Video: Payback, karma, and broken bones in the SuperMotocross final

The SuperMotocross playoffs concluded Saturday night in Las Vegas with Honda sweeping everything. Honda HRC Progressive teammates and brothers, Jett and Hunter Lawrence, again finished first and second in the 450 class, meaning Jett has won all three SuperMotocross Playoffs since the format was implemented. Honda HRC Progressive rider Jo Shimoda won the 250 title. But it's the way Shimoda got there that's the real topic of discussion.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Deegan came into Las Vegas hoping to do what Jett Lawrence would go on to do: make it three for three in SMX titles. But he had a much more difficult task because Shimoda only needed to finish second to clinch the title. Deegan was in that predicament because of some payback he received in the second round of the SuperMotocross Playoffs when Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Levi Kitchen punted Deegan off the track with a take-out move that was the end result of long-growing tension between the riders.

On top of that, Deegan was on probation because of some of his similar take-out moves (including taking out his teammate to win the Supercross championship), so if he did anything questionable, he could be docked more points. In the unlikely event that anyone thought that might get Danger Boy to play nice, they were soon proven wrong.

After things shook out in the second moto, Deegan was in the lead and Shimoda was second. Finishing that way would easily give Shimoda the title. So that's when the shenanigans began. Deegan made multiple attempts to crash Shimoda, as you can see in the video below. In the end, he did, but not with the results he wanted. Shimoda got up and finished the race second and won the championship. Deegan walked off with a broken collarbone.

"I was expecting Deegan to be really aggressive," Shimoda said after the race. "I had to be smart. The most important thing is I just didn’t want to get smashed — I think I did pretty good!”

Not surprisingly, discussion on forums and social media ranged from defending Deegan's moves as no worse than what others have done, and pointing out that he was only in that position because Kitchen crashed him in the previous round, to others saying the AMA should suspend Deegan's racing license. Based on the reaction of the crowd in Las Vegas, as well as the balance of comments, it could be that Deegan has reached the tipping point where his "bad boy" approach, including his inevitably colorful post-race comments, are starting to turn off more fans than win them over.

Here's one question I have for those who defend take-out moves as just part of motocross racing. If you think intentionally crashing another racer in the final race of the year to win a championship is a fair part of racing, then why shouldn't racers start doing it from the very first race of the season? If it's acceptable, then any title contender should size up his top competition at the first race and punt him off the track. If you can send your top three or four competitors home in the first few races with a broken bone or a last-place finish, all the better. And if that sounds ridiculous to you, why does it sound perfectly acceptable in the last race but not the first race?

One other spinoff effect of Saturday's events: The broken collarbone means that Deegan will not be representing the United States in the Motocross of Nations as planned.