A basketball ritual

One of the basketball rituals getting harder and harder to buy is the shaking of hands at game's end. Yes, it is a display of sportsmanship after competition but really what purpose does it serve?

Most players and coaches perform it perfunctorily, with the body language of 'let's get this over and done with' as the takeaway description.

Granted, sometimes, a coach will single out an opposing player or two and offer a meaningful congratulation or participants who know one another will use the moment to check in with an opponent.

Yes, it produces no harm.

But overall, it's a protocol with no depth of meaning.

It seems a practice best suited (if at all) for high school or club teams as a nice display or a learning to forgive (if not forget) certain words and deeds that may have just been offered but not really for post-game college encounters. Collegiate hoops is a business and, for example, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and the like will never be found hand-in-hand with any competitors.

So should the practice continue or be abolished?

Hey, should the fans on either side take up the practice?

Just kidding. That would lead to an overdose of "I went to a basketball game and an MMA match broke out" jokes.