After bingeing on sports the last few weeks, I noticed several different trends in celebrating.

I observed wide receivers dancing and pointing after first downs, a Cyclone hockey player getting cheap-shotted from behind after a goal and an entire baseball team dedicating its play to a fallen teammate.

All of these events come down to good or bad sportsmanship. Webster defines a person demonstrating sportsmanship as, “a person who can take a loss without complaint or victory without gloating, and who treats opponents with fairness, generosity and courtesy.”

Most people claim that sportsmanship is on the decline because they have seen Dennis Rodman kick a cameraman and Bill Romanowski spit on another player and other similar events.

It has also trickled down to collegiate athletics with Bobby Knight tossing chairs onto the court and even to Little Leaguers spitting on their hands before the post-game handshake. I even had a friend get sucker punched by some punk after an intramural soccer game.

But who is to blame for this rise in unsportsmanlike conduct? Maybe the leagues because they only slap a petty fine on a player for a flagrant foul. Perhaps parents and coaches are to blame because they emphasize winning way too much.

How come a hockey player can duke it out and get only a few minutes in the penalty box, but Patrick Ewing can get suspended for stepping onto the court 40 feet from a shoving match?

My contention is that sportsmanship has not declined, but the media has only sensationalized it. Why do you think a player jumps into the crowd after a touchdown?

The camera is rolling so they feel obligated to put on a show. A good endzone dance may get them onto the big screen, but they are professionals and should conduct themselves more appropriately.

Don’t get me wrong, I love to see the fat guys strut their stuff after a quarterback sack, but what if your math professor dove into the students after solving a differential equation?

Yeah, that would be cool, and everyone would love it, but I think the professors realize that they are just doing their jobs — and they are old and might get hurt.

Without the media blowing every little infraction out of proportion, not as many people would believe that sportsmanship is declining.

Before cable and ESPN, no one noticed how Ty Cobb would spike infielders or how Dick Butkus would bite someone at the bottom of the pile.

There wasn’t an intricate John Madden replay with a chalk diagram.

Now they can use frame by frame slow motion with 37 different camera angles to show Mike Tyson’s extensive dental work.

When a player like Babe Ruth called his shots and Mohammed Ali proclaimed to be the greatest, it was deemed acceptable and showed charisma.

Now if a college player kneels in the endzone to send out a quick prayer, it is an act of drawing attention to himself, and he is subsequently flagged for it.

Call me crazy, but I think kneeling with your head bowed is showing humility and thankfulness.

The Cyclones Todd Bandhauer is a very emotional player and let Hayden Fry know about it after the Cyclones beat the Hawks. He was criticized heavily for that comment and soon apologized, but 20 years ago nobody would have even published or broadcast his postgame statement.

I believe that sportsmanship is still displayed on a regular basis, but it is overshadowed by a few acts of stupidity by the Rodmans and Roberto Alomars of sports.

How often do announcers comment on how Barry Sanders politely flips the ball to the referee after a touchdown?

Did anyone notice how John Randle consoled rookie Charlie Batch after a game-sealing interception?

Instead, the camera is focused on Andre Rison punching the goalpost padding or Brian Cox flipping off the fans.

Recently, sportsmanship was focused upon during the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home-run chase. It showed how two athletes could compete with each other and not against each other.

The sight of McGwire clutching Sosa after number 62 will be immortalized in history forever.

“Back in the day,” players never interacted the way they do now because it was strictly taboo.

There was always a certain level of respect, but you didn’t ever hear of Ali inviting Joe Frazier to come to his temple, that’s for sure.

Now you can frequently see players joke around before the game and then gather at half-court or mid-field for a post game prayer.

So when you’re watching Sportscenter remember for every Lambeau Leap and Rodman head-butt, there is a thankful Cris Carter and a big McGwire hug.

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Eric Taylor is a junior in mechanical engineering from Elysian, Minn.