This past weekend’s altercation involving Michigan and Wisconsin has sparked a discussion about the future of the handshake line in college basketball.
During this Monday’s press conference, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo was asked to comment on the potential removal of the handshake line altogether. Let’s just say he’s not a fan of that idea.
“That, to me, would be the biggest farce, joke, ridiculous nature of anything I’ve ever heard of,” Izzo told reporters. “We’ve already taught these poor 18-year-olds that when you’re told to go to class and you don’t like it, you can leave. We’ve already told these kids that if you’re not happy, you can do something else. We’ve already told these kids that it’s hard to hold them accountable.
“And now, we’re going to tell them to not man up and walk down a line to someone who’s kicked your butt and have enough class to shake their hand is utterly ridiculous. So if the president said it, I think he’s full of it. If the best coach in America said it, I think … that gets me way more than this incident. Not shaking hands is typical of our country right now. Instead of solving the problem, let’s make an excuse and let’s see if we can just, instead of confronting and demanding that it changes, let’s eliminate it so that we don’t have those problems.”
This rant from Izzo immediately went viral on Twitter. For the most part, the college basketball world appears to be on his side.
“The fact that people’s response is to get rid of the hand-shake line is what’s wrong with the world today,” one fan said.
The fact that people’s response is to get rid of the hand-shake line is what’s wrong with the world today… https://t.co/5EvYENoC8Q
— Ashley Gordon (@ashgor) February 22, 2022
“Tom Izzo is the best,” another fan said. “When did it get hard to coach leadership and demand more? Our society needs to get back to simple fundamentals. Right and wrong matter, your feelings don’t!”
Tom Izzo is the best. When did it get hard to coach leadership and demand more? Our society needs to get back to simple fundamentals. Right and wrong matter, your feelings don’t! https://t.co/cQM1ErA3ZI
— Adam Huddle (@Hudz157) February 22, 2022
“This gets me going here on a Tuesday,” Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman tweeted. “Izzo’s a boss. And he’s 100% correct.”
This gets me going here on a Tuesday. Izzo’s a boss. And he’s 100% correct. https://t.co/8LWn63ykgI
— Brian Davis (@BDavisAAS) February 22, 2022
Izzo has produced a lot of great rants over the course of his career, and this one belongs toward the top of the list.
Do you think the handshake line should remain a part of college basketball?
The post Tom Izzo Handshake Rant Goes Viral: Sports Fans React appeared first on The Spun.