on AC2 Warcry. The opinions expressed here belong to the gruntmaster himself, Theiss. If you wish to grunt about his grunts, grunt to Theiss at editor@warcry.com. Jellyfish are evil! Eeeeeeeviiiiil!