MIAMI -- It's just a game.

It's not a life and death situation. Our livelihood doesn't depend on it. You can probably bet that most people in America don't even know that a brawl during Saturday's football game between the University of Miami and Florida International University had such an impact on our community.

But games are a microcosm of life. In the time it takes to play four quarters of football, fans go through quite a few changes of their emotional wardrobe -- love, hate, anger, joy and sadness, to name a few.

That's why Sunday's brawl and subsequent fallout generated passionate and unambiguous reactions from NBC 6 viewers.

In an e-mail titled "Thuggery on the Field," Vernon D. Bond Jr. wrote: "As a Native Miamian, I am ashamed by the actions shown on the field at the Orange Bowl. South Florida has lost respect for others, rules, laws, authority. We need to grow up."

James Fox had this to say: "The university of Miami is a disgrace to college football. Let's get rid of these disgraceful, no class, poor excuses, for a non-disciplined team of thugs."

E.K. Felder wrote: "Student-athletes my foot! Too many of those guys are just semi-literate thugs in training to be NFL millionaires."

Some viewers suggested that school-imposed sanctions were not enough. G. Robinson wrote, "Law enforcement should view the video take action as warranted."

However, 4 percent of those responding to our NBC6.net question of the day thought sanctions should not have been imposed at all.

A University of Miami fan and alumnus reminded us of seasons past when "there was always a brawl before a football game. The U of Miami at least has spunk and energy that was lacking over the years."

To suggest that on-field fighting is a display of the spunk necessary to win football games is irresponsible at best. But surprisingly, several fans agreed that it's just part of the game.

"Anyone whose feelings were hurt because of this brawl, doesn't know much about football," wrote Jerry Allen from Tallahassee. "I agree a fight on the field has to be controlled but it gives excitement to the game. One has a slim chance of getting hurt with pads on in a fight. I don't think it was so bad. I hope these two teams are a rival in the future and if a fight breaks out, my feelings won't be hurt."

Well, Jerry, here's the thing. The minute you play a game in front of a large television audience, the rules and your level of responsibility change. Adults watching a game might dismiss the fight as nothing more than boys being boys. But kids in peewee leagues who were watching may get the message that "it's just part of the game," and they can get hurt -- no matter how many pads they're wearing.

T. O'Brien thinks small children aren't the only ones who will suffer the consequences. He wrote: "I truly believe the game should have been canceled on the spot. To allow it to continue just gives the wrong impression -- especially to the kids who are hoping to play college ball."

Avi Learner agreed that aggressiveness is part of the game, but he took a more diplomatic approach.

"Violent contact is part American-style football," he wrote. "They teach these kids to be mean and aggressive on the football field and have pride in their team and protect their teammates. I imagine coaches still use the phrase 'get in there and take his head off,' or something along those lines, in order to inspire the players to get really physical towards the other team. So, is this kind of brawl so unexpected?

"What I saw as really bad," Learner said, "was that the coaches just stood there and did very little as the players charged out onto the field, without even the slightest effort to contain them. How about suspending the coaches for not disciplining the players better?

"You see it taken to extremes in the pros with jerks like Terrell Owens. This is the example that is set for youngsters?"

It's perhaps this preposterous sense of pride that led former Miami player Lamar Thomas, an analyst for Comcast Sports SouthEast, to make the following comments during the game.

"Now, that's what I'm talking about," Thomas said. "You come into our house, you should get your behind kicked. You don't come into the OB playing that stuff. You're across the ocean over there. You're across the city. You can't come over to our place talking noise like that. You'll get your butt beat. I was about to go down the elevator to get in that thing."

Blame it on a reaction to the emotion of a highly charged game. But, dude, what were you thinking?

On Tuesday, Comcast general manager Mark Fuhrman said he's disappointed in the comment and regrets the way it was handled in the broadcast booth. Thomas was fired for making the comment on air.

On Tuesday, we received even more e-mails after University of Miami President Donna Shalala's press conference.

"This university will be firm and punish people who do bad things," Shalala said. "But we will not throw any student under the bus for instant restoration of our image or our reputation. I will not hang them in a public square. I will not eliminate their participation at the university. I will not take away their scholarships."

Moments after we had posted that story, we received the following:

"I just can't believe hearing Donna Shalala talking how 'we won't push our boys under the bus.' These Miami players must be laughing their heads off, getting away with it again, just like being in the streets, no consequences for their actions. Not playing vs. Duke is a punishment? What a joke! These are not kids. They could be fighting in Iraq, a real war, with real men! Not in a GAME!"

Toni J. Pallatto's comments echoed the same.

"I just watched an on-camera interview with a fan at the pre-season Heat game. He, in essence, said, 'We have to remember they are just kids -- 18 or 19 years old.' EXCUSE ME. Let us remember that the majority of our VOLUNTEER armed forces are 18 or 19 years old and we ask them not only to risk their lives to defend our freedom, but to act responsibly.

"This is ridiculous. These players on both teams have to respect the freedom that they have been granted to play football at the college level and respect their coaches. These men put themselves on the line each week because they believe in TEAM. The player who used his helmet as a weapon should be banned from football foreve, at the college level and certainly at the professional level. There is no I in TEAM. He should have been protecting his team and holding them back from fighting. I find this despicable."

"This is my first UM game and my last," wrote Maria Diaz.

"Half our family are UM fans and the other half are FIU alumni. I am very proud of the tremendous gains FIU has made in the years since it's beginning. I believe the measures that FIU has taken to show the team that 'goon-like behavior' will not be tolerated is to be commended. I am very disappointed with UM for not having the courage to discipline the team even if it means a loss."

Other viewers wrote in to say that both teams should be suspended for the remainder of the season and all games forfeited.

Rolando Delgado, who signed his e-mail "A Dissatisfied Viewer," found another way to alleviate his anger.

"I'm sickened by the video your network keeps playing over and over showing the University of Miami player hitting the FIU player. If you need to keep showing the video, it would be greatly appreciated if you would show the very beginning when the FIU student started the brawl."

(The raw footage of the entire brawl has been posted on NBC6.net since Monday. Click here to watch it in its entirety.)

Nicole, a student at the University of Miami, also mentioned the UM player hitting the FIU player. But she offered a slightly different perspective.

"As a student at the University of Miami, I am disgusted that this incident occurred between UM and FIU. I love attending the games and for this to have happened is appalling.

"I hope that further action is taken, especially against Merriweather who was seen stomping on players, so that hopefully UM can start to get on a positive track and stop being looked at as a thug football program."

Miriam Gonzalez summed it all up like this: "Men need to sit down and wonder how they can call themselves adults after this," she said.

In the end, the best we can hope for is that those involved will ponder what happened, learn their lessons and apply them to the bigger game -- the game of life.