“You’re simply the bestest team in the whole, wide world!
We just love you so much!”
What’s next? Yelling distracts the players so only a polite golf clap is acceptable? Why not ban bleachers and fans altogether?
Ban on booing at high school games considered
The organization that oversees high school sports in Washington is considering more specific rules for fans that could ban booing and offensive chants.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association is drafting guidelines to crack down on negative conduct.
The association director Mike Colbrese blames rude fans for the dwindling number of people who want to be coaches and officials.
He says the guidelines will remind fans to cheer for their team, not against the other.
Ahhh…. The pussification of America continues.
As long as they don’t ban the cheerleaders!
Unfortunately, there are far too many students–and especially parents–at the high school level who just don’t know when they have crossed the line from a friendly AIR BALL chant to threatening the refs and players. It’s a broad line, but there are some morons out there.
Please understand that Washington State is run by committee – The Committee of The Least-Informed. If we are lucky, we might get to hear from someone who knows what they are talking about, but only if there is time after the babblers get through giving us their opinion.
And people still wonder why nothing ever gets done.
This is a good idea. What ever happened to good sportsmanship? They should use this for colleges too. It wasn’t too long ago when the home band would learn and play the song of the visiting school. The only reason there is a game to watch is because the other school showed up to play.
Bah!
Unfortunately, sporting events is about the maximum mental leap that over half the world’s population can make.
That game (pick one) being played tonight – where the guys playing it are making millions of dollars – what difference is that game going to make in the world by this time, next year?
I’ve always thought sports were fairly silly activities played by below-average folks.
I might be wrong. If you think so, you’re probably a sports fan, which implies something about your intellect.
Zing!
Maybe, just maybe if they ban the parents from attending the sports events things will get better.
The teenagers will be grateful and there will be nomore “how dare you hurt my baby!” killings.
Remember the old joke about Eistein at a party? He asks everyone their IQ and adjusts his conversation to fit. 241 gets unified field theory, 150 get politics and current events, 120 gets the latest bestseller, etc. Finally he gets to a man whose IQ is about 60. Albert claps him on the back and asks, “How ’bout them Cowboys?”
Personally I’d have substituted professional wrestling. But you couldn’t have that without the BOO chorus. Whatever the sport, thoughtfulness and intelligent civility is not the going currency out in the stands.
Imagine all those officials feeling actually threatened by a ravening pack of excited adolescent sports spectators. Amazing.
well,
I always remembered something that was told to us by the athletic director from when I was much younger and was part of one of the rowdiest set of fans in pennsylvania in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
we were allowed to chant almost anything we wanted, as long as it wasn’t racist or anti-semitic, and as long as it was somehow game-related. just never toss anything on the floor in protest or celebration.
5-
Sportsmanship is for the players. Booing the other team (especially their best player) is part of what makes ‘home field advantage’ an advantage. I by no means condone obscene language at games, but sportsmanship has nothing to do with booing.
6-
Let me guess, you were always picked last for sports in school, no physical abilities whatsoever (besides typing), and a general disdain for those with athletic ability? Yeah, I thought so.
So let’s say they ban booing from this particular state, just exactly how do you want those kids to handle booing in the REAL WORLD that they are going to encounter at the college and professional level?
Let the fans cheer, let them boo, just have them do it with some decorum.
#10,
Let the fans cheer, let them boo, just have them do it with some decorum.
How do we define “decorum” and at what level of “booing” do we limit it.
True, college sports will get a lot of fan reaction. The difference is that the players are amateurs in name only. They get paid to play. High School sports are and should be for the fun of it and the competition.
I am not totally against fan response. Actually you and I are probably very close in thought. It is my experience that many great coaches and kids quit because of fan (read parent) abuse. (May I never become one of those parents)
@10 – Yo Brian, no — I was usually in the top 1-8 picked for teams, out of combined classes of 90+, in my suburban school. I was a big, smart, angry, well-fed, mean, well-raised high-IQ kid with an even bigger competitive brother (he’s still taller and heavier, but not brighter).
Actually, in Junior High, I wrote a paper for Honors Civics (‘gifted kids’, hate that term, class) on “Inequalities Observed in Gymnastic Class”, based on observations throughout grade-school, and the first couple years of Junior High. The paper not only highlighted the devaluation of students, but also was pretty derisive of many current and former instructors (trainers, coaches, gym teachers, whatever). I got into a bit of trouble for that, but the school didn’t want to fight my folks on the issue. Today, it would’ve made for great front-page internet fodder. 🙂
Many teachers disliked (maybe even hated) me. Principals seemed to admire me, although I tended to make their lives harder during my 13-year implied tenure.
College was better. The girls were more interesting, the drugs and alcohol were cheaper and better, and the whole class thing with moron jocks was gone.
… and now for the rest of the story…
why have school pride if you cant boo, you cant paint your face, or you cant wave your foam finger. i say in the state of washington just play games with no fans at all, that way you can avoid th booing altogether. make it illegal to do that.
so if the ref blows a call we should just say hey dont worry about it, you wil get it right next time buddy. and then clap proudly for the blown call
when the visting top team come into your house don’t boo, just politely say glad to have you hear hope we can help you to keep your winning streak going we love you to
derogatory language is one thing but booing is another
this society is on some sweetie stuff in pro sports nfl players get fined for a little end zone celebration. qb ar over protected
Nba players cant flex muscles after a monster dunk and have to wear certain clothes to interviews
baseball is the only league that has it right on any level.
now in washington you are going to stop people from using freedom of speech by not booing, you say its abut sportsmanship, but booing has been around forever, this is not something new that was just created.
boooooooooo washington boooooooo boooooooooo
the council out there trying to do this is some nerds.
be careful because cheerleaders will be the next to go thats too much school spirit
oh and lastly booing has not been the reason why some parents snap out, or some fans start fights, which is inexcusable, guarntee this is not something that will prevent these actions, these dumb parents will still fight refs for blown calls and the dumb fans will still fight the opposing team if there team lose, its not all fans and parents its just the dumb ones who do this and boo or no booing, those fans and parents will still be the idiots they are and eventually snap out and do the idiotic thing that they want to do .
so dont stop booing the idiot concil in washington figure another way to curb those negative fan reactions that become physical