The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Being a good sport should go beyond the playing field
Ed Patino
PUBLISHED: June 14, 2007
The Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association announced that it would enforce stiffer penalties for poor sportsmanship in ice hockey and soccer during its spring meeting last month.
Advertisement
Beginning with the 2007-08 school year, penalties will at least double the game disqualifications for players and coaches in hockey. After receiving the first game misconduct, a player will be forced to sit the next two games. The player will be suspended four games for the second misconduct and the rest of the season on the third disqualification. In soccer, it was recommended that a player or coach receiving simultaneous yellow and red cards be forced to sit for the rest of that game and be suspended for the next game.
"Sportsmanship continues to be one of the things that separates educational athletes from other levels of sports, and it requires constant attention," executive director of the MHSAA, John E. "Jack" Roberts, said in a press release. "Officials have been requesting the opportunity to evaluate schools for their sportsmanship, and as we develop that program, it will be an eye towards continuing to promote the highest level of sportsmanship at our games."
This is a good move on the MHSAA's part, and it should be applauded for trying to cut down on cheap shots and having games deteriorate into a three-ring circus. But the playing surface is not the only area where sportsmanship should be monitored.
If the officials get their chance to evaluate school's sportsmanship, it should also include the actions of the spectators.
Now, I'm not saying fans should just clap lightly and not be vocal. In fact, student sections are good for sports and boost the experience. Schools should want their home turf to be a tough place for visitors to play. Chants and even some playful heckling are okay (and something I've been guilty of when I was in college). I'm just saying that fans, especially parents, shouldn't go overboard.
Supporting your team and having some fun at the expense of the other is one thing. Being derogatory is another, and not a good thing.
In games that I've covered, cases of abusive fans have thankfully been few and far between. However, I have witnessed some such incidents that would make people cringe.
When the Addison High School girl's basketball team upset its way to the 2005 Class C district title, it received some borderline taunts during the finals. One Addison player who has distinctively long hair was greeted by chants of "mullet" whenever she touched the ball from students and parents from the opposing team (which was heavily favored to win the district). When the Panthers were awarded the district trophy, a parent yelled "you don't deserve it," before storming out of the gym.
Another disgusting act came during a wrestling quad in 2006. When an Erie Mason wrestler lost his match by a point, the kid's father flew into a rage, upset that his son didn't get rewarded a point for a reversal that took place at the buzzer.
The referee had enough and asked for the father to be removed from the building, prompting the man to try and fight the official, school staff and later security.
Did he ever stop to think he was not only embarrassing himself, but also his son, who took the loss in stride?
During the 2005-06 college basketball season, Gonzaga fans came under scrutiny when they chanted "Brokeback Mountain" at a Stanford player. Really mature, and what a way to represent your school to a national audience (that game was on ESPN).
There have even been cases at the youth level. While working at the Adrian newspaper in 2004, I received a letter from an Onsted parent responding to taunts her son's little league team received from an opposing team's fans.
Memo to rowdy spectator: This is NOT Game 7 of the World Series or NBA Finals, and I certainly hope you didn't bet the house on a high school or youth team. This is entertainment and fun, not life and death.
You see and hear the crowd taunts professional athletes all the time. But they are older, generally have a thicker skin and get paid large somes of money. College kids are not pros, but are generally at an age when they can let that stuff roll off of them.
But, as the MHSAA slogan says, "high school sports, it's about TEAM" and "good sports are winners."
So if the officials get their chance to evaluate sportsmanship in the future, students and parents should do their part to make sure their school makes the grade.
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
TOP JOBS
