Burn Off

I was awoken this morning by a deafening explosion.  An isocracker at the local refinery exploded and shook our entire house.  There were no injuries or fatalities associated with the explosion and fire. They have everything contained and are allowing the remaining crude oil to burn off. 

This mornings events got me to thinking of players, coaches, parents and even referees who can be volatile during matches. Sometimes people allow their emotions to explode and when this happens it is often prudent to allow whatever is fueling the outburst to burn off before confronting the individual or attempting to address the issue.  Sometimes a yellow card caution or a red card send off is unfortunately necessary to allow the cooling off period to ensue. 

Some memorable incidents I have witnessed fall into two basic categories - uncontrolled and controlled.  The uncontrolled might include a parent being "thrown out" or sent to the parking lot for abusive language or behavior toward an official.  Or perhaps a player sent off for violent conduct.  I have seen coaches, more so in basketball, intentionally gain a referee's attention with a controlled or intentional outburst designed to do so.

In each case it seems to me the person "going off" feels a need to be heard. Once they have had their say, the incident often ends then and there.  The impact such outbursts have can be wide ranging. Sometimes a coach needs to "fight" for his or her players.  Giving a referee a good ear full perhaps sends a message to the players the coach has their backs.  When done intentionally, this could fall under the heading of gamesmanship.   A controlled explosion for a designed purpose, if you will.  Limited collateral damage.

Uncontrolled explosions, or when emotions run amok, are far more dangerous.  Left unchecked these explosions can lead to violence, injury and as we are sometimes reminded of, death.  When this occurs the intrinsic value of athletics is lost.  When winning or losing becomes more important than the spirit of the game emotions get the better of people - almost always with negative consequences. 

The character Chick Hicks in Disney's movie "Cars" is used to drive this point home. I use this example because it is one this generation of young players is familiar with.  Chick is focused solely on winning the Piston Cup much as the movies protagonist Lightning McQueen is at the start of the story.  The tale is of Lightning McQueen's growing to appreciate the intrinsic value of the overall experience.  That it can never be and never is about the individual.

A soccer match is a team effort. It takes two teams, two coaching staffs, a referee crew, ground crew, spectators, ball boys, scoreboard operator, box office personnel, concessions workers and more to have a quality experience.  Everyone has a role to fill.  No one person's role being more significant than another persons role.   We are all dependent on one another.

The refinery fire this morning will have a similar impact on its operation.  My understanding is the isocracker that exploded is one of the first steps in the refining process. It heats the crude oil so separation can begin to take place before  different parts are refined into a various products.  That explosion will set things back for quite some time.  An uncontrolled explosion on the pitch can have much the same effect.